The Finance Leadership & Governance Hour

Overview

CFOs are facing unprecedented scrutiny from regulators, boards, and shareholders. In Australia, the ATO’s Justified Trust program now sets the benchmark for governance and transparency — and high-assurance ratings are becoming a boardroom KPI. Globally, BEPS Pillar Two and emerging mandates demand even greater accuracy, speed, and resilience in finance operations.

This luncheon brings together CFOs and finance leaders to discuss how to:

Strengthen governance frameworks to meet and exceed regulatory expectations.

Protect enterprise value by achieving high-assurance ratings and avoiding costly reviews.

Use compliance events as catalysts for broader finance transformation and automation.

Benchmark your readiness against peer organisations navigating the same pressures.

What to expect

• Hours
• Panelists & Industry Analysts 4+
• Local Insights Latest
• Discussions Interactive
• Tax & Finance Executives 15+

What we will cover

• From mandate to opportunity What the Government’s eInvoicing drive and the proposed Business eInvoicing Right mean for businesses, and how finance teams can leverage Peppol eInvoicing to improve cash flow and reduce risk
• Real‑time reporting and AI‑driven compliance How the ATO’s focus on real‑time data collection is changing reporting expectations, and where automation and analytics can deliver accuracy, transparency and timely insights.
• Beyond Australia: global tax reform A look at emerging international requirements such as BEPS Pillar Two and other digital tax initiatives, and why multinational groups need scalable technology to stay compliant.
• The rise of the tax technologist Redefining skills and mindsets for tax teams; integrating direct and indirect tax silos; harnessing cloud platforms and AI to future‑proof the tax function and build justified trust with regulators

Agenda

• 11:45 am Setting the scene: Finance leadership in an age of regulatory trust(Executive Luncheon) How high-assurance outcomes are influencing CFO agendas, board conversations, and market confidence.
• 0:00 pm Peer perspectives: Governance frameworks that satisfy both the ATO and the board(Executive Luncheon) How CFOs are aligning tax, finance, and risk to achieve high-assurance ratings under Justified Trust.
• 0:30 pm Roundtable: Turning regulatory scrutiny into finance transformation momentum(Executive Luncheon) Case examples of automation, data integration, and control improvements that deliver ROI beyond compliance.
• 1:00 pm Global reform readiness: What BEPS Pillar Two and other mandates mean for governance and performance(Executive Luncheon) Strategies to stay compliant while enhancing decision-making and transparency.
• 1:30 pm Future-proofing finance governance(Executive Luncheon) The role of the CFO in embedding trust, resilience, and agility into the finance operating model.
• 1:50 pm Wrap-up: The one action you’ll take back to your board this quarter(Executive Luncheon)

Speakers

• Nick Verrecchia · Chief Financial Officer, DHL
• Francoise Merit · CFO, Endeavour Energy (NSW) A driven and outcome-oriented finance professional with strong leadership skills and a proven ability to deliver superior financial insight to assist in key business decisions. Francoise has excellent communication, interpersonal & mentoring skills, and has a strong interest in Diversity and Inclusion. She also possesses strong financial control and reporting skills, superior business acumen and commercial analytical skills to provide guidance for strategic and operational decisions.
• Kieran Rivett · Chief Financial Officer, MECCA Brands
• Will Irving · Chief Strategy & Transformation Officer, nbn® Australia

Partners

• Thomson Reuters · Host Thomson Reuters informs the way forward by bringing together the trusted content and technology that people and organizations need to make the right decisions. The company serves professionals across legal, tax, accounting, compliance, government, and media. Its products combine highly specialized software and insights to empower professionals with the data, intelligence, and solutions needed to make informed decisions, and to help institutions in their pursuit of justice, truth, and transparency. Reuters, part of Thomson Reuters, is a world leading provider of trusted journalism and news.

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