Agenda currently in Production
Please email register@cfoseries.com to be added to the priority invitation list and you will be notified as soon as the agenda is ready
⌚ 07.45
REGISTRATION & ARRIVAL BREAKFAST NETWORKING
Barista coffee and breakfast items will be served in the networking lounge
⌚ 08.25
OPENING COMMENTS:
James Solomons, Symposium Host & Group CFO | Encore Holdings
⌚ 08.30
Vibe Accounting, Tiny Teams & Superproductivity > The 2030 CFO
KEYNOTE
Mark Pesce | Leading Futurist
Do you think you have what it takes to grow into a '10x CFO'? New tools like Claude for Excel offer a taste of the new sorts of workflows transforming finance. As CFOs find their way into 'superproductivity', their team grows smarter, smaller and closer. These 'tiny' teams are the engine rooms of mid 21st-century businesses. Leading Futurist Mark Pesce will share a glimpse into the very near future and ask ‘Are you ready for a massive change in how you work as a Finance leader, and the tools you use to get that work done’?
⌚ 08.55
THE CFO TECH STACK > THE NEW BLUEPRINT FOR FINANCE
CFO PANEL SESSION moderated by James Solomons, featuring:
Dianna Butterworth, CFO | Kieser Australia
In this live panel we are joined by Dianna Butterworth, CFO at Kieser Australia - With over 30 state-of-the-art clinics across the country, Kieser is on a mission to improve individual health outcomes and build a stronger Australia. Dianna will share the remarkable growth story behind the business and how she is driving Kieser’s digital transformation - ensuring the technology keeps pace with expansion and sets the foundation for its next stage of growth.
⌚ 09.25
UNLOCKING POTENTIAL TO DELIVER PRODUCTIVITY AND GENUINE IMPACT
KEYNOTE | Trent Fuller | CEO | Young Guns Container Crew
Three time CFO, now CEO, Trent Fuller will discuss the importance of how purpose-driven leadership and a strong culture are working together to transform every organisations most valuable asset – Your workforce. Trent will also share the journey Young Guns have been through as they have grown to over 1,500 employees and transformed a typically unskilled, unreliable and a transient work force into a highly engaged one and how CFOs play a critical role in enabling this shift by aligning resources, setting clear goals, and reinforcing a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.
⌚ 09.55
The CFO Blueprint: Building High-Impact Finance Teams for the AI Era
CFO PANEL SESSION moderated by James Solomons, featuring:
Harley Thomas, Partner, Finance & Accounting |Sharp & Carter
Jennifer Scott, Interim CFO | Vision Australia
Shireen Jahan, CFO & Executive Corporate Services | Bairnsdale Regional Health Service (BRHS)
As AI reshapes processes and multi-generational teams redefine expectations, today’s CFOs face a critical mandate: futureproof their finance function while guiding their own career pathway. This panel explores what the next five years will require from finance teams, from deeper analytical skills and digital fluency to strategic storytelling and adaptive leadership. We will examine whether AI will drive leaner teams or create entirely new roles, and discuss how CFOs can nurture accounting graduates, strengthen the early-career pipeline, and design flexible, tech-enabled models. Gain insights to build a resilient, future-ready finance function that supports growth and innovation.
⌚ 10.25
MORNING NETWORKING BREAK
Barista coffee & refreshments served in the networking lounge
⌚ 11.10
CYBERCRIME 2.0: AI, MONEY MULES, AND THE NEW WAVE OF CORPORATE FINANCIAL FRAUD
KEYNOTE | Niek Dekker | VP Marketing | Eftsure
With last year’s AI’s emergence in the form of LLMs and now agents, most corporations are still exploring productivity-enhancing applications. Cybercriminals, however, have already capitalised on these advancements and many organizations are unaware of their exact vulnerabilities. Our deep dive into the dark web uncovers the groups orchestrating corporate cybercrime, their methods, the tools enabling their operations, and how adopting an adversarial mindset can help you identify vulnerabilities before they do.
⌚ 11.40
OUTSOURCING YOUR FINANCE FUNCTION – A CFO GAME-CHANGER
CFO PANEL SESSION moderated by James Solomons, featuring:
Dilip Kherajani, CFO and Founder | Business Avengers
Rohit Maloo, COO | Business Avengers
Jenny Hutchens, CFO | Archdiocese of Brisbane
Donal Brady, CFO | Bus Stop Films
As a CFO, you may be sceptical about outsourcing, but it can be a game-changer, especially with the high cost of wages, difficulties in talent retention, and the ongoing talent shortage. This session will explore how outsourcing key finance functions—ranging from AP, AR, Payroll, Bank / Credit Card Reconciliations, Month-End Journals, and P&L/Balance Sheet preparation. Outsourcing can also significantly reduces costs whilst mitigating the challenges of recruitment and retention, freeing up CFO time for strategic growth while maintaining control over critical financial decisions.
⌚ 12.10
FINANCE IS EVOLVING – ARE YOU KEEPING UP? THE CFO GUIDE TO AI & FINTECH
KEYNOTE Damon Hauenstein, CFO & COO | Weel
This session will go beyond the ‘buzzwords’ of AI and Automation explore the real technologies and challenges facing finance leaders looking to successfully navigate the evolving digital landscape with confidence and build a high-performing finance function and examine - Why outdated finance tech stacks are slowing teams down, The tech stack solutions modern finance teams are adopting, How is AI really transforming finance? A framework for selecting the right fintech, ensuring seamless integration, security and maximising ROI and how to build a scalable, secure, and future-ready finance tech stack that keeps up with your business.
⌚ 12.35
THE CFO’S BLIND SPOT – WHY THE CLOSE IS COSTING YOU MORE THAN YOU THINK
CFO PANEL SESSION moderated by James Solomons, featuring:
FloQast Representative TBC
Guest CFO
Guest CFO
For too long, CFOs have focused on financial performance management while overlooking a critical weakness: the inefficiencies in their financial close process. The reality? A slow, disconnected close is costing you time, resources, and opportunities to scale. In this panel, FloQast and our panel reveal why the close remains a bottleneck and how AI-powered automation and optimisation can unlock efficiency and resilience in your finance function.
⌚ 13.05
NETWORKING LUNCH
Lunch served in the networking lounge with refreshments & barista coffee
⌚ 13.50
CFO Career Horizons: Changing Tracks
CFO PANEL SESSION moderated by James Solomons, featuring:
David Metcalfe, CFO | Melbourne Convention Exhibition Centre
Sarah Petty, Fractional CFO & Founder | Olive Business Consulting
Damon Hauenstein, CFO & COO | Weel
The pathway to becoming a CFO - and the opportunities once in the role - look very different today compared to previous generations. In this session, three established CFOs share how bold career pivots reshaped their professional journeys: moving from private to public markets, from corporate leadership to a fractional CFO practice, and from enterprise to government. Explore what drove their transitions, the realities of leading in new environments, and how each discovered renewed purpose and perspective in finance leadership.
⌚ 14.20
CLOSING THE BOOKS IN THE AGE OF CHANGE: FINANCE LEADERS’ PERSPECTIVE ON THE MODERN MONTH-END
CFO FIRESIDE CHAT moderated by Claudia Pirko, VP and General Manager (APAC) Trintech
Guest CFO
The month-end close is more than a finance ritual — it’s the foundation of trust in the numbers that guide boardrooms and markets. Yet for many organisations, this critical process remains weighed down by manual handoffs, reconciliation risk, and relentless reporting pressure. In this fireside chat, we’ll be joined by a Trintech customer who will share how their finance team is rethinking the close to deliver speed without sacrificing accuracy. From navigating rising compliance expectations to empowering teams with visibility and control, you’ll hear how modern finance leaders are transforming the close from a back-office task into a strategic enabler.
⌚ 14.50
SELLING FOR CFOS – WHY CFOS NEED TO THE BE THE SECOND BEST SALESPERSON
KEYNOTE Alena Bennett | Award Winning CFO Coach & Author, ‘CFO of the Future’
“CFOs need to be the second best salesperson in their organisation” Alena shared this statement in her most recent CFO Annual Report. Yet, most CFOs will tell you they aren’t great sales people. Many will still profess their dislike of public speaking. However, in an economic environment where there’s a higher bar to access capital, and in an age where investors, shareholders and the ELT need to be brought on the journey, CFOs must have sales capability. To hear what CFOs need to do to become the second best salesperson in their organisation, join Alena in this highly informative CFO session and gain a competitive edge.
⌚ 15.30
AFTERNOON NETWORKING BREAK
Barista coffee & refreshments served in the networking lounge
⌚ 16.00
Inside the Numbers: The Economic Trends Shaping CFO Strategy in 2026
CLOSING KEYNOTE Stephen Koukoulas, Leading Chief Economist & Former Advisor to the Prime Minister
Renowned economist and economic commentator, Stephen Koukoulas explores what lies ahead for CFOs in 2026, unpacking the key economic forces shaping Australia’s financial landscape. From interest rates, inflation, and global influences like Trump to technology-driven disruption, this session delivers practical insights to help finance leaders plan with confidence — in Stephen’s engaging, insightful, and always informative style.
⌚ 16.30
CLOSING COMMENTS
James Solomons, CFO & Symposium Host
⌚ 16.35
END
Thursday 23rd july 2026
perth pan pacific
Future Focussed Leadership
towards 2030
CFO Horizons
