The Finance Agenda

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May 27th 2010
  • Trinity House, London

An invited audience of senior finance decision-makers, leading strategists and influential commentators will come together in May to discuss the evolution of the CFO role and its associated challenges.

As they emerge out of the recession, CFOs find themselves with far more influence within their organisations. Technical accounting skills are less important than leadership skills and the ability to direct a firm’s strategic planning. Today’s CFO needs to get closer to all parts of the business, deriving insight and intelligence which will drive real efficiencies and value.

The Finance Agenda will bring an invited audience of Finance Directors together to assess these challenges. The discussions, moderated by a chairperson from The Economist Group, will be held under the Chatham House Rule. A discussion paper will be produced, capturing salient points and recommendations.


Programme

08.30 REGISTRATION AND REFRESHMENTS
09:00 CHAIR'S OPENING REMARKS
Jason Karaian, Senior Editor, Financial Services, Economist Intelligence Unit
09:10

DISCUSSION SESSION I: 
Leading the business: the CFO's role in strategy direction 

While the CFO of yesteryear was focused on risk, reporting and compliance, today’s finance leader is expected to take a leading role in value creation, joining the CEO at the centre of corporate leadership, decision making and influence.

In this session we will hear from Finance Directors about the specific challenges they face as their mandates have shifted to focus less on accounting and more on value creation. How are they dividing their time between finance strategy, operating strategy, people management, risk management, and the need to drive change and innovation?

Andy Morgan, Chief Financial Officer, EADS UK
Shaun Parker, Group Finance Director, CPP Group
Marco Talamonti, Finance Director, Eni UK
Hugh Watchorn, Chief Financial Officer, Bonhams
10.45 REFRESHMENTS
11.10

DISCUSSION SESSION II:
The smarter company: driving finance efficiency and business insight

How can finance turn the wealth of financial and operational information into business insights, contributing to significant value creation? What is required in terms of new processes, technology and talent, and what is the CFO’s role in all of this? We explore methods for the CFO to build visibility and measurability into the finance  operation, discussing how best to use data and intelligence to deliver high-level  insight into business performance, risk and growth.

Declan Guerin, Vice-president, Finance EMEA, Cargotec Corporation
Chris Power, Finance Director, CLS Group Holdings
Andrew Silverbeck, Group Finance Director, Environmental Resources Management
Kevan Wooden, Vice-president Finance, Building Efficiency Systems and Service, Europe and Africa, Johnson Controls
12.45 CHAIR'S CLOSING REMARKS
13:00 LUNCH
14.00 CLOSE OF MEETING

Discussion leaders

Jason Karaian, Senior Editor, Financial Services, Economist Intelligence Unit

Jason Karaian produces daily news, analysis and forecasts about the financial services industry for the Economist Intelligence Unit, the world’s foremost provider of country, industry and management analysis. Previously, he was Deputy Editor at CFO Europe, a magazine for senior finance executives published by The Economist Group. In addition to the EIU and CFO publications in Europe, Asia and America, his work has appeared in The Economist and Barron’s.

Shaun Parker, Chief Financial Officer, CPP Group

A rapidly growing business with 1,700 staff worldwide, CPP is the market leader for card protection and identity fraud assistance in the UK. Shaun Parker has a wealth of finance experience behind him, having previously worked for Diageo, ICI and Mars in a variety
of senior roles.

Andy Morgan, Chief Financial Officer, EADS UK

With nearly 15,000 employees, EADS are firmly rooted in the UK ’s advanced technology industrial base. One of the UK’s top five suppliers, they make a major contribution to the aerospace and defence industry with a British turnover of more than £2 billion. Andy Morgan has been their CFO since 2008, recently leading the set up of a shared service organisation.

Marco Talamonti, Finance Director, Eni UK

Eni, Italy's largest industrial company with a staff of 79,000 employees in 77 countries, operates in the oil and gas, electricity, petrochemicals, oilfield services and engineering industries. Eni UK is one of the leading producers in the UK offshore oil and gas sector, having recently made a £1.5 billion acquisition of Burren Energy.

Hugh Watchorn, Chief Financial Officer, Bonhams

Bonhams, a privately owned auction house, is an iconic British company with 700 employees worldwide. In 2007 (the last year they announced sales figures) their revenues totalled US $600 million. The company is currently undertaking a major push into emerging markets, notably China.

Kevan Wooden, Vice-president Finance, Building Efficiency Systems and Service Europe and Africa, Johnson Controls

Johnson Controls is a global diversified technology and industrial leader. Based in Brussels, Kevan Wooden looks after a team of 500 finance professionals in 20+ countries, having worked at the firm for 15 years in a variety of Finance roles.

Sponsor

Lead Sponsor:

IBM

IBM in the United Kingdom
IBM is a globally integrated enterprise operating in over 170 countries. IBM United Kingdom's history began on November 19, 1951 and today IBM UK has around 20,000 employees, bringing innovative solutions to a diverse client base to help solve some of their toughest business challenges. In addition to being the world's largest IT and consulting services company, IBM is a global business and technology leader, innovating in research and development to shape the future of society at large. IBM's prized research, development and technical talent around the world partner with governments, corporations, thinkers and doers on ground breaking real world problems to help make the world work better and build a smarter planet.

 



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