4th ANNUAL FUTURE CFO CONFERENCE HONG KONG

4th ANNUAL FUTURE CFO CONFERENCE

23rd October 2024

9:00 AM - 5:00 PM (HKT)

Kowloon Shangri-La, Hong Kong

Make plans now to join CFOs and senior finance executives on 23 Oct 2024 at the leading CFO conference in Hong Kong. At the conference you’ll hear how the future of finance is all about managing across functions, building the right combination of capabilities, and establishing a strong data foundation. On-going FutureCFO dialogues with finance leaders across the function reveal a continued commitment to driving growth through digital transformation.

However, the maelstrom of non-aligned priorities, talent shortages, legacy processes and too many options when it comes to technologies make the road to growth in 2024 a formidable challenge for even the most seasoned finance professionals.

A Gartner’s research affirms that organisations face a medium-term environment characterised by tepid demand growth, stubbornly high costs and constrained access to capital – referring to the combination as a deadweight economic condition. “Absent fortuitous events such as a surprise end to geopolitical conflict, a swift halt to inflation or the quick realisation of dramatic productivity gains from AI, CFOs should expect many of the underlying economic trends contributing to the deadweight economy to persist across their strategic planning horizon.”

Hong Kong’s economy is projected to grow by an average of 3.3% a year in real terms from 2025-2028. Earlier this year, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Financial Secretary Paul Chan delivered the 2024-25 Budget, which aims to support Hong Kong’s enterprises, accelerate high-quality development, and enhance the competitive edge of the city’s industries.

While Hong Kong is looking to boost economic growth and benefit the people through forward-looking initiatives that will promote areas such as capital markets, financial services, innovation and technology (I&T), infrastructure, digital economy and green developments – how will these new initiatives affect businesses and finance leaders in Hong Kong? Also, as Hong Kong continues down the path of integration with China, how can businesses harness the opportunity presented by this integration, while retaining, even enhancing, what has always been unique to Hong Kong – a dynamic business hub to the world?

Key Takeaways:

How to sustain the enterprise’s growth engine amidst a challenging time
Transformation roadmap for success in the future
Best practices in riding the transformation challenges
Tactics for evaluating digital competencies across the function
How to build realistic and trustworthy forecasts
Strategies to shorten the digital financial close
Top challenges in data, data technology and governance management
AI and smart automation priorities and use cases
People management for stronger, digitally competent team

Who Should Attend?

Chief Financial Officers, Financial Controllers, Heads of Finance, SVPs/VPs Finance, Finance Directors, General Managers Finance, Senior Finance Managers & Finance Managers, that are involved in the following:

Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A)
Strategic Planning & Forecasting
Costing & Budgeting
Treasury Operations
Project Financing
Financial & Management Accounting
Merger & Acquisition (M&A)
Investment / Portfolio Management

Auditing & Internal Control
Tax Governance
Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC)
Statutory & Regulatory Reporting
Fiscal Policy Planning
Financial Technology Solutions
Digital & Finance Transformation

Allan Tan

Group Editor-in-Chief

CXOCIETY

Amy Ting

Head of oCFO Solutions Consulting, Asia

WORKDAY

Angus Tsang

CFO and Company Secretary,

CN LOGISTICS INTERNATIONAL

Chun Seong Lim

VP Asia

JEDOX

Danny Ho

Executive Director and CFO

SA SA INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS

Dr. Ricky Chan

CFO

A LEADING GLOBAL INVESTMENT FIRM

Dr. William Chen

FCMA, CGMA, Past President & Hong Kong SAR Area Committee Member

CIMA

Elaine Ong

Services Lead, CCH Tagetik

WOLTERS KLUWER

Guru Balasubramaniam

ACMA, CGMA, Country President

SECURITAS HONG KONG

Horace Ma

CFO

S. CULTURE HOLDINGS

Jeff Zielinski

CFO

BUYANDSHIP

Jemi Lam

Regional Financial Controller

BELTON TECHNOLOGY GROUP

Jim Ding

CFO (NAS)

FERRERO

Johnny Yu

Head of Sustainability

HENDERSON LAND DEVELOPMENT COMPANY LTD.

Joseph Leung

Group Finance Director

THE KOWLOON MOTOR BUS COMPANY (1993) LIMITED

Kelvin Li

Director, Corporate Services

THE HONG KONG RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF TEXTILES AND APPAREL

Patrick Chan

CFO & Company Secretary

BAGUIO GREEN GROUP

Peter Ying

CFO

ALIA BIOTECH GROUP

Philip Shin

CFO, Prudence Foundation

PRUDENTIAL PLC

Raymond Tsoi

Team Lead (APAC) - Finance System (Treasury)

ARROW ELECTRONICS

Steven Shiu

Lead Regional Enterprise Sales Director

WORKIVA

Sundararaman Venkateswaran

CFO & Group Finance Director

MASON GLOBAL LIMITED

Tricia Koh

Commercial Director – Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea

ALLIANZ TRADE

Wilkie Wong

Chief Financial Officer

ESQUEL GROUP

Wilson Ma

VP of Global Finance

A BATHING APE®

Yan Zhang

CFA, PCC, Head of Finance

HILTI (HONG KONG)

09:00

Chairman’s Welcome Remarks

09:15

Panel Discussion I: CFO’s Transformative Leadership

09:55

Morning Keynote Presentation

Topic: The Evolving Role of the CFO - Leading Transformational Leadership and Organisational Change

9:35 AM

Keynote I

Topic: Integrated Reporting: From Compliance to Competitive Advantage

This session explores the evolving landscape of ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) reporting and its transformation from a compliance necessity to a strategic imperative. As companies navigate the complexities of sustainability regulations, they are discovering that integrated financial and sustainability data not only meets regulatory requirements but also provides a significant competitive advantage. From enhancing stakeholder trust to driving innovation and improving financial performance, assured integrated reporting is reshaping the way companies operate and how they are perceived in the market. This session will delve into the challenges and opportunities of integrated reporting and learn how your organisation can leverage technology to drive long-term value creation.

10:20

Panel Discussion II

Topic: Incorporating Agility into Planning, Forecasting and Budgeting

VUCA or not, cash flow is indisputably the lifeblood of the business. Fulfilling short-term payment obligations have become challenging to some organisations, yet leveraging on credits or borrowing is not quite an answer either as interest rates continue to grow. Making data-based forecasts and financial strategy will equip finance leaders to tackle obstacles and provide a clear picture of their financial trajectory throughout the coming year.

11:00

MORNING COFFEE BREAK & NETWORKING

11:30

Keynote II

Topic: Bridging the Efficiency Gap with Smarter Automation

Constant market disruptions and skill shortages prompt finance leaders to work smarter. With automation taking over the rote tasks and AI provides forward-thinking and predictive analytics, finance leaders are poised to become powerful strategic advisor and partner to business. With AI as the game changer, how should CFOs leverage on AI-embedded automation capabilities to improve enterprise’s cost efficiency and performance?

11:55

Panel Discussion III

Topic: Achieving Sustainable Growth and Cost Efficiency

Dealing with overall macroeconomic conditions, increased interest rate, rising capital costs and geopolitical challenges will worry many senior finance executives. Finance leaders are under great pressure to bring costs down to anticipate volatile business landscapes in the coming years and yet, also tasked to preserve profitability for the business.

12:35

Keynote III

Topic: Optimising Financial Data Management with Intelligent Platform

13:00

NETWORKING LUNCH

14:00

Keynote IV

Topic: Embracing Digital Twin for Finance Transformation

14:25

Panel Discussion IV

Preparing for the Future: Transforming Finance as a Growth Partner

A McKinsey Global Survey of CFOs in March 2024 states that 98% of CFOs say that they have invested in digitisation and automation in their finance functions, regardless of where they are on their digitisation journeys. However, only one-quarter or less of their processes are currently digitised or automated. This session aims to discuss the challenges and strategies to modernise the finance function in today’s digital and uncertain business landscape.

15:00

Executive Interview I

Topic: CFO & Tech: How to Fund the Ideal Tech Strategy?

15:25

AFTERNOON COFFEE BREAK & NETWORKING

15:55

Panel Discussion V

Topic: ESG in the Era of Escalating Costs

With ESG efforts maturing and continuous business challenges face CFOs every now and then, CFOs and management teams undeniably have a lot on their plates. Some may even be rethinking their ESG priorities and timelines as they choose to battle inflation, maintain market shares, improve supply chain resiliency or bring cost capital down. How ESG can support cost reduction?

16:30

Fireside Chat

Topic: Improving Working Capital to Sustain the Growth Engine

This panel will explore the pivotal role female CFOs play in leading organisational change and fostering inclusive corporate environments. This panel discussion will feature inspiring stories of overcoming challenges, insights into driving financial and digital transformations, and strategies for promoting diversity and inclusion. Attendees will gain valuable perspectives on how female CFOs influence corporate culture through innovative leadership and mentorship, paving the way for future generations of women in finance.

16:55

CHAIRMAN’S CLOSING REMARKS

Topic: Recruitment Survey for Accounting & Finance Jobs

17:00

END OF CONFERENCE

Topic: Future Trends - Leveraging AI & other Digital Innovations for Strategic Growth and Transformation Across the Board