The CFO Alliance

🌟 Ready to take your experience to the next level? Become a member today and unlock exclusive benefits like early access to events, discounts on merchandise, and behind-the-scenes content! Join our community of passionate individuals who share your interests and passions. Don't miss out on this opportunity to connect with like-minded people and enhance your overall experience. Sign up now and be a part of something special! 🌟 #membership #exclusivebenefits #community #joinus #cfonetwork🔍 Ready to elevate your network and make maningful connections? Join the CFO Alliance community at https://hubs.ly/Q02Gs7Sl0

🌟 Invitation to Finance Leaders: Q2 2024 Virtual Quarterly CFO Roundtable (2 CPE) 🌟 Are you currently implementing or planning to implement new software in the next 12 months? Join our upcoming virtual event to unlock your finance team's potential! 📅 Date: June 26, 2024 🕒 Time: 2:00 PM - 3:45 PM (EDT) 🔗 Register here: Q2 2024 Virtual Quarterly CFO Roundtable https://lnkd.in/gFjwH7Uz Event Highlights: 1. Unleash Your Finance Team's Potential: Discover strategies to enhance your finance team’s effectiveness and technology readiness. 2. Insights from Industry Leaders: Engage with fellow finance leaders who are navigating similar journeys. 3. Earn 2 CPE Credits: Participate in this educational event and earn Continuing Professional Education credits. Don’t miss this opportunity to gain valuable insights, share experiences, and prepare your organization for the future of accounting and finance technology. Nick Araco JR will facilitate this virtual roundtable, with assistance from our partners First Water Finance and Oracle NetSuite and insights shared from over 500 finance leaders who have contributed to this series. Register today and lead your team to success! #CFOAlliance #FinanceLeadership #TechnologyReadiness #CPE #VirtualRoundtable #FinanceInnovation #Q22024Roundtable #AccountingTechnology

🌟 Follow-Up: Key Takeaways from the Washington DC CFO Roundtable 🌟 This week, 25 CFOs gathered in the great Washington DC area to discuss critical insights on implementing technology in our organizations. This discussion was facilitated by Nick Araco JR with help from Charles Fleet. Here are the key takeaways captured: Implementation and Misunderstanding: The implementation process often involves separate buyers and implementers, leading to misunderstandings. Key to Success: Involve more stakeholders in the buying process and break down implementation into shorter cycles with regular updates to ensure alignment. Aligning with Strategy: Psychological safety is crucial. Allow employees to ask questions and reprioritize workloads to accommodate new initiatives. Balance power dynamics and ensure equitable participation across teams and functions. Embrace pivot potential when "what if" scenarios arise. Project Management: Think of project management as coaching with a focus on long-term goals while remaining an active team member. Develop individual contributors to work as a cohesive team. Foster a 2-way dialogue using the Ask-Ask-Tell tool. CFOs as Relational Leaders: Mohammad Sediqi said that CFOs need to become "people persons," focusing on relational aspects of leadership. Ashley Bovino added: "Navigating technology can be challenging and may feel overwhelming, especially with varied experiences and "battle scars." Managing System Fatigue: To gain buy-in, address system fatigue by identifying and replacing the most disliked processes with technology. Balance the need for new systems with the concerns of those experiencing fatigue. The CFO as Campaigner: Always be campaigning for new initiatives, improvements, and buy-in from your team. Continuous Learning: Technology and automation are essential. As CFOs, we must continuously learn and adapt to these tools to drive our organizations forward. Here are some of our members who embrace this concept of continuous learning: Gale Sommers, CPA, Barry Hartzberg, Ilana Esterrich, Bryan Lapidus, FPAC, Simiso Kabo, Truong Nguyen, MBA, Linda Montgomery, Analia Castelo, Jeffrey Dufresne, CPA, Larry Smith, C-Level Executive, Rebecca V., Raj Kapur and Gresford Barrington Gray Let's embrace these insights and continue to lead with strategy, empathy, and innovation! If this describes you, then join the CFO Alliance Community @https://lnkd.in/gN8NyXUU Thank you to our partners: Adam Zorin of Oracle NetSuite, Robb Nesmith, CPA of Planful, Robert Driscoll of Homestead Smart Health Plans, Withum, and Benjamin Lehrer of First Water Finance, for your support and contributions. #CFOAlliance #TechnologyReadiness #FinanceLeadership #ProjectManagement #TeamEngagement #ContinuousLearning #CFOasCampaigner #WashingtonDC

Despite personal issues preventing us from meeting in person in Chicago this morning, some members still joined a virtual Zoom call to discuss their goals, passions, and struggles (GPS). As CFOs, we are always in the path of catching everything and being reactive. Additionally, we are expected to lead the organization in strategy and new technology. Once again, we hear that the CFO needs to be more of a communicator than an accountant. Finance and Accounting are in the communication business, not the financial business. Thank you, Nick Araco JR, Patrick Roesler, TIM WEBER, Kevin Kaye, Albert Kline, Robert Walsh, Robert (Bob) Gold, John Udelhofen, and our partners First Water Finance, Oracle NetSuite, and Insperity for your contributions.

Insights from GenZ finance professionals at recent Roundtables! Our recent CFO Alliance Roundtables on Technology Readiness has sparked a fascinating discussion on tech preferences. Gen Z'ers in the room revealed using TikTok for quick searches over Google or YouTube! See more on Technolgy Readiness: https://hubs.ly/Q02C88Fq0 Here's an interesting resource shared by one of our attendees, Daniel Nelson: 📊 Explore 'Big Excel Energy' on TikTok! Tap into Daniel's recommendation for insightful dashboard tutorials: https://hubs.ly/Q02C88Gl0 Let's stay ahead of the curve with innovative learning platforms! 🚀 #CFOAlliance #TechTrends #FinanceLeadership

This week, 50 San Francisco and Los Angeles finance leaders met in separate Roundtable gatherings for the CFO Alliance's Q2 Roundtable Series on Technology Readiness to discuss key challenges and opportunities. Here are some of the pivotal takeaways: Understanding Business Drivers: Consider the business drivers and KPIs if a request originates from other functional areas. Finance is in a unique position to facilitate and guide these conversations. When pitching a new Technology request and building an ROI statement: Steven Gatoff offer 3 Buckets he looks at: 1. Cost 2. Productivity/Efficiency 3. Integration Points Conor Tierney shared this Insight: Start with a standard and then focus on the enhancements and the data. Once we got past the technical discussion, both conversations turned to people and how we can manage change. Someone shared that the CFO's role has changed to a Strategic Finance Role. We're moving beyond data collection and check-writing. It's about being strategic value drivers within the organization. We are also asked to build team confidence: As CFOs, we must invest in our teams' success. Encouraging growth and confidence within our teams is paramount. Mentoring the Next Generation: Recognize the value new talent brings to the workplace. Help them build confidence and align their interests with business goals. Nick Araco JR put out this challenge of the day: Approach your conversations with an "ask, ask, tell" mindset. Try this for a whole day in every interaction and see the difference it makes! 📊 Together with our partners First Water Finance, Planful, Oracle NetSuite, PNC and Eide Bailly LLP let's continue to drive success and innovation within our teams and organizations! #CFOAlliance #TechnologyReadiness #FinanceLeadership #TeamBuilding #StrategicFinance #Mentorship #PostCOVIDCulture #TeamEngagement #BusinessStrategy

Thrilled to share how Nick Araco JR, Founder of The CFO Alliance and CEO of AchieveNEXT, brought our ongoing discussion on "Will and Skill" to the IMA annual conference! Nick has been leading impactful conversations with CFO Alliance Members about balancing capability and motivation within organizations. He emphasized how these dynamics drive operational efficiency, innovation, and strategic decision-making at the conference. Key takeaways from Nick's session: - Business/Financial Acumen & A Growth Mindset – Embracing measurable growth and moving beyond ‘maintenance mode.’ - Exceptional Communication Skills – Leveraging a Whole Brain Approach for better stakeholder engagement. - Relational Leadership – Building strong, trust-based relationships as a cornerstone of effective leadership. - People Management & Mentoring – Evolving from “Bud to Boss” by nurturing and mentoring team members. - Adaptability and Continuous Learning – Leading by example through continuous personal and professional development. Nick's insights continue to inspire and guide our community of finance leaders. Let's keep driving excellence by integrating these principles into our daily practice! #CFOAlliance #FinanceLeadership #SkillAndWill #IMAConference #AchieveNEXT #ContinuousLearning #IMA24

Enjoying the opening reception for Institute of Management Accountants annual conference with our friends from Oracle NetSuite. Look for some big news coming soon. #ima #ima24

Here is what happened at the Q2 CFO Alliance Breakfast Roundtable in #Denver today, drawing from the discussions with our members and partners. Nick Araco JR. did an excellent job facilitating. Here are some highlights: Neema Moghadam offered that sometimes, the most "simple/whimsical" ideas rally people during a change initiative, technology implementation, or process reengineering effort. Name projects with themes and create milestone-based recognition and awards based on these. Break down implementation projects into 3 buckets: infrastructure/platform, employee impact, and data quality. Rob Taylor said that selecting and implementing a new technology offers a great opportunity to evaluate and improve processes rather than just fitting a system into existing processes. Brett Cunningham gave us an update on #MandA. So far, in 2024, the private equity world has moved slowly, and many buyers are finding ways to break the deal. Ruben Rietveld offered: Sometimes, it's necessary to hit 'pause' on new investments to fully utilize the current tech stack. Avoid the constant chase for the "next best thing." Nick Araco JR highlighted 5 key ROI measures any CFO can use to frame the 'go/no-go' debates on new technology and process reengineering efforts and offered ways to strengthen knowledge transfer efforts on remote teams. Jennifer Tyus said that when she stepped into a new role, she asked her team to document systems and data mapping to understand data flow better. This healthy exercise empowered them to educate her and accelerated her onboarding. Neema Moghadam said not to strive to be overly unique with new technologies. You might need to reevaluate if you're too far from the center. Avoid customizations as much as you can. Doug Cunningham summed it up-- "It's crazy how often I am dealing with CFO Alliance Roundtable topics at the exact time we have these quarterly roundtables. Can you please get out of my brain or tell me where the camera is?" Table Report Backs included: Jared Mendoza: Emphasized starting with prerequisites for employees' needs and gaining alignment. Best practices for implementation should come from executive sponsors, PMs, business process owners, and end users. Kate Daniels, MBA: The group was split on the definition and efforts to anchor on an ROI formula —either way, the ROI formulas for technology initiatives are qualitative and quantitative. Don't forget 'side benefits' like more time and better recruitment, which enhance culture. Differentiate between front office and back office, and include all levels and functions in the implementation process. Thanks to partners Planful, Oracle NetSuite, Eide Bailly LLP, Homestead Smart Health Plans, Rho, Kelly Benefits Strategies, and First Water Finance for their contributions. Join us as we continue the conversations in #SanFran and #LA. #CFORoundtable #TechnologyReadiness #TeamEngagement #Networking #ProfessionalDevelopment #Leadership #FinanceCommunity

 What an incredible experience at yesterday's The CFO Alliance Quarterly Breakfast Roundtable in Philadelphia at the Philadelphia Country Club! With 45 CFOs in attendance, we had a dynamic and engaging discussion on Technology Readiness, the CFO Decision Tree, and Team Engagement Tactics. Here's a recap of the key insights from our special guests and table leaders: Special Guests: Christopher Macies and Christian DeChurch: They led our main discussion, diving deep into how to identify, prioritize, communicate, and manage ROI efforts among diverse stakeholders. Their insights on technology readiness were invaluable. Table Discussions: Table 1: Marc Albero Key Point: Customization in technology and process reengineering should be avoided to prevent complexity, delays, and lack of consistency and scalability in operations. Table 2: Mark Kerschner Key Point: Communication is critical for the success of technology and process reengineering efforts. Understanding and deploying change management tactics suited for today’s workforce and hybrid work environments is essential. Tool: One-Pager Worksheet Tool to help frame and deploy Communication/Change Management efforts. Contact [email protected] for a copy Table 3: Brandi Coats Key Point: ROI should be measured and described with clear, agreed-upon quantitative and qualitative definitions. ROI Goals should include Impact on P&L, Cost Effectiveness, Time to Implementation, FTE Efficiency, and enhanced capabilities. Table 4: Robert Driscoll Key Point: Recognize and address the 'pain' of those involved in projects to prevent lasting negative impacts. It’s okay to fail, but fail fast and prepare for a soft landing. Table 5: Chip Cresswell Key Point: Identify, empower, and deploy 'influencers' to promote the benefits of new technology and address concerns with relatable examples of positive impacts. Table 6: Rob Alessandrini, CFA Key Point: Participation breeds commitment. Engaging employees in the technology process reduces resistance and increases enthusiasm. Additional Insights: Jason Danner of Kelly Benefits Strategies: CFOs should evaluate the impact of changing regulatory and reimbursement guidelines for weight loss and GLP-1 medicines. David Jones CSFS, CHVA of Homestead Smart Health Plans: CFOs should ask brokers to present all options for managing rising employee benefit costs while still providing value. Chris Vargo and Sami Ayoub of PNC: Financial institutions invest in technologies to streamline back-office and payment processes, helping clients tackle talent shortages in their accounting, finance, and treasury teams. Thank you to our facilitator, Nick Araco JR, and the valuable contributions from First Water Finance, Oracle NetSuite, Planful, and our newest partner, Rho. We look forward to continuing these conversations and driving success together! #CFORoundtable #TechnologyReadiness #TeamEngagement #ChangeManagement #ROI #TheCFOAlliance #FinanceCommunity