Q3 2023 Virtual Roundtable

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Save the date

Save the dateSeptember 7, 20232:00 PM - 3:40 PM (EDT)

Organizer

Organizer: The CFO Alliance, First Water Finance

Phone: +1 4844372750

Contact Person: Greg Wood

Email: greg.wood@thecfoalliance.com

Agenda

2:00 PM - 2:15 PM
Welcome and Introductions
Welcome and Introductions
Nick Araco Jr
CEO of AchieveNEXT
2:15 PM - 2:45 PM
Background and Special Guest Q&A
Background and Special Guest Q&A
Benjamin Lehrer
CEO of First Water Finance
Tim Farmer
Sr. Solutions Consultant at Planful
2:45 PM - 3:15 PM
Breakout Discussions
Breakout Discussions
3:15 PM - 3:35 PM
Summary and Wrap-up
Summary and Wrap-up
Nick Araco Jr
CEO of AchieveNEXT

Event Details

With rapidly changing market dynamics in the post-COVID period, be it capex, supply chain/inventory, labor, interest rates, and recession risks, companies are facing access and availability pressures on a number of fronts. How should this be factored into budgets?

The Q3 Roundtable Series aims to bring together CFO Alliance Members, other financial professionals and our colleagues from Planful to discuss one of the most critical challenges facing organizations today - "Budgeting in a Constrained World." In an era of uncertainty, economic fluctuations, and unexpected disruptions, financial leaders need to adapt their budgeting strategies to navigate through various constraints while ensuring business continuity and growth.

The CFO Alliance Roundtables are open to Members, finance executives, CFOs, financial analysts, and professionals involved in budgeting and financial planning from various industries. Participants will benefit from networking opportunities and gain valuable insights from industry peers and subject matter experts. Join us for this insightful series and gain valuable perspectives that will empower you and your organization to thrive in a constrained world.

Roundtable Exercise:

The Q3 Roundtable Series on "Budgeting in a Constrained World" provides a platform for finance leaders to come together, share knowledge, and strategize on how to overcome challenges in budgeting amidst a dynamic and uncertain economic environment. By embracing innovative budgeting approaches and integrating risk management strategies, organizations can enhance financial adaptability and position themselves for sustainable growth.

Learning Objectives:

Share insights into the current economic landscape and its impact on budgeting processes.
Explore innovative budgeting approaches that can thrive in a constrained environment.
Flipping outputs into inputs – Changing budget builds to orient around the constraints in the system
Discuss risk management strategies and their integration into budget planning.
Designed for attribution – Setting yourself up for volume/price/mix attribution incorporating constraints.
Identify tools to enhance financial agility and adaptability to dynamic market conditions.
What "good" looks like – Understanding best practices for scenario creation and budget turns during the process.
Provide a platform for networking and knowledge exchange among finance leaders.

Program Format/Deliverables:

The roundtable series will be organized into an interactive discussion, where you and your peers with be focusing on different aspects of budgeting in a constrained world:

Analyzing the various constraints that financial leaders are facing, such as inflation, labor availability, supply chain disruptions, and their impact on planning.
Case studies from finance leaders on how they have addressed budgeting challenges in their organizations.
Exploring fit for different budgeting strategies based on individual 2024 goals, needs, and constraints.

Member Spotlight:

The roundtable will feature distinguished finance leaders, and industry experts with extensive experience in budgeting and financial management. Confirmed featured guests include CFOs of leading organizations, colleagues from Planful and the leaders of The CFO Alliance.

Prerequisites:

None

Program Knowledge Level:

Advanced

Delivery Method:

Online -Group-live

CPE Credit:

2 CPE in Personal Development

This Roundtable is exclusive to finance leaders and guests.

The CFO Alliance is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be submitted to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors through its website: www.nasbaregistry.org

Speakers

Nick Araco Jr

CEO of AchieveNEXT

Tim Farmer

Sr. Solutions Consultant at Planful

Benjamin Lehrer

CEO of First Water Finance

Benjamin Lehrer

CEO of First Water Finance

https://www.firstwater.finance

Ben is obsessed with the finance function, serving those within it, and enabling those who rely upon it. He believes finance is and always will be people-driven, the purpose of data is dialogue, and successful transactions are a function of compelling storytelling and team credibility (much more so than a multiple of EBITDA). Referred to by colleagues as “The Mutt,” Ben’s background spans financial planning and analysis (FP&A), private equity investing, investment banking, commercial lending, C-suite and board advisory, small and midsize business (SMB) management, and, most recently, finance community development and learning programs.

He leads the team at First Water Finance (FWF), the Finance Advancement Platform, which offers finance leaders, business owners, and capital partners access to a holistic finance ecosystem across FP&A, Corporate Finance, and Community. Whether it is tapping expertise for FP&A BPO or project implementation, executing on transaction initiatives, joining a peer group community, finding/filling your next finance role, or connecting with vetted capital or service providers, FWF is the place for your finance dialogue to make the connections that propel business and professional advancement.

FWF is integrated with The CFO Alliance (CFOA), a premier nationwide peer group community serving finance leaders. Since inception, CFOA has served almost 10,000 finance leaders, delivering impactful peer events, original content, peer benchmarking, and talent acquisition services for the Office of the CFO. Ben serves as the Head of Learning & Development for the community, responsible for content, programming, and peer group and development programs.

Ben is deeply committed to finance education, particularly in the small to midsize business (SMB) space. Having worked alongside ~100 management teams, capital providers, and partners, Ben understands the structural gaps within SMBs related to finance experience and engaging with institutional capital. As catalysts to close those gaps, Ben authored the book Relational Finance (www.relationalfinance.com) and created the free Finance Readiness (FiRe) Score assessment tool (www.fire-score.com). If it has anything to do with finance professionals, processes and technology, or capital and transactions, Ben and FWF will help you advance. Learn more at www.firstwater.finance.

Sponsors and Partners

Community

CFO Insights on "Budgeting in a Constrained World" (2CPE Credits)

Welcome and Introductions

Welcome and Introductions

Background and Special Guest Q&A

Background and Special Guest Q&A

Breakout Discussions

Breakout Discussions

Summary and Wrap-up