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Day Three: Wednesday 7th March 2012

7:30 – 8:30

Breakfast and Checkout

8:30 – 8:35

Chair’s Recap of Day One

Ian-Herbert-Loughborough-University Ian Herbert
Senior Lecturer in Accounting and Financial Management
Loughborough University

8:35 – 9:00

Implementing the Right Growth Strategy – Should CFOs focus on M&As or on Organic Growth for Future Expansion?

M&As have proved to be a very popular growth strategy for organisations that have looked to expand their operations into new markets. On the other hands, companies have chosen to grow organically and set up their own businesses outside their current operational remit. Although there is no one definitive strategy for expansion, making the right choice, preparing for current and future market volatility and building a strong roadmap towards achieving the expansion plans’ goals is business critical for CFOs.

What can we learn from recent successes and failures in the M&A domain?
Can companies speed up organic growth to capitalise on current and future market opportunities?
Assessing funding conundrums when choosing either options
Will creating a hybrid expansion model be the most optimal growth strategy? How do companies achieve this?

NK Misra
Executive Director-Finance
Tata Steel Europe

9:00 – 9:15

Networking Break

9:15 – 10:00

MASTERCLASS

Identifying and Evaluating New Approaches in Managing Tax Compliance

CFOs are now spending more time and resources dealing with changes in the tax and regulatory compliance landscape than focussing on their business’ future growth. This session, will therefore, take a closer look at new and innovative approaches, tools and processes that CFOs can adopt to simplify and effectively address this obligation.

Improving transparency and clarity across the business’ tax exposure
Driving efficiency and streamlining your compliance processes
Effectively mitigating your tax risks

Led by solution provider

Building a Successful Capital Structure Strategy

Building an efficient and profitable liquidity and capital structure can be a challenging task but with the right technologies and processes, CFOs can reap rich rewards.

Effectively carrying out capital restructuring programmes without affecting your core business’s cash requirements
Receivables Payments and Treasury – getting your working capital right
Simplifying your capital structure and ensuring you have your investors’ buy-in when you’re assessing debt financing options

Led by solution provider

10:00 – 10:30

10:30 – 11:00

11:00 – 11:30

11:30 – 12:00

Business Meeting

12:00 – 12.30

Keynote address: Overcoming current and future challenges in the Eurozone

Monica Macovei MEP, has received international recognition for her anti-corruption initiatives and was widely credited with implementing justice reforms that allowed Romania to enter the European Union. In 2008, she was awarded “European Woman of the Year” by European Parliament. She will share her views on how businesses in the EU can better prepare for future economic uncertainties.

How should CFOs respond to challenges in the current economic climate?
Addressing corruption issues and stamping it out of today’s business
How can regulators, governments and the business community work closer together to weather the storm?

Monica-Macovei Monica Macovei
Member of European Parliament

12:30 – 13:30

Networking Lunch

13:30 – 14:30

ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSIONS 2

Join these interactive roundtable discussions to benchmark, learn and debate with your peers, on a topic that is a priority for you.

Effective Project Management in New Finance Transformation Programmes

Adrian Furner
Member of the Board of Directors
IACCM

Tackling the Euro Crisis in Greece, Italy and Ireland – How is the EU Going to Respond and What Does it Mean to Your Business?

Ian Herbert
Senior Lecturer in Accounting and Financial Management
Loughborough University

Procurement – Smoke and Mirrors or Genuine Bottom Line Impact? – How Finance Can Cut Through the Rhetoric

Ed Cross
Head of Procurement Services – UK & CE
Xchanging

14:30 – 14:45

Networking Break

14:30 – 15:15

Overcoming Complexities and Simplifying Your Financial Planning and Reporting Tools and Techniques

CFOs across diverse geographies, industries and with varying business objectives all strive towards possessing the right tools and technologies to improve standards – and fast. This session will look at examples of planning and implementing the right strategies to achieve a cost effective and accurate performance measurement system within the finance framework.

Defining the right KPIs and aligning your systems to them
What do new technologies mean to your business intelligence and future strategic decision making processes?
Ensuring your strategy sees your initiatives through to execution

no_image Astrid Rahn
CFO EMEA
Doosan

15:15 – 15:55

Overcoming Regulatory Obstacles and Preparing for Future Regulatory Policies

Organisations with multiple operations in various countries have to deal with complexities in regulatory frameworks across different regions. CFOs are faced with addressing current and future changes in regulatory frameworks in countries of their origin as well as in other regions. The need to keep up to date with the legal and regulatory external environment is, therefore, of paramount importance for the CFO of a business.

How can businesses and regulatory bodes build consensus over government policies?
Making the right decisions on the business locations of the holding company and subsidiaries
Overcoming challenges in taxation policies by building a common tax strategy
How can strategic innovation help overcome future regulatory constraints?

Ian-Anderson Ian Anderson
CFO & Director of Taxation
Qatar Financial Centre Authority