This week, CFO will be in Phoenix, Arizona, to cover the CFO Leadership Conference: West. Below are some questions we’re looking to get answers to at the event.
1. What are the Latest Takes On AI Among Finance Leaders?
As artificial intelligence has been the focal point of many corporate finance events this year, the latest takes on generative AI and how corporate finance leaders are implementing it will be interesting to hear. The focus will be more on what problems the technology can solve for CFOs and less on how infinitely innovative the tools may be. CFO Glenn Hopper will be giving a keynote on ”how generative AI’s predictive capabilities can enhance forecasting and risk management.”
2. What is the General Outlook for Q4 and 2024?
There’s been a lot of data lately that suggests CFOs are no longer worried about a recession and are looking forward to growth in the next two calendar quarters. It’ll be interesting to see not only if this is true but also whether finance executives agree with projections of tepid overall economic growth in the U.S. next year.
3. Are CFOs Still Interested in Diversifying Their Bank Accounts?
At the CFO Leadership Conference East in Boston, there was a lot of talk about things like bank network products and other strategies for diversifying organizational deposits for FDIC insurance protection. Do CFOs still have concerns about the health of some U.S. banks?
4. Will M&A Numbers by Year’s-End Rise as Expected?
M&A leaders project a hot market with more buyers than sellers, but so far 2023 has been a down year. We’ll be interested to hear how companies pulled off deals in the current economic climate as well as whether CFOs expect M&A activity to pick up before 2023 comes to a close.
5. What are the Latest Takes On ESG?
As environmental, social, and governance (ESG) initiatives have faced scrutiny lately, events in industries like blockchain and fintech have seen little to no discussions on the topic. Is interest in ESG also dwindling among CFOs? If so, why?