Navigating the Evolving Finance Landscape for Actionable Business Transformation
- 13 May 2024
- Doha, Qatar
Organized by
Part of our 2 days CFO & HR
Event Series in Qatar
SUPPORTING PARTNERS
ABOUT THE EVENT
As businesses emerge from the challenges posed by the last recent disruptions in the region and world at large, CFOs are once again facing a critical role in steering the path to recovery and addressing a dynamic array of issues. Restoring capital amidst impairments and adjusting risk capacities in regulated sectors, alongside managing asset price fluctuations and narrowed profit margins, necessitates a strategic emphasis on cost-efficiency.
Investors and board members now seek sustained double-digit return-on-equity, stable credit evaluations, and heightened clarity on risk exposures to optimize shareholder value. Concurrently, regulators are intensifying their focus on real-time oversight of organizational operations and disclosures, with a slate of new initiatives planned for 2024, including an increased emphasis on sustainability and ESG factors.
Adding complexity, business divisions are demanding enhanced actionable insights and immediate analytics, while customers are advocating for personalized self-service experiences powered by digital platforms and resources. Amidst the persistent ‘war on talent,’ the challenge of recruiting and retaining skilled professionals and adopting new ways of working has become a reality across the market.
To discuss these issues and explore solutions, we invite you to join us at the CFO Connect Qatar 2024 as we bring together some of the best and finest minds in finance from Qatar and the region, from different industries to discuss these challenges. And share insights and strategies on how latest tools and solutions can help the office of the finance evolve and rise up to be able to meet the new reality of todays business to drive growth and profitability in the new digital economy.
KEY TOPICS
- Overview of 2024 Finance Trends in Today’s Changing World
- CFO of the Future: the changing role of the CFO
- Navigating Inflation Challenges in the Current Economic Environment
- Digital Transformation in the Office of the Finance
- Evolution of FP&A to XP&A
- Finance Automation and Cashflow Management
- Data Driven Finance Transformation – Exploring the role of data analytics in transforming finance
- Emergence of the Sustainability Driven CFO – How to define, operationalize and integrate the ESG strategy in Finance
- Finance and Digital Technology: How can emerging technologies such as AI and ML be leveraged to enhance the effectiveness of XP&A?
- Payment Process Transformation to Reduce Workload on Finance Teams
EVENT IN NUMBERS
WHO WILL ATTEND?
Participating industries
- Government and Ministry
- Telecommunication
- Healthcare
- Education
- BFSI
- Academia
- Oil and Gas
- Manufacturing
- Energy & Utilities
- Retail and Shopping
Attendee Profiles
Senior decision makers from cross industries with below job titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- Chief Financial Officer
- Chief Procurement Officer
- Business CFOs
- Regional CFOs
- Head of Procurement
- Head of Supply Chain Finance
- ESG Director
- Head of Sustainability
- Head of Finance & Planning
- Treasury Directors
- Head of Investments
- Governance Risk and Compliance
- Risk Officer
- Head of Financial Audit
- Director Finance
- Director of Procurement
- Finance Controller
- Tax Director
- Head of Taxation
- Budgeting & Planning Manager
Advisory Board
Ahmed Dawoud
CFO - GCC & Levant,
PepsiCo
Saudi Arabia
Tamil Selvan Ramadoss
Group Finance & Business Transformation Officer,
RMB Holdings
Our Speakers
Ahmad Nassar
Chief Financial Officer
AlFardan Group
Ahmad Nassar
Chief Financial Officer
AlFardan Group
Paras Banthia
Chief Financial Officer
HSBC Qatar
Ashraf Ghaly
Head, Financial Accounting (QEI), Financial Business Operations,
Qatar Energy
Joseph Al Hamod
Finance Director,
Mowasalat Qatar
Saifullah Khan
Chief Financial Officer,
Baladna Food Industries
Rami Soussou
Chief Financial Officer,
Alijarah Holding
Mohamed Farhan
Acting Chief Financial Officer, The Commercial Bank,
Qatar
Amit Kashyap
Chief Financial Officer,
Qatari Diar
Antoine Boustany
Country Finance Director,
Hilton,
Qatar
Ali Al Sawaf
Chief Financial Officer,
UCC Holding
Muhammad Khurram Ashraf
Group CFO,
Al Mirqab Capital
Ahmed Hadid
Corporate Finance Director,
Al Jaber Engineering
Ali Al Sawaf
Chief Financial Officer,
UCC Holding
Muhammad Khurram Ashraf
Group CFO,
Al Mirqab Capital
Ahmed Hadid
Corporate Finance Director,
Al Jaber Engineering
Asem A. Alnaser
Chief Audit & Risk Management Executive,
Alghanim Industries
Our Agenda
08:00
Registration
09:00
Welcome Remarks from Great Minds Group
09:05
Welcome Note by Conference Chairman
- Ahmed Moussa, Managing Director & Founder, CFO Consulting
OVERVIEW OF FINANCE TRENDS IN TODAY’S CHANGING WORLD
9:10
Opening Keynote: Leading Finance in Qatar’s Evolving Business and Regulatory Environment
9:20
Keynote Presentation:
Embracing AI: Opportunities and Risks for CFOs
9:30
Opening Panel Session: The Modern CFO Mandate: Navigating Risk, Strategy, and Enterprise Transformation
- Examining CFO’s priorities for 2026 - how global and regional finance trends are reshaping business dynamics
- Examining the shift from financial guardian to strategic business partner and leader
- Enhancing organizational agility through data driven insight and decision-making to support board-level strategy
- Discussing how CFOs can effectively balance digital adoption, compliance, and long-term value creation
- Identifying top challenges facing today’s CFOs in today’s business landscape and how to navigate them
10:05
Keynote Presentation: Preparing Finance for the Next Wave of Tax and Regulatory Implementation
- Preparing finance systems and processes for tax and regulatory implementation to ensure compliance and operational continuity
- Strengthening tax governance through integrated invoicing and accounting systems to reduce risk and manual intervention
- Improving data accuracy and audit readiness across financial reporting to support transparent and defensible compliance
10:20
Fireside Chat: Strengthening Liquidity, Risk, and Cashflow Management in an Uncertain Market
- Managing inflation pressures, interest rate shifts, and liquidity constraints to protect financial stability
- Improving visibility through treasury modernisation to support informed liquidity decisions
- Balancing risk appetite with investment and growth priorities to sustain performance
- Improving cashflow predictability through integrated forecasting and controls to strengthen resilience
10:45
Panel Session: AI-Enabled Finance: Unlocking Accuracy, Speed, and Strategic Insight
- Leveraging automation to streamline reporting and compliance and reduce operational effort
- Using predictive analytics to improve forecasting accuracy and scenario planning
- Reducing manual workload to enable more efficient, higher-value finance teams
- Ensuring strong governance and ethical AI usage to maintain trust and control in financial operations
11:25
VIP Exhibition Tour and Networking Coffee Break
FINANCE, SUSTAINABILITY AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY
11:50
Panel Session: Operationalising Sustainability Across Finance, Risk, and Reporting
- Identifying new ways to embed sustainability considerations into budgeting, forecasting, and investment decisions
- Aligning finance, risk, and operations on ESG execution and ownership
- Improving data quality, consistency, and audit readiness for effective ESG reporting
- Strategies to avoid greenwashing while maintaining credibility with stakeholders
12:30
Industry Innovation Session:
This session highlights emerging solutions and technologies shaping the future of the finance function, including financial planning and budgeting platforms, AI and analytics solutions, finance automation, treasury and payment systems, sustainability reporting tools, and invoicing and accounting software.
- Industry Insight 1
- Industry Insight 2
- Industry Insight 3
13:10
Panel Session: Financial Planning, Budgeting, and Reporting in a Data-Driven Finance Function
- Modernizing financial planning through connected FP&A and enterprise-wide planning platforms to improve coordination, visibility, and control across the organization
- Aligning budgets and forecasts with strategic priorities and business performance to ensure resources are directed toward high-impact initiatives
- Enhancing financial reporting accuracy, timeliness, and transparency through automation to strengthen governance and stakeholder confidence
- Using real-time data and analytics to support faster, more confident decision-making and enable proactive financial management
13:55
Presentation: Payments, Risk, and Control: Building Secure and Transparent Transaction Systems in an increasingly borderless world
14:05
Closing Panel Session: Budget Management in a Volatile Business Environment
- Shifting from static annual budgets to rolling and scenario-based planning to improve flexibility and responsiveness
- Strengthening budget control across business units to reduce variance and improve accountability
- Aligning spending decisions with strategic priorities to maximize impact and financial outcomes
- Improving budget visibility through integrated finance systems to enable timely course correction
14:40
Chairman Closing Remarks
14:45
End of Conference and Networking Lunch
WHO SHOULD SPONSOR?
Solution providers offering the following:
- Financial Planning
- AI & Data Analytics
- Finance Automation & B2B Payments Solutions
- Cashflow Solutions
- Invoicing Systems and Taxation
- VAT compliance
- Accounts payables and receivables
- Procurement Solutions
- Payment Technology and Automation
- ERPs (Enterprise resource planning)
- Supply chain financing technology
- Money management
- Vendor and Distributor Management
- Spend and Expense Management
WHY GET INVOLVED?
RAISE YOUR BRAND AWARENESS:
Opportunity to position your brand as one of the leading companies in the sector to help stakeholders and leaders achieve their targets.
GET IN FRONT OF YOUR TARGET MARKET:
Get access to key digital transformation stakeholders involved with ongoing and upcoming projects in the region and get insight into their plans to invest in new technologies and spot opportunities.
INCREASES YOUR COMPETITIVENESS:
Learn about the challenges faced by CFOs and identify how you can provide them with customized solutions to help them overcome these challenges.
GENERATE STRONG LEADS:
Learn about the digitalization requirements of key leading enterprise, influence decision-makers, and stand a chance of being shortlisted for upcoming projects.
Sponsorship message
If you have finance related products or service that will be valuable to leading organizations in transforming their finance management, please contact us on partnerships@gmevents.ae to find out more about sponsorship packages and opportunities.
OPPORTUNITIES TO PARTICIPATE
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