Australia

The below program is from William Buckโ€™s 2024 CFO Summit, which took place at Adealide Oval on 15 May 2024.

About the Summit

The William Buck Adelaide 2024 CFO Summit is South Australiaโ€™s premier annual conference for finance leaders and decision makers.

Hosted by award-winning journalist Jess Adamson, weโ€™re excited to release another outstanding line-up of well-known and respected speakers covering the most pressing issues facing businesses and organisations. It is the only full day event of its kind and a must attend for CFOs, finance leaders and decision makers across industry.

The CFO summit isn’t just an event; it’s a unique forum designed for finance leaders and decision makers from SME businesses, corporates, not-for-profits, and government sectors to come together, learn, and connect.

Program

8:30am

Registration/arrival coffee

8:45am

Welcome

Jamie McKeough, Managing Director | William Buck

8:55am

Facilitator

Jess Adamson, Facilitator

9:00am

Navigating growth: Insights from Peregrineโ€™s journey to prominence

Discover how partnerships and a commitment to core values have propelled Peregrine to prominence, with a diversified product portfolio and strong market presence. Gain firsthand insights, and lessons learned from Charlie’s journey, offering a roadmap for navigating growth and success in today’s dynamic business environment. Charlie will also delve into the evolving role of the finance team, discussing his expectations as a Managing Director and how they have evolved over time.

Khalil (Charlie) Shahin AO, Managing Director | Peregrine Corporation

9:45am

The Big Picture: The State of South Australia

South Australiaโ€™s economic landscape is being shaped by major public and private investment including across infrastructure and housing at a time of low unemployment and higher costs of living and doing business. Hear the State Governmentโ€™s vision for future growth and the opportunities, and challenges, that lie ahead for the local business sector.

The Hon. Stephen Mullighan MP, Treasurer of South Australia

10:30am

Morning tea

11:00am

In Conversation with Anthony Kittel โ€“ Culture and competitive advantage in the global context

As Managing Director of REDARC, Anthony Kittel has grown a company from 8 employees to more than 400 located across the globe. This Q&A session will explore how Anthony has led a critical company culture rebuild that has enabled REDARC to achieve incredible growth in a highly competitive market. Anthonyโ€™s lived experience from small business to becoming one of Australiaโ€™s most successful exporters provides a unique insight into how culture can have far reaching impacts on staff attraction and retention, customer engagement, innovation and overall business performance. But it hasnโ€™t been without its challenges. Hear Anthony talk openly about the companyโ€™s cultural transformation journey and key lessons learned along the way.

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Anthony Kittel, CEO and Managing Director | REDARC

11:30am

Mindfulness-based well-being

Explore the meaning of well-being and its major sources in the workplace. This interactive session will delve into what mindfulness is (and is not!), why it works and how it contributes to well-being. Olga will also cover key strategies for adopting simple, effective mindfulness practices, equipping you with invaluable tools to maintain your own well-being, and that of your teams.

Dr Olga Muzychenko, Associate Head of Business School | The University of Adelaide

12:00pm

Lunch

1:00pm

Operating in a green economy

Transitioning economies towards sustainability involves adopting a multi-level green strategy compromising macro, meso and micro levels. Gรถran will highlight challenges posed by laws of nature, resource constraints, recycling limitations, and infrastructure investment needs and lack of a systemic and coherent policy landscape. With an emphasis on financial aspects like return on investment, monetising waste, lowering costs through efficient gains, and profitable circular economy business models, the aim is to simultaneously reduce environment footprint while improving economic performance on the company, sector and economy-wide levels.ย 

Prof. Gรถran Roos, Internationally Renowned Innovator and Strategist

1:45pm

Are you ready for mandatory climate-related disclosures?

Join Karen as she delves into the upcoming climate-related disclosure legislation in Australia and what will be expected under the new Australian Sustainability Reporting Standards introduced by the AASB. Karen will cover the proposed scope, timelines, and key disclosure requirements. Additionally, she will offer essential tips for entities to commence sustainability reporting, how to avoid greenwashing, and offer insights into the future of sustainability reporting beyond climate concerns.

Karen McWilliams, Sustainability and Business Reform Leader | Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand

2:30pm

Afternoon tea

3:00pm

An executiveโ€™s cheat sheet to cyber: what CFOs and boards need to know

Cyber security is a complex ever-changing field, which requires in-depth expertise to get right. As executives responsible for the delivery of cyber outcomes, there are key concepts and considerations to understand that help you manage the complexities. Cristina and Jamie will talk about how to measure maturity and develop your cyber strategy, how to report progress and gaps to boards, and how much is enough to spend on cyber.ย 

Cristina Paetsch, Director | Hannan & Partners

Jamie Armfield, Information Security Consultant | Hannan & Partners

3:45pm

Panel - The ever-evolving role of the CFO

Three of South Australiaโ€™s leading CFOs will take part in a panel discussion on the current and future challenges facing the industry.
Hear from Nick Thomas (Thomas Foods International), Federico Tata-Nardini (Fleet Space Technologies) and Rod Hyslop (ADRAD) as they draw on personal experiences to speak openly about the ever-evolving role of a modern CFO.

From taking a company public and targeting global growth, to utilising AI, pursuing sustainability and managing the increasing costs to doing business โ€“ this is a unique opportunity to hear how finance leaders in their field are navigating the road ahead.

Nick Thomas, Group CFO | Thomas Foods International

Federico Tata-Nardini, CFO | Fleet Space Technologies

Rod Hyslop, CFO | ADRAD

4:15pm

Final comments/close

Matthew King, Audit & Assurance Director | William Buck

4:35pm

Wine tasting / networking (provided by Mollydooker Wines)

Speakers

Jess Adamson
Facilitator

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The Hon. Stephen Mullighan MPย 
Treasurer of South Australia

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Khalil (Charlie) Shahin AO
Managing Director,ย  Peregrine Corporation
More info

Anthony Kittel
CEO and Managing Director, REDARC
More info

Dr Olga Muzychenko
Associate Head of Adelaide Business School, The University of Adelaide
More info

Prof. Gรถran Roos
Internationally Renowned
Innovator and Strategist
More info

Karen McWilliams
Sustainability and Business Reform Leader, Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand
More info

Cristina Paetsch
Director, Hannan & Partners
More info

Jamie Armfield
Information Security Consultant,
Hannan & Partners
More info

Jamie McKeough
Managing Director, William Buck
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Matthew King
Audit & Assurance Services Director, William Buck
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Nick Thomas
Group CFO | Thomas Foods International
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Federico Tata-Nardini
CFO | Fleet Space Technologies
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Rod Hyslop

CFO | ADRAD
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