As CFOs and their teams know, the onset of Fall’s cozy vibes also comes with the peak of corporate finance’s events season.
And, unlike many finance conferences that try to cover every corner of the CFO mandate, the CFO Leadership Council’s third consecutive Q4 conference in the west has content that focuses on a set of core themes: Leadership, transformation, benefits strategy and the evolving intersection of finance and technology.
Here are seven CFO-centric expectations for the conference, which is set to take place Oct. 6-8, 2025, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Austin, Texas.
1. Insight into leading through transformation
For finance teams, transformation has become a buzzword around organizations in the context of AI, employee sentiment and corporate finance’s labor market. In the conference’s keynote addresses, CFOs will hear from leaders outside of traditional finance, including former NFL innovation executive Jennifer Langton and retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Oakland McCulloch, on what it takes to lead in moments of change. These keynotes will emphasize trust-building, strategic clarity and personal accountability as the cornerstones of leadership.
2. Proactive approaches to combating rising health care costs
Health care and benefit costs are rising for nearly all CFOs, and forecasting future costs while implementing solutions to address current pressures can be complex and time-consuming. Sessions will dive into how hidden fees and opaque arrangements affect financial planning and how transparency can unlock savings. Finance leaders will learn how to shift from benefits administrators to strategic developers of programs that align cost management goals with employee well-being standards.
3. Ways to implement AI tools with financial discipline
AI, especially agentic AI, remains one of the most discussed but least clearly understood tools in finance. CFOLC West will focus on how CFOs can apply AI to forecasting, operations and investor communications in ways that are targeted, realistic and measurable. Rather than chasing trends, those who attend sessions on this topic will hear directly from CFOs who have bought, implemented and operated such tools and are finding real value in automation and intelligence initiatives.
4. Guidance on driving business-wide digital strategy
Multiple panels will explore how CFOs from different sectors can move beyond their traditionally fiscal management duties to become true digital transformation partners across the entire business. Finance leaders from Paylocity and other organizations will discuss how to align financial insights with technology strategy to drive innovation cost effectively. These sessions will show how CFOs can shape digital priorities, influence capital allocation and play a central role in impactful change in and outside of the finance function. This was also a topic that was discussed at length at CFO Live 2025 last month.
5. Tactics to scale and modernize finance operations efficiently
Breakout sessions will tackle the nuts and bolts of modern finance operations, from expense management to shortening the close cycle. CFOs will learn peer-tested approaches to upgrading legacy systems, tightening processes and empowering teams to work with real-time data. The goal here is likely to help finance leaders scale their functions without sacrificing control, accuracy or speed.
6. Tips on properly leveraging data
Former Weights & Biases CFO Cameron Kinloch will offer a deep dive into how data can fuel growth, strategic transactions and operational excellence. Drawing on her experience scaling companies in the emerging technology space, she’ll share her approaches to making finance teams more analytical and forward-looking. This conversation will likely address how to use data for storytelling, while also balancing data quality improvement efforts with avoiding paralysis by analysis.
7. How to develop operations as a global CFO
Hyatt CFO Joan Bottarini will share insights from leading finance at a global hospitality brand through disruption, expansion and cultural reinvention. Her session will explore how financial strategy intersects with talent development, cultural alignment and purpose-driven leadership. CFOs who work in global positions or aspire to do so will gain a clearer picture of how to lead at scale while balancing financial imperatives with the broader goals of a large, multinational business.
