Wednesday, June 24

11:00 am – 12:15 pm eastern

The Next-Gen Finance Function: Faster Close, Smarter Consolidation, Trusted Automations
Presented by Aptitude Software
87% of CFOs say AI will be critical to finance operations this year. Only 14% can point to measurable returns. The gap isn't an AI problem; it's a finance data foundation problem. In this session, Aptitude Software CEO Alex Curran and FM VP of Finance Systems Enablement Brian Feeney join moderator Hamish Kilworth for a candid conversation about what it actually takes to build a finance function that can support real-time intelligence, trusted automation, and faster close.

Brian shares FM's first-ever public account of their global finance transformation: retiring four legacy accounting systems, some over 50 years old, and consolidating onto a single global accounting hub. The result: one global close date, a first-ever consolidated view of insurance accounting data, and a finance function that now runs on current data instead of last week's. Alex frames why most finance AI initiatives stall, and what the architecture has to look like before AI can deliver returns. Together, they cover the hard lessons from earlier failed attempts, what it took to get senior leadership aligned, and why fixing the data foundation first is the only path to AI outputs a board can trust.

Presenters:
Alex Curran | CEO | Aptitude Software
Brian Feeney | Vice President of Financial Services | FM Global
Hamish Kilworth | Account Management Director | Aptitude Software

12:30 pm – 1:35 pm eastern

Finance Leadership, Payments, and the Modern CFO Agenda
Presented by Bottomline
The role of finance is changing fast. Today’s CFOs and finance leaders are no longer judged solely on reporting accuracy and controls, they’re expected to drive capital efficiency, guide strategic investment, manage risk, and help the business navigate volatility, all while evaluating new technologies like AI.

In this 50-minute conversation, Pat Sunday, Chief Accounting Officer at Bottomline, shares a practitioner’s perspective on the modern CFO agenda. Drawing on experience leading global accounting, shared services, and financial operations inside a payments technology company, Pat discusses how finance leaders are rethinking capital allocation, working capital discipline, payments strategy, AI adoption, and performance metrics.

You’ll gain practical insight into what boards and CEOs expect from finance today, how payments can become a lever for cash flow and risk management (not just a back-office function), where AI is delivering real value versus hype, and how finance teams can stay resilient amid FX volatility and macro uncertainty.

Presenters:
Paul McMeekin | VP Marketing | Bottomline
Patrick Sunday | Chief Accounting Officer | Bottomline

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