Studies show that up to 70% of all transformation initiatives fail to deliver. Even though we build perfect blueprints in Finance, transformations still stagnate somewhere between the steering committee and the next Excel spreadsheet. The uncomfortable truth: the biggest risk isn't the system, it's the leadership behavior surrounding it. Drawing on her experience as Director Finance Excellence & Transformation and Business Coach, Julia uncovers recurring patterns – from leaders who publicly celebrate transformation while privately resisting it, to the silent killer of every change initiative: the lack of psychological safety. She reveals what truly excellent transformation leadership looks like – practical, human, and with concrete impulses for change. This session is for leaders who are ready to stop blaming the process and start looking at the person responsible for it.

Global markets are changing rapidly – from currency fluctuations and regulatory requirements to digital business models. This session explores how CFOs can realign their agendas to seize international opportunities while effectively managing risks.

Shared leadership is not a compromise — it is a strategic advantage. In this talk, Stephanie Bräuchle and René Bloß presents a successfully established job-sharing leadership model within a finance organization, where two leaders jointly take responsibility with clearly defined roles, a shared mindset, and a strong “one voice” approach. Drawing on real-world experience, they will demonstrates how specialized ownership across Controlling, Accounting, and Tax, combined with trust, diversity, and clear communication, leads to greater resilience, better decision-making, and increased employer attractiveness. The session offers practical insights, key success factors, and clear takeaways on why, especially in complex finance environments, shared leadership doubles leadership instead of dividing it.

KI-Agenten und digitale Copilots transformieren die Finanzführung: Sie beschleunigen Entscheidungen, optimieren Prozesse und schaffen strategischen Mehrwert für CFOs und Finance Leads.

What does health cost? In many organizations, this question is reflexively treated as a cost issue and that is precisely the fundamental misconception. Especially in finance and controlling teams, where numbers, efficiency, and accountability for results dominate day-to-day work, health is rarely seen for what it truly is: a key lever for productivity, stability, and value creation. In this keynote, I demonstrate why the real economic challenge is not the investment in healthy work, but the often invisible costs of inaction: absenteeism, performance losses, quality risks, and tied-up capacity. Based on concrete data and proven frameworks, it becomes clear how healthy work can be systematically managed, economically evaluated, and transparently translated into value creation particularly within finance organizations. The focus is on the specific demands faced by finance and controlling teams: high cadence, complex decision logics, and a strong cost mindset. This is exactly why an approach is needed that is not only plausible, but demonstrably effective. For greater impact, clear value contribution, and the confidence to finally treat health as a controllable economic variable.

Companies are under immense pressure: geopolitical uncertainties, technological disruptions, rising costs, and at the same time the need to invest—for example, in innovation, AI, or new business models. CFOs thus find themselves at the center of a tension: cutting costs while simultaneously paving the way for the future. 

But in many organizations, another problem arises: too many initiatives, too many projects—and too little real impact. 

This keynote offers a different perspective on the role of the CFO: not just as a guardian of the numbers, but as an architect of strategic priorities. 

Lucas Sauberschwarz explains why focus is becoming a core management competency in times of constant transformation—and why strategic success depends less on new ideas than on consistent decisions. 

Following this, Timo Emmert demonstrates how this logic is implemented in practice: how consistent focus, clear prioritization, and portfolio logic help concentrate resources specifically on the few truly critical initiatives—and how the deliberate termination of projects also contributes to securing this focus and thereby achieving significantly greater economic impact. 

The presentation combines strategic perspective with CFO practice and demonstrates why the most important question for CFOs today is not: 

“How do we finance more projects?” 

but rather: 

“Where do we place our focus—and which projects do we stop so that the right ones succeed?” 

A panel discussion exploring how leaders navigate cultural, operational, and strategic challenges in international finance teams, sharing practical insights for effective global leadership.

Healthy minds are the foundation of strong finance teams. Learn how mental health can sustainably boost performance, motivation, and resilience in the finance sector.

Old systems and processes hold many finance departments back. This talk explores how companies can overcome legacy structures and successfully transform their finance function for the future.