- Clarifying what AI truly is—and what it isn’t—beyond the buzzwords
- Understanding how autonomous agents are reshaping business models and workflows
- Applying a practical AI adoption framework that avoids hype and delivers value
- Positioning AI as a tool to amplify human judgment, creativity and strategic thinking
Chief of Finance
Program
Tuesday 20.10.
We open the doors - Welcome
Opening remarks
Peter Nyman
Journalist, TV-host
Pekka Koponen
Chair, Professio Group, Professor of Practice, University of Vaasa
Keynote
Rethinking AI and how Agents Impact Business and Humanity
Daniel Hulme
Chief AI Officer, WPP | CEO, Satalia and Conscium | AI Strategist and Visionary Technologist (UK)
Strategic decision making under uncertainty -Leadership perspectives
Kristiina Kujala
CEO and Group CFO
Mia Tuomaala
Senior Managing Consultant, Midagon
- Making strategic choices and navigating uncertainty
- Creating direction without false certainty
- Building systemic decision-making capability
Networking Break
Beyond the Hype - How to Evaluate Finance AI That Actually Delivers
Linda Heiskanen
Senior Solutions Engineer, Lineos
- Every vendor claims AI-powered finance, but which capabilities are truly innovative versus repackaged automation? This session cuts through noise with real use cases showing what intelligent EPM delivers today: autonomous reconciliations in minutes, real-time conversations with planning data, and self-service reporting with insights. Get practical guidance to evaluate AI capabilities and build a CFO-ready business case.
AI‑Led Finance Transformation
Toby Davidson
Chief Product Officer, Pacera
- Building a finance-led AI roadmap that scales beyond siloed experiments
- Restructuring teams and capabilities to enable responsible AI adoption
- Identifying use cases with measurable ROI, from forecasting to real-time decisioning
- Establishing the data, governance and risk foundations for AI at scale
- Positioning the CFO to lead AI-driven transformation with credibility and impact
Lunch Break & Networking
How to measure and manage AI ROI — and what changes with AI agents?
Mika Ruokonen
Industry Professor, AI in Business, D.Sc. (Econ.), LUT University
- Why is AI ROI so difficult to measure?
- How should companies measure and manage AI ROI?
- What separates AI investments that create value from those that don’t?
- How does agentic AI change the ROI equation?
Navigating the dimensions of the regulatory landscape
Sven Norin
Product Area Manager at Indtech, Tieto
- The European regulatory framework for e-invoicing and e-reporting is evolving rapidly, creating both new requirements and new opportunities for businesses operating across borders
- As EU-level and domestic initiatives increasingly interact, businesses must navigate a regulatory landscape that is simultaneously converging and fragmenting
- This session provides a structured perspective on the key forces shaping the regulatory landscape
- Gain a practical mental model for understanding and navigating its ongoing evolution
Networking Break
CFO’s role in driving strategic decision making in uncertainty
Dirk Schmidt
Country CFO, IKEA Finland
- The CFO as architect of future-ready, strategically relevant finance teams
- Which roles and capabilities are shifting – and which must be built from scratch
- The role of the CFO in the four activities of Finance to drive strategic decision making
Future proofed CFO - boards view
Sanna Suvanto-Harsaae
Board professional, MSc (Econ.)
- What boards expect from today’s CFOs beyond financial oversight (the CFO as strategic sparring partner)
- How strong CFOs build trust between the executive team and the board (real-world insights and lessons)
- Key traits that differentiate an exceptional CFO in the eyes of the board
- Board communication done right: what to present, how to frame it, and when to engage
- Navigating the triangle: the CFO’s role between the CEO and the board
- Board-level reflections on how finance leadership impacts overall business success
- How the CFO shapes executive culture and decision-making (what seasoned board professionals notice first)
Closing Summary by our Moderator
Peter Nyman
Journalist, TV-host