CFO summit: Perspective, guidance and opportunities
The William Buck 2025 CFO Summit offers a rapid and rich update on the coming challenges and opportunities that local CFOs should know about.
The William Buck 2025 CFO Summit will return in May with a line-up of business leaders providing a rare insight into the latest challenges and opportunities of today.
The long-standing annual event is targeted at CFOs, finance leaders and business executives, with the sessions including talks, a panel and opportunities for networking.
William Buck partner, and head of Audit & Assurance, Matthew King said feedback from past participants had directly shaped the content for the full-day event.
“In terms of the program, the feedback has been around artificial intelligence, environmental, social and governance (ESG), and the sorts of issues that are at the forefront of businesses and decisions that people in the C-suite need to make today,” King said.
Putting the spotlight on ESG, he said, was about helping CFOs to adopt a new mindset beyond ticking boxes for compliance.
“Possibly more valuable, is how to turn ESG into a competitive advantage for an organisation,” he said.
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“Taking something that is compliance driven and creating additional value out of it to position your business in front of another.”
This year saw the introduction of mandatory ESG reporting for large entities and, by June 2027, the staged rollout will eventually apply to all companies with revenue over $50 million.
King said the summit has become “one of the most anticipated calendar events” for the state’s corporate sector.
“We have assembled a strong line-up of speakers to share their insights into the current opportunities and challenges facing CFOs and other business leaders in a local, national and global context,” he said.
The summit lineup includes Ellie Moss, managing director of Sydney-based sustainability consultancy Focus Group, who has played a pivotal role in shaping more effective sustainability engagement for the NSW Government.
Also speaking will be business and finance commentator David Koch, who will share the business lessons learnt from rebuilding Port Adelaide, and treasurer Stephen Mullighan, who will share the Malinauskas government’s economic vision and what it means for local businesses.
State treasurer Stephen Mullighan will speak at the William Buck 2025 CFO Summit
ANZ senior economist Adelaide Timbrell will discuss the outlook for the Australian economy in the coming years.
The uncertainty in global trade – further fuelled by trade tariffs coming from the US and challenging the Australia-United States Free Trade Agreement in place since 2005 – and its impact on businesses in SA and Australia is among the issues that she will address.
The last couple of years have seen a huge leap in the use of artificial intelligence within business operations, with the use of generative AI now commonplace, while agentic AI – that is, systems that can autonomously act, make decisions and revise those actions to achieve set goals – is also gaining traction.
For businesses the key benefits of AI include better security, revenue growth, greater automation of processes, and better operational efficiency and effectiveness.
Adam Barty, managing director of digital and AI consultancy Revium and digital co-founder of fintech startup HelpPay will help summit attendees get a handle on AI, while Hannan & Partners director Mat Hannan will provide a clear roadmap for leveraging technology to address business problems and drive success.
King said the summit is the only full day event of its kind in the state.
“The event has been very successful and has grown, so we’re now getting over 200 attendees at Adelaide Oval,” he said.
“It gives CFOs and other executives and finance people opportunities for professional development, and to hear about important, relevant topics to help them manage their businesses.
“It also gives them an opportunity to come and network with their peers and learn from each other.”
Hosted by award-winning journalist Jess Adamson, the William Buck 2025 CFO Summit will be held at Adelaide Oval on Wednesday, 14 May 2025.
