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EVENT OVERVIEW

In 2025, the landscape for CFOs and finance leaders in Asia is increasingly complex, with growth remaining a top priority amidst evolving challenges. According to Alexander Bant, chief of research in the Gartner Finance Practice, “CFOs and CEOs are united in their focus on profitable growth, with nearly two-thirds identifying it as a key strategic priority.” Following this, technology and workforce management emerge as crucial areas of concern.

However, the role of modern CFOs extends beyond fostering organisational growth and optimising costs. They must adeptly navigate a landscape filled with uncertainties, balancing the pursuit of growth with effective risk management. As pivotal players in risk mitigation, CFOs are expected to formulate robust plans to tackle potential crises such as:

  • Constrained access to capital and investment challenges
  • Cybersecurity threats and data breaches
  • Economic headwinds and inflationary pressures
  • Evolving regulatory landscapes
  • Market volatility and shifting consumer behaviours
  • Talent shortages in a competitive labour market

Also, a Gartner survey highlights that 62% of CFOs and 58% of CEOs believe Artificial Intelligence (AI) will significantly reshape their sectors in the coming years. As CFOs increasingly integrate AI into financial operations, they must also address the accompanying challenges and ethical implications of emerging technologies.

The 5th FutureCFO Malaysia Conference 2025, themed “Pathways Towards Differentiated Success,” will serve as a vital platform for finance leaders to explore strategies that ensure steady margins while effectively managing risks. Attendees can expect insights from seasoned industry experts on critical topics, including:

  • Aligning organisational priorities amid competing demands
  • Enhancing the role of finance leaders as strategic partners
  • Harnessing emerging technologies to shape the future of finance
  • Implementing forward-looking risk management strategies
  • Leveraging digital finance transformation and process automation
  • Navigating the next phase of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiatives

This conference will equip CFOs with the tools and knowledge needed to thrive in an ever-changing environment, ensuring they can balance the dual imperatives of growth and risk management.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

CFOs, MDs, VPs, Directors, Heads, GMs, and Senior Managers, involved in:

  • Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A)
  • Strategic Planning & Forecasting
  • Costing & Budgeting
  • Treasury Operations
  • Project Financing
  • Accounting and Reporting
  • Merger & Acquisition (M&A)
  • Investment / Portfolio Management
  • Auditing & Internal Control
  • Tax Governance
  • Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC)
  • Statutory & Regulatory Reporting
  • Fiscal Policy Planning
  • Financial Technology Solutions
FUTURECFO CONFERENCE SERIES

WHY YOU SHOULD ATTEND

The FutureCFO Conference aims to give CFOs, who also act as their company’s strategic business partner and catalyst, insights on ensuring corporate growth and successfully mitigating risks and challenges amidst the current economic and political uncertainties in their countries. The conference will also address strategies and best practices on how CFOs can reimagine finance functions and their organizations to survive and thrive in today’s fast-paced and digitally driven landscape.

This by-invitation only one-day event will gather over 120 senior finance leaders from multiple industries and offers the best opportunity to hear from the industry’s leading professionals, contribute questions from the floor, engage in incisive panel discussions that discuss real-life business cases, updates and strategies to meet the most pertinent challenges facing the finance function in 2020.

High-Level Industry Speakers

We gather 20+ industry speakers and experts from leading organizations for keynote presentations and incisive discussions so you can tap on their invaluable insights and best practices important to your finance function management and transformation.

Interactive Discussions

Be part of our interactive panel discussions that address the current hot topics, share ideas and experiences and get the answers to your pressing questions from prominent finance leaders on stage.

Networking Opportunities

Meet new business partners, engage and forge new connections with fellow finance and treasury leaders in the region, solution providers and many more at our event through luncheons, coffee breaks, one-to-one meetings and informal introductions.

Targeted In-Depth Sessions

8 hours of learning and networking opportunities packed into 10 in depth sessions. Listen to corporate-driven best practices and case studies sharing that are targeted to your profession through the personalized country-specific conferences we crafted for you - FutureCFO Conferences.

2025 AGENDA

09:00

Chairman’s Welcome Remarks

Allan Tan, Group Editor-in-Chief, CXOCIETY

09:15

Panel Discussion: Balancing CFO’s Strategic Priorities while Delivering Immediate Results

In 2025, CFOs face the challenge of balancing business growth and profitability with fostering innovation and ensuring compliance. As the finance function evolves, how can it add genuine value from the perspective of business stakeholders? This session emphasises the strategic focus and complexities that CFOs will face in 2025.

  • Navigating growth pressures and challenges facing CFOs in 2025
  • Ensuring long-term profitability amidst market changes
  • Cost control as growth strategy
  • Balancing risk and growth
  • Making smart investment decisions

Moderator:
Allan Tan, Group Editor-in-Chief, CXOCIETY

Panelists:
Khairul Rifaie, Group CFO, CIMB
Kenny Saw, Director Finance & Planning, PHILIP MORRIS MALAYSIA
Sazlyna Sapiee, CFO, VELESTO ENERGY BERHAD

09:50

Keynote: Embedding Innovative Payment Automation into Business to Drive Growth

As credit tightening and inflationary pressures create a challenging environment, CFOs face the dual challenge of managing expenses while ensuring cash flow, profitability, and growth. In this context, the digitisation of payment processes has emerged as a strategic imperative, offering new avenues for value creation and enhanced bottom-line performance. How can innovative payment automation serve as a catalyst for financial resilience and strategic growth in 2025?

  • Navigating the evolving payment landscape
  • Harnessing payment automation for growth
  • Enhancing accounts receivable efficiency
  • Developing a flexible, scalable payment model

10:15

Panel Discussion: Redefining Strategic Finance Leadership in 2025

As CFOs navigate an increasingly complex landscape, they face new mandates: innovating rapidly, accelerating automation, collaborating with governments and industries, establishing robust financial controls, ensuring regulatory compliance, and attracting top talent. To thrive in 2025, what essential skills, qualities, and insights must modern CFOs cultivate to effectively manage risks, respond swiftly to market demands, and seize emerging opportunities?

  • CFO as a strategic business partner
  • The expanding skill sets for finance leaders
  • Impactful leadership in finance function
  • Bridging finance and business
  • Becoming a tech-savvy finance leader


Moderator
:
Allan Tan, Group Editor-in-Chief, CXOCIETY

Panelists:
Lionel Lim, CFO, MAMEE-DOUBLE DECKER
Zaleha Abdul Hamid, CFO, PENGURUSAN ASET AIR BHD
Wong Jyh Juan, CFO, PERDANA PARKCITY

10:50

Morning Coffee Break & Networking

11:20

Keynote: Modernising Financial Reporting for the Next Wave of ESG Developments

As Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) adoption accelerates across Asia Pacific, CFOs face significant challenges in aligning ESG-related reporting with financial metrics. The evolving landscape of ESG imperatives and mandatory disclosure requirements complicates this task. It is crucial for CFOs to explore strategies for modernising financial reporting to effectively integrate ESG considerations.

  • Navigating the next phase of sustainability reporting and its implications for financial practices.
  • Understanding new standards and frameworks for compliance in ESG reporting.
  • Ensuring alignment with the latest regulatory requirements to enhance credibility.
  • Increasing transparency in sustainability-related disclosures to build stakeholder trust.
  • Leveraging AI technologies to optimise ESG metrics and streamline data management.

11:45

Panel Discussion: Finance Digital Transformation Check-Up

A McKinsey Global Survey of CFOs in March 2024 reveals that while 98% of CFOs have invested in digitisation and automation within their finance functions, only a quarter of their processes are fully digitised or automated. As we navigate the uncertainties of 2025, finance leaders need to understand the challenges and strategies essential for modernising the finance function in a rapidly evolving digital landscape. How should finance leaders drive their digital transformation efforts while balancing the inherent risks and opportunities of the evolving financial landscape in Asia?

  • Identifying roadblocks in finance transformation
  • Modernising legacy processes
  • Maximising efficiency in finance function
  • Aligning people and technology for effective transformation
  • Measuring ROI of finance transformation initiatives


Moderator
:
Allan Tan, Group Editor-in-Chief, CXOCIETY

Panelists:
Cheng Han Chee, Finance Director, GEODIS
Sophia Awang, Head of Finance Operations, MALAYSIA AIRLINES

12:20

Keynote: Building Effective Data & Analytics (D&A) Governance Model to Achieve Sustainable Growth

In 2025, data governance has emerged as a cornerstone of enterprise growth, particularly for CFOs navigating a landscape characterised by rapid technological advancements and increasing regulatory scrutiny. This panel discussion will explore how CFOs can fortify their D&A governance frameworks to achieve sustainable growth in a competitive, data-driven environment. By focusing on these critical areas, CFOs will be better equipped to leverage data as a strategic asset, balancing the pursuit of growth with the need for robust risk management in an ever-evolving landscape.

  • Data governance as a strategic necessity
  • Aligning Data, AI, Governance, and business goals
  • Implications of data democratisation on finance leaders
  • The fundamentals of effective D&A Governance for CFOs

12:45

Networking Lunch

14:00

Keynote: e-Invoicing as Catalyst for Finance Transformation in Malaysia

As Malaysia accelerates its digital transformation initiatives, e-invoicing becomes essential for CFOs aiming to modernise their finance operations while navigating complex regulations of an increasingly borderless marketplace, all while integrating new technologies. This transition requires addressing challenges such as compliance across diverse jurisdictions, upgrading legacy systems, and ensuring robust cybersecurity to protect financial data.

However, the benefits are significant: e-invoicing enhances efficiency and cost savings, provides real-time data analytics for informed decision-making, and strengthens supplier relationships through improved transparency. In this session, we will cover:

  • Navigating the latest e-invoicing mandates in Malaysia
  • Upgrading legacy systems and processes while minimizing operational disruption
  • Implementing robust cybersecurity measures to protect sensitive information
  • Overcoming the challenges and lessons learned in integrating e-invoicing system with the existing ERP/financial platforms
  • The future of AI-driven e-Invoicing

14:25

Panel Discussion: Revolutionising Finance with Artificial Intelligence

In 2025, the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in finance is becoming a pivotal focus for CFOs across Asia. Gartner predicts that by 2026, 90% of finance functions will implement at least one AI-enabled technology solution. Notably, 44% of finance professionals are already leveraging AI for intelligent process automation, enhancing information processing and anomaly detection.

With AI’s potential to transform decision-making and operational efficiency, how can finance leaders harness this technology effectively?

  • The impact of AI on finance in 2025
  • Initiating AI innovations in finance
  • Collaborating with IT Leaders for AI deployment
  • Evaluating AI tools for finance
  • Solving complex financial challenges with AI

Moderator:
Allan Tan, Group Editor-in-Chief, CXOCIETY

Panelists:
Thirumahal Anandhanadarajah, CFO, ASIA DIGITAL ENGINEERING (ADE)
Lim Boon Boon, CFO, KIP REIT

15:00

Fireside Chat: CFO’s Investment Strategies that Drive Growth
  • How we invest: local, regional, or global?
  • Investment strategy that fits emerging markets
  • Key risk mitigation management for strategic investments
  • The need of investment compliance – latest trends and best practices

Interviewer:
Allan Tan, Group Editor-in-Chief, CXOCIETY

Interviewees:
Chelsea Cheng, Group Finance Director, SUNWAY HEALTHCARE GROUP
Shivam Kumar, CFO, ZALORA GROUP

15:25

Afternoon Coffee Break & Networking

15:55

Keynote: Shifting from Reactive to Transformative CFOs: Practical Lessons and Best Practices that Work in Malaysia

CFOs in Malaysia tend to put their focus their finance and investment strategies based on the local economy as opposed to the global economic and geopolitical trends which often, put Malaysian companies behind the global momentum. With limited capital, local market, and constricted priorities, to avoid being at the tail end and downstream of the global changes instead of pioneering changes, CFOs in Malaysia will need to move from being a reactive CFO to a transformative CFO.

  • Reactive CFO vs. Transformative CFO
  • Incorporating global economic and geopolitical trends into CFO’s decision-making processes
  • Keeping abreast of the current changes, emerging trends, and competitive landscape to optimise capital management and drive growth
  • Use cases in planning for global shifts and disruption to remain resilient

Kenlix Lee, CFO, LABUAN REINSURANCE LTD

16:20

Panel Discussion: Recalibrating the Way We Work in 2025

According to Gartner, organisations currently face historic hurdles: a competitive talent landscape, an exhausted workforce, pressure to control costs, and the rise of AI. These new developments are likely to be faced by finance functions too and finance leaders will now need to rethink how and where work gets done. As CFOs are dealing with the complexities of hybrid work and at the same time embracing emerging and automation technologies in the finance functions, how can they effectively manage these transitions while attracting and retaining top finance talent in 2025?

  • ⁠Future of work trends that will impact finance in 2025
  • Redesigning workplace processes, policies and environments for better engagement, increased productivity and business outcomes
  • Innovative retention strategies in a competitive job market
  • ⁠Finance talent investment to tackle future challenges

Moderator:
Allan Tan, Group Editor-in-Chief, CXOCIETY

Panelists:
Christina Ong, Country Head of Finance, HAVI LOGISTICS (M) SDN BHD
Izzad Shamsuddin, CFO, KPJ HEALTHCARE BHD
Kiranjeet Kaur, Senior FP&A Director, KULICKE & SOFFA

16:55

Fireside Chat: Shaping Modern Finance Strategy with Data Intelligence
  • Translating data intelligence in the world of finance function
  • Finance business partnering through intelligent insights
  • Meeting the challenges in executing and delivering data intelligence in finance function
  • Best practice in designing, executing and achieving performance of a data intelligence

Moderator:
Allan Tan, Group Editor-in-Chief, CXOCIETY

17:20

Chairman’s Closing Remarks

17:30

End of Conference

2025 SPEAKERS

Speaking Opportunities:

WHY SPONSOR

We will help you GENERATE quality business leads.
We will help you INCREASE your regional profile.
We will help you CREATE new business opportunities.

  • Get cost-effective marketing exposure and branding to your target audience, culminating in face-to-face meetings with your prospects.
  • Position and profile yourself as an industry leader.
  • Increase your brand recognition.
  • Create new partnerships and alliances.
  • Develop relationships through new virtual networking opportunities.
  • Showcase new products and services to a targeted audience of decision makers.
  • Get direct and exclusive access to Key decision-makers

Sponsorship Opportunities:

2024 SPONSORS & PARTNERS

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POST-EVENT HAPPENINGS

CXOCIETY (reads “society”) provides engagements with the C-level community in Asia through Digital Media, Custom Content, Events, and Research and Reports. The leadership team at CXOCIETY has over 50 years of experience in C-Level Engagements and truly understands the challenges faced by C-level executives in their day-to-day work.

Alteryx powers actionable insights with the AI Platform for Enterprise Analytics. With Alteryx, organizations can drive smarter, faster decisions with a secure platform deployable in on-prem, hybrid, and cloud environments.

More than 8,000 customers globally rely on Alteryx to automate analytics to improve revenue performance, manage costs, and mitigate risks across their organizations. To learn more, visit www.alteryx.com.

Comarch was founded in 1993 in Kraków, Poland. It’s one of the biggest IT company in Europe and carries out projects for the leading Polish and global brands in the most important sectors of the economy, including among other things telecommunications, finance, banking, and insurance, trade and services, infrastructure, public administration, industry, healthcare, and in the sector of small and medium-sized enterprises. Tens of thousands of well-known brands in over 100 countries on 6 continents have used Comarch services, among others: Allianz, Auchan, BNP Paribas Fortis, BP, Carrefour, Heathrow Airport, Heineken, ING and LG U+, Orange, Telefónica, T-Mobile, Vodafone.

Comarch ranks high in the league tables prepared by IT analysts, including Gartner, Truffle 100, TOP 200 “Computerworld”, IDC. the Polish Academy of Sciences, EU Industrial R&D Investment Scoreboard. Every year Comarch invests 15% of its revenues in innovative products. In 2022 the expenditures on R&D amounted to EUR 85 million. Presently, the Company employs over 7 000 experts in over 90 offices in more than 30 countries, from Australia and Japan to the Middle East, Europe, and both Americas.

Tungsten Automation, formerly Kofax, is the global leader in intelligent workflow automation solutions with a trusted legacy of 40 years, with a team of 2,200 employees in 32 countries, serving 25,000+ global customers.

Our commitment to innovation and customer success has earned us industry recognition, including being named a Leader in IA and IDP by Everest Group and Process Orchestration by Forrester. We are trusted to help businesses gain unprecedented efficiencies and reduce costs through workflow automations that will propel their businesses into the future.

Cygnet Infotech is dedicated to excellence and is re-evolving as CYGNET.ONE to help consolidate its specialized offerings in Compliance transformations, Digital & Quality Engineering, Enterprise Modernization, Data, AI & Analytics Hyper Automation, Test automation, Digital signature, and a myriad of other offerings across Americas, the UK & Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and the Asia Pacific.

Through Cygnet Cosmos, our digital transformation framework, CYGNET.ONE empowers organization to achieve business process digital transformation through co-ideation, co-creation, co-innovation, and co-evolution. With a global presence spanning across diverse markets and industries, Cygnet One serves as a one-stop destination for intelligent solutions, delivering value from ideation to execution, ultimately driving success for clients and partners worldwide.

The Oracle Cloud offers a complete suite of integrated applications for Sales, Service, Marketing, Human Resources, Finance, Supply Chain and Manufacturing, plus Highly-Automated and Secure Generation 2 Infrastructure featuring the Oracle Autonomous Database. For more information about Oracle (NYSE:ORCL), visit us at www.oracle.com 

Teibto is a cloud ERP service provider that has been offering world-class solutions to businesses in Thailand since 2004. As the first Thai solution provider to sell Oracle NetSuite, they have made a name for themselves as a leading NetSuite Partner in Thailand and Vietnam. Their dedication to customer satisfaction has been recognized with several awards, including the Top Value Partner Award (ASEAN) FY20 by Oracle NetSuite in 2020, and the Five Star Award from Oracle NetSuite for three consecutive years (2019-2021)

Teibto’s outstanding services are a testament to their mission of fostering growth for their clients through their solutions. What sets Teibto apart is their distinction as Thailand’s only Thai tax-certified NetSuite partner. This certification was received in 2010 and underscores the company’s commitment to providing top-quality services to their clients. With over 15 years of successful sales and implementation experience, Teibto remains a top choice for cloud ERP solutions in the region.

 

Workday is a leading provider of enterprise cloud applications for finance and human resources, helping customers adapt and thrive in a changing world. Workday applications for financial management, human resources, planning, spend management, and analytics have been adopted by thousands of organizations around the world and across industries – from medium-sized businesses to more than 50% of the Fortune 500. For more information about Workday, visit workday.com/en-sg.

As a global leader in enterprise applications and business AI, SAP stands at the nexus of business and technology. For over 50 years, organizations have trusted SAP to bring out their best by uniting business-critical operations spanning finance, procurement, HR, supply chain, and customer experience. For more information, visit www.sap.com

Thomson Reuters is a leading provider of business information services. Our products include highly specialised information-enabled software and tools for legal, tax, accounting, shared services and compliance professionals combined with the world’s most global news service – Reuters. For more information on Thomson Reuters, visit tr.com and for the latest world news, reuters.com.

 

Wolters Kluwer is a global leader in professional information, software solutions, and services for the healthcare; tax and accounting; governance, risk and compliance; and legal and regulatory sectors. We help our customers make critical decisions every day by providing expert solutions that combine deep domain knowledge with technology and services. Part of the Wolters Kluwer’s CP & ESG division, our award-winning CCH® Tagetik corporate performance management solutions are built to digitally transform the office of the CFO. Through leading-edge technology and meaningful customer relationships, our comprehensive solutions for the financial close, enterprise planning, regulatory compliance, reporting, predictive analytics and supply chain planning empower process efficiency and fast, data-driven decision making. In a word, we empower finance to go beyond traditional CPM.

The American Institute of CPAs® (AICPA) and its predecessors have served the public interest for 137 years. The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants® (CIMA) was founded in 1919 and has helped shaped the profession for over a century. In 2017, we came together as AICPA & CIMA to forge a powerful international alliance that promotes accounting and finance in every corner of the world.

Today, we serve 597,000 members, candidates and registrants in 188 countries and territories. By providing exclusive guidance and specialized resources — including prestigious designations, certifications and credentials — we empower you to create an even brighter tomorrow, both for yourself and for the profession.

ClearTax in Malaysia is fully compliant with LHDN and Peppol e-invoicing standards and is also a recognized service provider accredited by MDEC Malaysia. Commanding over 15% of the e-invoicing market share in Asia, our platform offers seamless integration with any ERP or POS system. Some of clientele in Malaysia include prominent names such as AirAsia, CP, Sunlife, Isuzu, Amore Pacific, Malaysia Airports, and the Samling Group, among others.

IT Group, Inc. (ITG) provides technology solutions that guide businesses in their digital transformation journey. For 19 years, ITG has been serving small to large enterprises across various industries throughout the ASEAN region. We support dynamic and complex environments by providing a holistic technology ecosystem that enables our customers to do more and drive real-time business outcomes without compromising security and governance.

Grab For Business brings the best of Grab’s services and technology to companies and businesses of all sizes across Southeast Asia. Thousands of companies across the region already easily customise, budget, manage and track spends across corporate rides, employee food programs and more using Grab’s platform. These solutions improve employee engagement and enable their workforce to save countless hours on tedious manual processes so that they can focus on what’s most important – driving businesses forward. Grab For Business also offers digital gifting solutions for loyalty and reward programmes.

Rimini Street, Inc. (Nasdaq: RMNI) is a global provider of enterprise software products and services, the leading third-party support provider for Oracle and SAP software products and a Salesforce partner. The Company offers premium, ultra-responsive and integrated application management and support services that enable enterprise software licensees to save significant costs, free up resources for innovation and achieve better business outcomes.

To date, nearly 4,700 Fortune 500, Fortune Global 100, midmarket, public sector and other organizations from a broad range of industries have relied on Rimini Street as their trusted application enterprise software products and services provider. To learn more, please visit http://www.riministreet.com, follow @riministreet on Twitter and find Rimini Street on Facebook and LinkedIn. (IR-RMNI)

CR Distribution Sdn Bhd, a wholly owned subsidiary of SL Innovation Capital Berhad, specializes in software distribution, particularly in the fields of AI, RPA, BPA, and Automation. We have successfully catered to diverse industries, providing them with the top-notch and best-in-class products. Our expertise lies in connecting businesses with cutting-edge technologies, enabling them to streamline their processes, increase efficiency, and stay ahead of the competition. We deliver the latest software solutions tailored to meet our client’s specific industry needs. We are exclusive value-added distributor of cyclone Robotics in Malaysia.

The company’s slogan is “Enabling Hyperautomation and Beyond”. Hyperautomation is the concept of automating everything in an organization that can be automated to streamline processes using AI, RPA and other technologies. As the dependency on technology and automation tools increases, so is the need to cope up with the ever-evolving tech landscape and stay abreast with the latest in the space.


PayMate, a leading digital B2B payments company, provides a full stack supply chain payments automation platform. We help large enterprises, middle market companies, and small businesses optimise working capital and make timely supplier payments through the utilisation of corporate credit cards. Our solutions stack covers Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Invoice Discounting, Supplier Funded, Embedded Finance, and End-to-End Commercial Card Program Management.

In FY23, we processed USD 11 billion in transactions and reached over 390,000 customers and users. With a strong presence in India, CEMEA, and APAC, PayMate is the trusted choice for optimising business payment processes. Visit https://paymate.my/company.html or follow us on LinkedIn for more information.