6TH ANNUAL

Future CFO Conference

PHILIPPINES

Forging Future Advantage

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CHANGE OF EVENT DATE

Due to ASEAN Summits 2026 now scheduled to take place in Makati from 8–13 March, the FutureCFO Conference Philippines has been rescheduled to one week later. The venue and program remain the same.

New date: 19 March 2026, Thursday
Same venue: New World Makati Hotel

EVENT OVERVIEW

The 6th Annual FutureCFO Conference Philippines is the country’s largest CFO summit, bringing together finance team leaders to discuss AI in finance, digital transformation, talent development and more.


 

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) projects Philippine economic growth coming in at 5.4% in 2026, slightly lower than its earlier projection, amid the prolonged global trade policy uncertainty, geopolitical tensions, and disruptive financial market corrections. Also, more frequent and intense climate blows in the country will affect notable macroeconomic losses. On the positive side, accelerated implementation of structural and governance reforms in the Philippines would support investor confidence and raise potential growth.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools are already reshaping the Philippines’ business landscape, including the finance sector. According to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the AI economy could contribute ₱500 billion to the Philippines’ GDP by 2030 if adoption accelerates. Also, the Philippines is actively enhancing cross-border payments by linking its national payment system to regional and global networks.

As the Philippines asserts its position as the nexus of commerce and innovation, finance leaders stand at the forefront of an unprecedented finance transformation, from back-office operations to strategic decision-making, powered by AI’s predictive power. Also, 2026 promises a finance leadership era defined by agility, innovation, and resilience—where human judgement and AI empowerment coalesce to transform decision enablement and sustain competitive advantage in the Philippines’s vibrant markets.

With the accelerated adoption of AI in fintech, real-time analytics, regulatory frameworks and impending e-invoicing implementation, how can finance leaders in the Philippines successfully merge the latest technology advancements with prudent financial strategy to unlock new growth streams and operational efficiencies?

The 6th Annual FutureCFO Conference Philippines 2026, themed “Forging Future Advantage” will serve as a vital platform for finance leaders in the Philippines to navigate risks, optimise costs, bridge digital skills gaps within finance teams and embed the latest regulation imperatives at the core of financial strategy. Critical topics to be covered this year include:

  • Growth and profit optimisation
  • The future of digital assets and cross-border payments
  • AI-driven finance transformation
  • Governance, risk and compliance management
  • Talent management and reskilling in a hybrid world

Through this conference, we will reveal strategies that will define the future of finance and leadership amid continuing economic uncertainties and complex regulatory landscapes.

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

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.

FUTURECFO CONFERENCE SERIES

2026 AGENDA

09:00

Chairman’s Welcome Remarks

Allan Tan, Group Editor-in-Chief, CXOCIETY

09:15

Panel Discussion: Scaling Enterprise Growth and Resilience in 2026

In an era defined by economic uncertainty, trade tensions, regulatory shifts, rising scrutiny and new tax regimes, and rapid technological disruption, finance leaders in the Philippines are expected to transcend their traditional roles. Today’s CFOs must simultaneously drive enterprise growth and architect organisational resilience — balancing opportunity with risk, innovation and compliance.

  •  CFOs as the strategic enterprise growth leaders
  •  Safeguarding business resilience amid shifting risks
  • Allocating capital for key finance and innovation initiatives
  • Navigating complexities across regulation, taxation, investment, and growth

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

Panelists:
Joweeh Liao, Business Leader – Health Business Unit, Finance, Non-Trade Procurement and Property Development, WATSONS PHILIPPINES
Joscel Delos Cielos, CFO, GOSOLAR PHILIPPINES & Board Member, IMA PHILIPPINES CHAPTER
Dominique Thollon, Director Finance and Planning (CFO), PMFTC INC. (PHILIP MORRIS PHILIPPINES)

09:50

Keynote: From Brakes to Engine: Forging Finance as the Ultimate Future Advantage

For decades, the finance function was viewed as the brakes — focused on control, compliance, and reporting on value created elsewhere. Today, it is shifting gears to become the engine that drives strategy, agility, and sustainable growth.

This session will examine how finance is transforming from a retrospective scorekeeper into a real-time strategic engine of advantage. It will also discuss how organisations can unlock finance as the ultimate future advantage by strengthening three critical pillars of transformation: technology, processes, and people.

Yvette Mendoza, Senior Solutions Advisor for oCFO Solutions, SAP ASIA PACIFIC, PHILIPPINES

10:15

Panel Discussion: Global Standards, Local Impact: Navigating Regulatory Compliance in Finance

For years, CFO’s multi-faceted role has always covered accounting, tax, and corporate governance compliance. However, with AI and cross-border payments joining the list of regulatory priorities, how should CFOs in the Philippines prepare their businesses for shifting and more complex regulatory environments in 2026?

  • Staying ahead of evolving fintech, AI, digital assets, and cross-border trade regulations across Asian markets
  • Compliance as an investment, not an expense
  • Striking a balance between innovation and oversight
  • The path to compliance success in 2026

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

Panelists:
Marvin V. Lascano, CPA, DBA, Finance Director for Concession Finance, MANILA WATER COMPANY INC.
John Elson Baguipo, Financial Controller, LIGHT RAIL MANILA CORPORATION
Whilczel Canlas, Vice President of Accounting, IBEX

10:50

Morning Coffee Break & Networking

11:20

Keynote: AI in Context – From Hype to a Digital Business Partner that Works

VJ Africa, Partner Director Asia, JEDOX

11:45

Panel Discussion: The Future of AI in Finance – Beyond Experimentation, Toward Transformation

The Global Finance Trends Survey shows that the use of AI has sky rocketed for finance leaders – the survey indicates that 66% of CFOs leverage AI for process automation, 58% for financial planning and 57% for risk management. CFOs in the Philippines should prioritise AI integration for efficiency gains, as AI has proven to be a strategic partner in assessing risks, forecasting and unveiling new opportunities. How can finance leaders start monetising AI in finance in 2026?

  • Identifying and prioritising the highest-value AI use cases in finance
  • Moving AI beyond rollout to deliver long term business value
  • Achieving full AI integration across finance operations
  • Managing a growing AI solution portfolio
  • Building essential AI skills in the finance teams

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

Panelists: 
Mikhail Salinas, Director, Controller, Site Lead, Global Business Services, ANALOG DEVICES
Leopoldo De Castro, Jr., VP/Director of Finance, FOODPANDA

12:20

Keynote: The AI-Powered CFO: Navigating Uncertainty with Real-Time Financial Management

The CFO role has shifted from historical reporting to forward-looking strategy—but traditional annual planning cycles can’t keep pace with today’s volatility. This session shows how leading CFOs use AI-powered continuous planning to respond to market shifts in real-time.

  • Leveraging agile scenario planning, predictive analytics and intelligent forecasting
  • Transforming planning from a quarterly burden into an always-on strategic advantage with AI
  • Live EPM demonstrations

Kranthi Kumar Pallamala, Vice President, Product JustPerform, INSIGHTSOFTWARE

12:45

Networking Lunch

13:50

Chairman’s Welcome Remarks

Elmer Sarmiento, Editorial Consultant, CXOCIETY

14:00

Keynote: How the Philippines’s Finance Leaders can Turn Volatility into Advantage with Finance AI

Gartner predicts at least 15% of day-to-day work decisions will be made autonomously through agentic AI by 2028 and one-third of enterprise software applications will have embedded agentic AI within the next three years. This session will examine how CFOs can successfully integrate AI agents as “digital employees”—an extension of the workforce – within their finance function to generate even greater value across finance areas.

  • Accelerating finance workflows with agentic AI
  • Human-in-the-loop (HITL) – AI agents’ interactions in finance
  • Framework for securing AI used in sensitive financial environments
  • Measuring the success of agentic AI use in finance

Eric Lee, ASEAN Enterprise Manager, ONESTREAM SOFTWARE

14:25

Panel Discussion: Managing Technology Overload and Integration Challenges in Finance

The technology advancements – from real-time analytics, ERP, RPA and AI insights – has undoubtedly presented finance with tangible benefits.However, the growing tech stack within finance often leads to fragmented digital tools – thus producing workflow inconsistencies, data silos, and decision paralysis and eventually, damaging workforce productivity. With evolving technologies and business needs, how should CFOs better manage their tech investments within the finance function?

  • Rationalising existing tech stack without sacrificing performance
  • The cost of tool overload and poor system integrations
  • Embracing an integration-first strategy
  • Empowering finance with do-it-yourself tech
  • Creating a cohesive finance digital ecosystem

Moderator:
Elmer Sarmiento, Editorial Consultant, CXOCIETY

Panelists:
Dean Noel Fabella, CFO, MAKATI LIFE MEDICAL CENTER
Olivia Samantha Agustin, Decision Support Head and Financial Accounting Hub Transition Lead, RELX- REED ELSEVIER PHILIPPINES

15:00

Fireside Chat: Responding to the Growing Threats in Data Security and Privacy

With AI integration in today’s digital finance environment, threat detection and data protection, especially those coming from AI tools, are now at the top of the CFO’s priority list for 2026. How should CFOs safeguard the organisation’s most sensitive data in a world of rapid AI adoption?

• The new and emerging cyber risk factors and privacy mandates for CFOs
• Integrating security and compliance everywhere
• Bridging the gaps among finance, the Board and IT on cyber resilience
• Developing robust frameworks for cybersecurity monitoring and security & privacy breaches

15:25

Afternoon Coffee Break

15:55

Panel Discussion: Finance Talent Transformation in the Age of AI

A Gartner study reveals CFOs expect that digital finance talent will account for 46% of the finance team by 2027, a significant jump from 17% today. Also, by 2027, organisations that emphasize AI literacy for executives will achieve 20% higher financial performance compared with those that do not. To make finance more agile, automated and AI-enabled, how should CFOs in the Philippines transform their finance talent composition and reskilling for a future-ready finance function?

  • The evolution of hybrid finance roles in the Philippines
  • The scope of today’s finance talent crisis
  • Infusing tech talent in finance: Spotting, attracting and retaining digital finance talent
  • Upskilling finance in AI and data analytics and leadership development
  • Closing the staffing and digital skills gaps

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

Panelists:
Russell Ibit, Finance Strategy Director, COCA-COLA EUROPACIFIC ABOITIZ PHILIPPINES
Joanne Guantero, Finance Director, TMX PHILIPPINES INC.

16:30

Closing Keynote: Global and National Economic Outlook 2026/2027 – What CFOs Need to Know

This session will examine the two forces shaping the Philippines’ economic trajectory over the next two years: the public trust shock from the corruption probe and the future of goods exports following last year’s front‑loading amid US tariffs uncertainty.

  • Key macro indicators to watch, and the practical adjustments finance leaders to consider in the years ahead
  • Assessing the impact of shifting macro dynamics on business growth, inflation, interest rates, and the peso
  • Strategies for CFOs in the Philippines to navigate uncertainty and maintain agility

Alvin Arogo, FVP, Head of Research Division & Chief Economist, PHILIPPINE NATIONAL BANK

16:55

Chairman’s Closing Remarks

Allan Tan, Group Editor-in-Chief, CXOCIETY

17:15

End of Conference

2026 SPEAKERS

Speaking Opportunities:

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