Successful CFOs are involved in all aspects of the business while focusing at the same time on becoming better managers, strategists, problem solvers and leaders. How should CFOs balance business objectives and personal goals? What attributes do they need to inculcate to be able to manage dilemmas and make effective decisions?

R Gopalakrishnan is one of India's best known and most experienced business leaders with a career spanning almost 50 years in companies like Unilever and the Tata Group. Subsequently, he became a prolific writer, churning out books on management and history, and in his third innings as the CEO of Mindworks, he mentors leaders. Engage with Gopal as he shares experiences and lessons drawn from a long and illustrious career on how to be an effective manager and leader.

Significant developments have taken place in the last few months that have redefined many aspects of India’s geopolitical context. These include the assertive responses to recent terrorist strikes, the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution and, on the economic front, India’s withdrawal from the RCEP coupled with changes to its tariff structure aimed at bolstering domestic production. At the same time, amendments in domestic laws have drawn international attention and it would seem that in many ways India’s political and foreign policy landscape is undergoing one of its most intriguing phases in memorable history. How is this trend likely to pan out in the months ahead?

As a senior journalist from one of India’s most respected media houses, Suhasini Haider brings an astute perspective to the table. She will decode India’s political and geopolitical context, attempting to make sense of this web of contrasting phenomena.

(This will be hosted as a joint session with spouses)
Healthy living and a balanced lifestyle are about a lot more than complicated diets, rigorous exercise routines, ‘balancing work and life’, and so on. It begins with a firstprinciples-based understanding of how the human body functions – why it weakens and how it can be strengthened. Disillusioned with the conflicting and often ineffective advise thrown about by self-styled experts and even medical doctors, Rahul Bhasin has invested considerable time and energy researching this subject. He will share insights from his work that can help us all live better and longer..

Enjoy an evening visit to Gangaramaya Temple – an eclectic mix of Sri Lankan, Thai, Indian and Chinese architecture. The temple not only serves as a place of worship but is also a centre of learning.

(This session will be hosted over snacks and cocktails)
Pradeep Sangwan is an adventurist who trekked the Himalayas as a youngster and was appalled to see the mounds of litter left behind by careless travellers, and by the official apathy he encountered. He founded the ‘Healing Himalayas Foundation’ with a mission to restore India’s prized mountain range to its pristine glory. The idea took birth a decade ago and today, several campaigns later, his organisation has cleared almost 400,000 kg of waste from the Himalayas. Pradeep will share the challenges he faced and the successes he achieved in his difficult but fulfilling journey.

The Indian economy is in the midst of a firm recession which, by all accounts, will take a few quarters to play itself out. It is important to understand the factors that have led to this state of affairs and, consequently, the drivers that can bring the economy out of its slump. Is the next phase of growth round the corner or will the wait be longer? What indicators would constitute reliable signs of revival?

Adit Jain will provide an analysis of India’s economic trajectory and an opinion on how things are likely to shape up in the coming months. He will also offer a perspective on how CFOs can adapt to maintain growth and protect margins in this environment. Adit is IMA’s Editorial Director and has authored over a thousand pieces on business and policy issues over the years

The digital world is rewriting the rules of marketing, brand building and customer outreach, and it becomes critical for CFOs, as the ultimate custodians of corporate success, to understand the evolving paradigm. New learnings in the field of consumer behaviour tell us that the traditional AIDA funnel model (Attention-Interest-DesireAction) does not always describe customer journeys accurately. They often go from start to finish in an irregular and non linear fashion. They can be illogical and emotional. As behavioural economist Amos Tversky said, “Don’t worry about artificial intelligence. Focus on natural stupidity”.

Suman Srivastava, Founder and Innovation Artist at Marketing Unplugged, will provide a perspective on some of these principles and what they mean for brand building. Prior to founding Marketing Unplugged in 2011, Suman was the CEO of Euro RSCG India and the Chief Strategy Officer for Euro RSCG Asia Pacific. In 2016, he authored a book, Marketing Unplugged: Spotting the Elephants in the Room.

Today, we are in a midst of technology revolution where startups are building both constructive as well as disruptive ideas. This has spawned a new generation of entrepreneurs and business leaders who seem to share a few common attributes - high levels of energy, a large risk appetite, a healthy disregard for conventional wisdom and, above all, the spirit of innovation. US-based fintech firm C2FO, which specialises in working capital loans, is an example of a successful startup that recognised the limitations of financial institutions to create a transparent view of working capital finance for small and large companies. Valued at over USD 1 billion, C2FO has created a marketplace for a seamless match between debotrs and creditors to enable riskless provisioning of working capital. Today, in its 12th year, C2FO manages more than USD 1 billion in funding each week to business borrowers through its platform.

Kerri Thurston, the Chief Financial Officer of C2FO, leads the accounting, finance and human resource functions and is a member of the company’s Executive Committee. She will bring the teenaged company’s story to life explaining how it started, the early days of struggle, the challenges encountered and the success achieved. Culture, leadership and customer orientation played a vital role in shaping the company and its experience offers learnings to all companies, young and old.

IAS officer Armstrong Pame has made news for all the right reasons quite a few times. In 2012, he built a 100-km road connecting Manipur, Nagaland and Assam without any financial aid from the government. Since then he has kept busy with his many initiatives, a recent one starting when he decided to invite school students to his house every Friday for dinner. The ‘Miracle Man’ as he is fondly referred to, wanted to listen to their dreams and visions and have them express their desire about how they wished to see their district in the days to come. His marvellous initiatives earned him the honour of ‘India’s Most Eminent IAS Officer’. In 2018, he even made it to the list of the 100 most influential future leaders. Listen to the man himself as he talks about his experiences and achievements, and importantly his drive to achieve despite myriad challenges. The

Famed for its ‘Golden Mile’ of beaches, Mount Lavinia had until now escaped most of the damaging industrialisation of neighbouring cities and urban centres. Enjoy the walk at the beach; experience the sunset; and reminisce the colonial era architecture

The impending enactment of a data protection law in India promises to fundamentally change the operating regime for businesses in this market. Borrowing from the General Data Protection Guidelines (GDPR) of Europe, the regulation will bring in a series of strictures and rules for how companies may collect, analyse, distribute and use customer data, together with fairly strict penalties for violations. For businesses, this will have profound implications requiring changes to everything from digital and social media marketing strategies to cross-promotions and big data analytics. As the ultimate custodian for compliance, ethics and integrity, it falls upon the CFO to understand how to prepare the organisation for this emerging paradigm and set the rules of engagement well in advance.

Arun Prabhu will provide a detailed analysis of what the regulations imply for CFOs and how they may need to revisit assumptions and strategies. Arun is part of the Technology, Media and Telecommunications (TMT) group was previously a member of the Government of India’s working group on the legal enablement of information and communication technology systems.