For the first time ever in its 52-year history, the Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines (Finex) will hold its Finex Week activities online. The 2020 Annual Conference of Finex, the country’s premier finance organization, is scheduled on October 5 to 9 featuring a series of webinars via Zoom videoconferencing.
The previous decade brought opportunities to Philippine businesses resulting from advances in technology, continued shifts in demographics and sustained economic progress. With the onset of the 4th industrial revolution during that period, Filipino companies were expected to experience its full benefits in the 2020s–but they have to manage a new set of challenges from serving a more demanding and informed market, stricter regulations and the current pandemic.
Against this backdrop, this year’s Finex Conference theme is “The Future of Finance in a Post-Pandemic World” as humanity grapples with uncertainty amid the Covid-19 crisis. Resource speakers from three continents will give the 5-day event an international flavor. They will discuss thought-provoking topics and apprise participants on the state of the world and how the 21st century finance function is evolving.
Some of the confirmed speakers are: global IT strategist and music publisher Elzar Simon, author of two books on artificial intelligence; Matthew Gamser, CEO of the SME Finance Forum managed by International Finance Corp.; Stephen T. CuUnjieng, senior managing director of Evercore Group; Lorelie Q. Osial, global vice president for finance process expenditures of Royal Dutch Shell Plc; Marjorie Lao, former global CFO of Lego Group; Ahmed Saeed, vice president for East Asia, South Asia and Pacific Department of Asian Development Bank; and, Chris Box, senior investment officer of Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.
An equally high-powered array of panelists will engage the speakers in the plenary sessions on such topics as the evolution of strategy, the current state of micro, small and medium enterprises, harnessing new development models, and achieving cross-border connectivity, as well as operationalizing the finance function and realizing a world-class finance organization in the digital economy.
Among these panelists are: Jose Jerome R. Pascual III, Finex president and CFO and Treasurer of Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp.; Manolito T. Tayag, country managing director of Accenture Philippines; Jikyeong Kang, President and Dean of the Asian Institute of Management; Kheng Leong Lee, Asia Pacific Representative of HPS Lendscape; Jenna Diallo, deputy director for economic development of the United States Agency for International Development; and Raoul The, CEO and managing director of JP Morgan Chase’s Global Service Center.
Acting Socioeconomic Planning Secretary and Neda Director General Karl Kendrick Chua has been invited to deliver the keynote address during the opening ceremonies on October 5 outlining his forecast on the prospects of the Philippine economy. The Junior Finex Committee is planning to host a forum for finance students on October 8 regarding the future perspectives of industry practitioners and thought leaders from the academe.
Capping the weeklong event will be the virtual Finex Night on October 9 right after the closing ceremonies of the conference. Featured musical artists from the “L.O.V.E. Project” will headline an evening of live, on-request virtual entertainment for the organization’s members and guests.
Non-Finex members may attend the conference by making reservations with the Finex Secretariat through Executive Director Michael Vinluan at mbvinluan@finex.org.ph or +63 2 8114052.
Joseph Gamboa is the co-chairman of the Finex Week 2020 Annual Conference, chairman of the Finex Business Columns Subcommittee, and director of Noble Asia Industrial Corp. The views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the opinion of these institutions and the BusinessMirror.