2025 Speakers

Cameron is the Chief Financial Officer, Europe, Middle East & Africa for Marriott International.  He is based in London. He served as CFO, Europe from 2016 and expanded his role to include Middle East & Africa in 2019. He provides leadership for all operations finance, business analysis, administrative finance, feasibility, asset management, and continent reporting for the region’s 900 hotels.

Cameron joined Marriott in 2005, based out of the corporate headquarters in Washington, D.C.  He served in roles of increasing responsibility in the Corporate & Development Finance function, and ultimately Global Asset Management, before relocating to London in 2012. In London, Cameron created the Asset Management and Business Analysis team, where he held the position of Vice President, Asset Management & Analysis until 2016. In this role Cameron oversaw a variety of finance and transactional functions across the life cycle of Marriott’s European hotel portfolio. Specifically, his team completed the business valuations to support all new hotel projects, oversaw the process in opening all new hotels, and structured a wide range of business transactions that may be required after hotels join Marriott’s portfolio.

Prior to joining Marriott, Cameron worked for American Airlines in Fort Worth, Texas.  He holds a BA degree in Economics from Duke University and an MBA from the University of Michigan. Cameron and his wife Nadia, along with their three children, thoroughly enjoy London life. Cameron likes to run, play golf, and takes any opportunity to see live music.

Caroline Litchfield is executive vice president and chief financial officer for Merck, responsible for the company’s finance, procurement, and real estate operations.

Prior to this role, Caroline served as the company’s treasurer, a position that included responsibility for treasury, tax, and investor relations.  From 2014 to 2018, Caroline led finance for Human Health the company’s largest business, overseeing financial operations and reporting in approximately 100 markets.  As a lead member of the Human Health Operating Committee, she partnered with the business to reshape the commercial organization by driving efficiencies to reinvest and enable the standup of the Oncology Business Unit and the expansion of the business in China. While in this role, Caroline led the transformation of the country finance teams, installed technology and analytics capabilities throughout the organization and centralized activities into shared services.

Before leading all of Human Health Finance, Caroline established the finance function for the Emerging Markets region following the merger of Merck and Schering-Plough, playing a key role in the development and execution of the growth strategy for the business.

Caroline previously held the position of Finance lead for the European region, where she led merger-related integration planning for Merck’s second largest regional business.

Since joining Merck in the U.K. subsidiary, Caroline has held a wide range of roles at country, region and global levels covering every aspect of finance, including procurement, IT implementation and facilities management.  Caroline has been based in the UK, Germany, Switzerland, and the US. Through her global career she has gained a close understanding of Merck’s business, customers, and people.  An advocate of talent, she led the global finance talent committee, and sponsors Merck’s General Management Acceleration Program. Caroline has also been an integral contributor to a number of enterprise-wide Merck transformational initiatives.

Caroline holds a BSc in Mathematics from Leicester University, and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants.

Chad Heaton is VP of Finance for Meta Platforms, a role he’s held since 2014. In this role, he leads the Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) sector at Meta. He joined the company in 2010 as Manager of Platform Analytics. Prior to Meta, Heaton was a VP at Morgan Stanley Technology Investment Banking. Before that, he served as a Technology Investment Banking Associate at Deutsche Bank. Earlier in his career, Heaton worked in consulting at Avanade, PwC, and Andersen Consulting. He earned a degree in Economics at the University of California, Berkeley and an MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

At Senneca Holdings, strategy and financial acumen converge in my role as Vice President of Finance, where I specialize in crafting commercial management and cash flow optimization solutions. My leadership journey, marked by a steadfast commitment to financial strategy and operational excellence, has been fueled by a passion for forecasting accuracy and a drive for process improvement.

Steering our financial team, we prioritize integrity and innovation, harnessing the power of meticulous forecasting to inform business decisions. Our collaborative efforts have shaped a culture of continuous improvement, positioning Senneca Holdings at the vanguard of financial management excellence, where I continue to champion a balanced approach to leadership that inspires peak performance and accountability.

Chris Suh is the Chief Financial Officer at Visa. In his role, he oversees Visa’s financial strategies, planning and reporting, in addition to all finance operations and investor relations.

Mr. Suh joined Visa in July 2023 from Electronic Arts, where he served as Chief Financial Officer.

From 1996 to 2022, Mr. Suh held senior finance roles at Microsoft, including serving as Chief Financial Officer of the Cloud + AI division from 2018 to 2022, and Head of Investor Relations from 2013 to 2018. Prior to Microsoft, Mr. Suh worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers from 1992 to 1996.

Mr. Suh holds a BA in Accounting and Finance from the University of Washington and an MBA from the University of Washington Michael G. Foster School of Business.

Clara Sun is a strategic business partner that brings financial expertise to the table along with broad global and portfolio perspective. She is known for pinpointing levers and identifying opportunities to drive business growth and deliver results. Clara prides herself on being a genuine people manager that cares and develops team.

David E. Altig is executive vice president and chief economic adviser at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. He serves on the executive leadership team for the Bank’s economic mobility and resilience strategic priority, is an executive cosponsor of the Working Families Employee Resource Network, and is an adviser to the executive leadership committee.

Altig is a fellow and immediate past president of the National Association for Business Economics. In addition, he is a member of the advisory council of the Global Interdependence Center and its College of Central Bankers and a member of the National Business Economics Issues Council. He serves on the board of the Konstanz Seminar on Monetary Theory and Policy. He has past and pending published research in several prominent professional journals, including the American Economic Review, the Journal of Econometrics, the Journal of Monetary Economics, and the National Tax Journal.

Before joining the Atlanta Fed in August 2007, Altig served as vice president and associate director of research at the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, where he started as a staff economist in 1991. Before joining the Cleveland Fed, Altig was a faculty member in the department of business economics and public policy at Indiana University. He previously served as an adjunct faculty member in the Scheller School of Business at the Georgia Institute of Technology. From 1994 to 2019, Altig was an adjunct faculty member in the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago. He has lectured at several other universities, including the Ohio State University, Case Western Reserve University, Duke University, the University of Iowa, the University of Wisconsin, and the Chinese Executive MBA program sponsored by the University of Minnesota and Lingnan College of Sun Yat-Sen University.

I am the leader of the Enabling Functions Finance & Finance Innovation teams at CSL, a global biotech company. With over 20 years of experience across the US, Australia and Europe, and a passion for continuous improvement and innovation, my track record includes driving strategic projects. delivering financial excellence and value-added solutions. I combine deep financial knowledge with a strategic mindset to provide actionable insights, drive informed decision-making, and offer strategic advice to executive leadership. I also have proven ability to build and lead global teams, foster collaboration, and am dedicated to mentoring and developing team members.

Dumi Martinez is the CFO of Mars Global Services (MGS), the global business services division of Mars, Incorporated. As CFO, Dumi oversees all strategic financial initiatives across Mars, including integration services, global portfolio management, and business development. His leadership is instrumental in actualizing the MGS OGSM and the success of the MGS finance team and its business partners. Dumi started his career at Mars in 2020 as the CFO of KIND and subsequently assumed the role of Global CFO, Health and Wellness, overseeing finance and strategy of this new division within Mars Snacking, which, under his leadership, reached $1.1 billion in sales across North America, Europe, Australia, the Middle East, and Asia in 2022. During his tenure, Dumi played a pivotal role in the integration of acquisitions such as KIND North America, Nature’s Bakery, and TrüFrü. Before joining Mars, he served as the CFO for Essity’s Professional Hygiene and Americas business units. Dumi earned his degrees in international management from Arizona State University’s Thunderbird School of Global Management and Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, Mexico. Dumi is passionate about spending time with his family, coaching and mentorship, and travel. To date, he’s traveled to 67 countries (and counting)!

Erik Gerding joined the SEC in October 2021 and leads Legal and Regulatory Policy in the Division of Corporation Finance. He has taught as Professor of Law and a Wolf-Nichol Fellow at the University of Colorado Law School, where he has focused in the areas of securities law, corporate law, and financial regulation. Mr. Gerding previously taught at the University of New Mexico School of Law. He also practiced in the New York and Washington, D.C., offices of Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP, representing clients in the financial services and technology industries in an array of financial transactions and regulatory matters. He received an undergraduate degree from Duke University and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.

Guru brings wide-ranging global finance and leadership experience across different businesses and countries.  He has a strong track record of enabling business turnaround and expansion and driving functional transformation. Guru has worked with Bayer in a range of roles over the past 20 years. He recently served as Chief Financial Officer of AskBio from March 2021 to July 2023. He was previously the Global Finance Lead for the Oncology franchise from January 2020 until February 2021; CFO of the North American business at Bayer Consumer Health from 2016 to 2019; and CFO of the Bayer Medical Care Division from 2013 to 2016. Prior to that, he held various finance roles in Germany (Berlin, Wuppertal); Italy; Japan; and Berkeley, California. Before Bayer, his career was focused on finance, audit, and accounting roles at various companies, including Siemens, Citibank, and PWC.

Guru holds an Executive Master of Business Administration degree from INSEAD, France, and a bachelor’s degree in commerce with emphasis in accounting and tax from St. Xavier’s College, India. He is an Associate Chartered Accountant (ACA) and Graduate Cost and Works Accountant (Grad CWA), both internationally recognized professional accounting degrees.

James Suh joined the Panthers as Chief Financial Officer in January of 2023.

Suh oversees all aspects of Sunrise, Sports & Entertainment’s financial, accounting and legal affairs.

Prior to joing the Panthers, Suh spent 11 years with Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE). In his role as MLSE’s Vice President of Finance, Suh oversaw and managed all aspects of financial planning & analysis, accounting, and cash flows. He also held roles in accounting, FP&A and audit at The Canadian Tire Corporation, Unilever and PricewaterhouseCoopers, respectively.

A native of Toronto, Ontario, Suh is a graduate of the University of Toronto with a bachelor’s degree in commerce.

Suh currently resides in Parkland, Florida with his wife Jen and three children Noelle, Nahum and Nolan.

Jonathan Ness is the VP, Strategy and Finance, for Global Supply Chain. Within SC, he leads the Strategy and Digital Transformation initiatives along with leading the Global Finance team across corporate, field and shared service locations. A key component of his role is to lead the modernization of our Supply Chain Finance processes, including improving financial predictability and advancing the use of technology and shared services.

Throughout his career, Jon has held a wide variety of Finance leadership roles including leading Global Finance Capabilities, Finance Transformation, Global Integrated Business Planning, the Corporate Finance, North America Snacks CFO and a variety of Supply Chain and North America Foodservice commercial finance roles. Prior to General Mills, he was an Officer in the United States Air Force, where he specialized in contract management and marketing. Jon graduated from South Dakota State University with a Degree in Economics and the University of Oklahoma with a Masters of Public Administration.

Jon and his wife of 25 years, Sarah, live in Delano, MN with their three children and are moving towards being empty nesters with two daughters in college and a son finishing High School and beginning his college search. Outside of work Jon is avid in the outdoors and enjoys woodworking or working on anything mechanical.

Lavanya Chandrashekar was appointed Chief Financial Officer and a Director of Diageo plc in July 2021.

Previous Diageo roles

• Chief Financial Officer, Diageo North America and Global Head of Investor Relations

Previous relevant experience

• Vice President Finance, Global Cost Leadership and Supply Chain – Mondelez International
• Various senior finance roles – Mondelez International (across North America, Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa)
• Various senior finance roles – Procter & Gamble (across India, Asia Pacific, Europe and North America)

Leslie Lunak is senior executive vice president and chief financial officer of BankUnited, Inc., the holding company of BankUnited N.A., a national bank headquartered in Miami Lakes, Florida. BankUnited has $35.1 billion in assets as of March 31, 2024, providing a full range of banking services through banking centers in Florida, the New York Metropolitan area and Dallas, Texas, as well as a comprehensive suite of wholesale products to commercial customers through an Atlanta office focused on the Southeast region. The Bank also offers certain commercial lending and deposit products through national platforms.

In her role as BankUnited’s Chief Financial Officer, Ms. Lunak is responsible for oversight of all accounting, financial reporting and financial planning and analysis functions; investor relations; capital, balance sheet, asset/liability, interest rate and liquidity risk management; capital markets activity; procurement and strategic sourcing; taxes; board and board committee presentations and communications, the Company’s emerging ESG strategy and enterprise data analytics.

Ms. Lunak joined BankUnited in 2010 and previously served as the Company’s executive vice president and chief accounting officer and as Senior Vice President, Finance.

Prior to joining BankUnited, she was an Audit Director at the public accounting firm McGladrey & Pullen, LLP with a focus on the financial services industry. Earlier in her career Lunak was an independent consultant, providing finance and accounting related services to clients consisting primarily of community banks and thrifts and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. She started her career at Deloitte and Touche, LLP.

Lunak serves on the board of the Urban League of Broward County, is a Florida CPA and received a B.S. in Accounting from Oklahoma State University.

As a seasoned Executive with over 30 years of cross-functional expertise in the global business arena, Marcus’s career is a testament to enduring leadership and strategic growth. Having captained teams for the past 25 years, Marcus has nurtured a legacy of innovation and expansion within management roles at 11 diverse companies, dedicating the last 17 years to leading significant transformations in just two organizations: Cargill and Dell Technologies.

Marcus’s versatile experience spans Banking, Advertising, Telecommunications, Food, and Technology sectors, showcasing the versatility and adaptability essential in General Management. Marcus’s portfolio is rich with leadership roles in Sales, Marketing, Strategy, Finance, and Operations, reflecting a holistic approach to business management.

An advocate for lifelong learning, Marcus boasts an MBA from FGV and has refined his executive skill set through Harvard Business School’s General Management Program. The next step in his academic and professional progression is a PhD set to commence in 2024, underscoring his commitment to continuous improvement and leadership excellence.

Fluent in Portuguese, English, Spanish, and French, Marcus’s career has spanned continents, cultures, and industries, solidifying his role as a global thought leader in high-stakes business environments. Marcus brings a rich blend of practical wisdom and strategic insight, ideal for a Managing Director or a top executive position, driving success in dynamic markets.

Pablo Di Si was appointed President and CEO, Volkswagen Group of America, and CEO, Volkswagen North American Region, effective Sept. 1, 2022. He is responsible for the Group‘s growth strategy in the U.S., with a portfolio of more than 25 EV models planned by 2030. He assumes leadership for the 20,000+ employees across the region who are helping seize the historic market opportunities across the U.S., Mexico, and Canada.

Previously, Pablo was Executive Chairman of Volkswagen South America Region with more than EUR 7 billion in sales and 20,000 employees. He led the Latin American market’s return to profitability for the first time in years, promoting the most significant launch of new products in its history tailored to the region’s needs. He led a restructuring focused on cultural transformation, creating new business models, accelerating digitalization, and improving client satisfaction. Volkswagen became the leader in the A0 SUV segment in Brazil, and the brand remains the largest producer and exporter of light vehicles in the country.

Pablo began his career at Volkswagen Group in 2014 as President and CEO of Volkswagen Argentina. He took over the position of President and CEO of Volkswagen Brazil and Latin America in 2017. Recently, he was appointed Executive Chairman of Volkswagen South American Region.

Previously, he held key positions in finance and business development both in U.S. and Brazil with the Fiat Chrysler Group, Kimberly-Clark, and Monsanto. A graduate of Harvard Business School (AMP 2011), he holds an M.B.A in International Management at the Thunderbird School of Management (2002) and a Degree in Accounting at Northwestern University (1996). Pablo also earned a B.A. in Business Administration with a major in Finance at the Loyola University of Chicago (1994).

Phillipe Fau is an experienced Division Chief Financial Officer with a demonstrated history of working in the cosmetics industry. He has a strong finance professional skillset in Business Planning, Change Management, Management, Business Strategy, and Finance.

Senior Executive with over 20 years of experience, including 15 at General Electric across various businesses, with expertise in strategic partnerships and initiatives, operational finance, financial planning and analysis, mergers & acquisitions, business development and controllership. Varied industry experiences across financial services, Industrial manufacturing & C-suite roles.

Rui Barbas is currently Chief Financial Officer for Zone North America ($30 billion turnover, 11 Business Units, 35,000 employees) at Nestlé. He is responsible for driving consumer-centric business and strategic transformation as well as the execution of ZNA strategic value creation plan as a key catalyst of profitable growth acceleration. Rui also spearheads ZNA financial and strategy plans including growth acceleration, portfolio transformation (inclusive of M&A), investment in new capabilities, deployment of new organizational and operational model, and end-to-end operating margin and ROI optimization plans.

Previously, Rui served as the Corporate Vice-President / Zone Deputy for North America at Nestlé, overseeing the business in North America as well as the category development of the key businesses in the region. Rui also led the strategic transformation program for Sales & Marketing—including e-Business, Strategic Revenue Management and Consumer Personalization at-Scale—and managed the overall development of the business portfolio & regional strategy to accelerate profitable growth in North America.

Rui joined Nestlé USA in 2011 as Director of Corporate Innovation focused on the development of new growth ventures and product pipelines to expand Nestlé’s portfolio into new high-growth, profitable consumer spaces. From 2012 to 2015, Rui was Vice President of Business Optimization responsible for the execution of key strategic priorities within the operational master plan, including business development, commercial acceleration, organizational transformation and cost optimization. In 2015, Rui was named General Manager for the Strategic Growth Business Unit and responsible for the commercial strategy, operations and retail sales of the strategic growth channels, which include eCommerce, Value, Club and Natural retail channels. In 2017, Rui became the Chief Strategy Officer and then in 2020 the Interim CFO and Chief Strategy Officer for Nestlé USA in charge of corporate strategy and enterprise transformation in the areas of growth acceleration, portfolio transformation, new business ventures, new capabilities, agile organizational structures and profit/ROI optimization.

Rui joined Nestlé in Global Headquarters in 2007 where he had a Global Operations Strategy role advising General Management, Regions and Strategic Business Units in the areas of Capital Investment, Business Development and Competitive Strategy. In this global role, Rui worked across different businesses and geographies (including Asia, Europe, Africa, Latin America and North America).

Rui started his career at Oliver Wyman (management consulting) where he led multiple assignments for the Board of multinational companies in Telecom, Media, Core Industries and CPG. Areas of focus included Corporate Strategy, Business Development, Marketing & Sales, Organizational Alignment and Operations Improvement.

Rui holds an MBA from INSEAD in France and a Master of Science degree in Management & Industrial Engineering from IST in Portugal. He is trilingual speaking English, Spanish and Portuguese and has lived and worked in 9 different countries across Europe, Asia, Latin America and North America.

Vanessa is a dynamic, results-driven Finance Executive with a broad scope of experience across multiple industries. With a unique combination of business acumen and technical skills, Vanessa translates financial data into business recommendations and action plans.

Overseeing corporate reporting, accounting, taxation, financial planning and analysis, IT finance, internal audit, and financial system administration, Vanessa drives continuous improvements related to Annual Budget and Long-Term Model processes.

Vanessa’s initiatives include implementing steps to improve transparency within the budget process to provide a more meaningful business plan and tool. This enables the CEO to hold functional leaders more accountable for their scope of responsibility within the organization.

As a compassionate leader, Vanessa works collaboratively with cross-functional teams to align strategy with organizational goals, and build cohesive finance teams that demonstrate resilience, innovation, and adaptability.

Victoria Kuklina is a seasoned Chief Financial Officer, often referred to as the ‘FinTech CFO,’ at Pinnacle Home Care, a leading provider of skilled home health nursing services with a robust presence across 17 locations in Florida with 10,000 patient census. In her role as FinTech CFO, Victoria is instrumental in guiding Pinnacle towards informed and strategic decision-making, with a strong focus on leveraging Information Technology and Anlytics to support the company’s ambitious consistent 35% YOY growth and innovative tech objectives.

Victoria’s expertise and contributions have been acknowledged with her recognition as a CFO of the Year honoree by Tampa Bay Business Journal in 2021.

Before her tenure at Pinnacle, Victoria dedicated a decade to CFO consulting, where she spearheaded and nurtured teams through strategic and tactical processes, and successfully steered numerous organizations through critical financial transformations.

Victoria’s qualifications include a Canadian CPA, CGA designation and an Honors Bachelor of Commerce degree from Laurentian University. Her extensive skill set encompasses:

✔ CFO Leadership
✔ Specialization in FinTech
✔ Strategic Visionary
✔ Driving Organizational Growth
✔ Mergers and Acquisitions
✔ Restructuring Expertise
✔ Sustainable Process Enhancement
✔ Proficient Team Development
✔ Proven Track Record of Delivering Results
✔ Expertise in Financial Reporting
✔ Financial Planning and Analysis (FP&A)
✔ Proficiency in US GAAP and IFRS
✔ Public Company Accounting Acumen
✔ Systems Implementations and Integrations
✔ Automation Advocate
✔ Sustainable Financial Modeling
✔ Commitment to Continuous Personal Development

With Victoria at the helm, Pinnacle Home Care is poised for sustained success and innovation in the home care industry.

Wetteny Joseph is executive vice president and Chief Financial Officer of Zoetis, the world’s leading animal health company and a member of the Fortune 500. In this role, he is responsible for overseeing the financial management, planning, operations and indirect procurement functions. Mr. Joseph also has oversight responsibility for the company’s Human Health Diagnostics business. During his career, he has worked across diverse and complex businesses; led finance functions, business units and business development; and managed relationships with stakeholders from customers and suppliers to investors.

Mr. Joseph joined Zoetis in June 2021, after having spent 13 years in executive positions at Catalent, a global leader in pharmaceuticals, biologics and consumer health products. Before joining Zoetis, he was senior vice president and chief financial officer of Catalent for three years, overseeing accelerated financial growth and value creation at the company through transformational acquisitions and organic capital deployment. He first joined Catalent in 2008 as corporate controller and held several senior finance positions until October 2015, when he was named president of the Clinical Supply Services business, responsible for $400 million in annual sales from the global business unit.

Before joining Catalent, Mr. Joseph held a variety of senior financial positions at the industrial distribution company HD Supply, including as chief financial officer of its $1.2 billion plumbing and HVAC business unit. He also served as corporate controller for Hughes Supply, a Fortune 500, NYSE-listed company that was acquired by Home Depot and became part of HD Supply. In his early career, Mr. Joseph spent six years at PricewaterhouseCoopers as an auditor and strategic financial advisor across a variety of industries.