Speakers

Kevin Gingras is the Senior Vice President of Finance for Retail at MillerKnoll, where he leads finance for the company’s global retail business. Since joining MillerKnoll in 2010, Kevin has held leadership roles spanning accounting, international finance, business transformation, and strategic finance. He spent four years in England as Vice President of International Finance, helping drive profitable growth and financial performance across global markets. Following his return to the U.S., Kevin led business transformation initiatives within the North America Contract business before joining the Global Retail leadership team in 2020. Today, he focuses on helping MillerKnoll balance growth, profitability, and strategic investment while improving productivity, optimizing resource allocation, and driving long-term value creation across its retail portfolio. Prior to MillerKnoll, Kevin spent ten years with Deloitte in both Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Oslo, Norway.

Michelle Stewart is Corporate Officer and Chief Accounting Officer at Eastman Chemical
Company (NYSE: EMN), a $9.1B+ global leader in the chemical industry. In her role, she
provides strategic financial expertise and governance across global accounting, SEC
reporting, M&A, financial consolidations, enterprise risk management, and finance
technology enablement. Michelle has led M&A finance activities including two global
divestitures valued at $2B and served as auditor for acquisitions totaling $7.5B. She
transformed the Controllers organization, reducing the monthly close to 3 days through
automation and moving approximately 60% of activities to low-cost locations. She serves
on Eastman’s Disclosure Team, ensuring regulatory compliance and transparent
stakeholder communication, and has improved the reporting process — filing the 10Q the
day of the press release (~20 days) and the 10K the day of Board approval (~45 days). A CPA
with a Master of Accounting from Virginia Tech and an Advanced Management Program
graduate of Wharton, she also serves on the board of Barter Theatre and previously served
as Audit Chair for Greater Kingsport United Way. Outside of work, Michelle is an avid
runner and recently achieved her family’s goal of visiting all 50 states together.

Guillaume Rachline is Vice President, Finance at Walmart Canada and brings more than 20 years of international finance leadership experience, primarily in retail and consumer businesses across North America and Europe.

Throughout his career, he has partnered with executive teams to shape corporate strategy, accelerate growth, lead business transformations, evaluate M&A and strategic partnership opportunities, and advance AI-enabled capabilities that strengthen decision-making, productivity, and enterprise performance.

Rebecca is a senior financial executive with over 25 years of experience helping multinational organizations in different industries.

Rebecca is Baker Hughes’ SVP Controller & Chief Accounting Officer responsible for the global controllership function, from Baker Hughes’ global close process, consolidation and regulatory reporting to country-level statutory reporting obligations.

Rebecca started her career with PricewaterhouseCoopers in Australia and then London, providing audit and assurance services to companies in the mining, extractive and utilities sectors. She has held a variety of finance roles in the Mining and Metals sector, including roles in both London and Brazil for Anglo American, SVP CFO position with China Molybdenum (covering international operations in Australia, Brazil and the Democratic Republic of Congo) and roles with Newmont Corporation as South American regional CFO and Head of the Financial Planning and Analysis function.

Rebecca holds a Bachelor of Commerce from The University of Western Australia and is a chartered accountant, registered in Australia.

She is married with a 15-year-old stepdaughter and resides in Houston, Texas.

Aaron Ashdown is Vice President of Technical Accounting at CBRE, the world’s largest commercial real estate services and investment firm. He brings nearly two decades of accounting experience spanning public practice and industry, with a career built on solving complex financial reporting challenges across a wide range of businesses and sectors. Before joining CBRE, Aaron spent 13 years in KPMG’s audit practice where he worked with clients ranging from small private companies to large public entities across a diverse mix of industries, developing expertise in U.S. GAAP, financial statement reporting, and technical accounting research. In his four-plus years at CBRE, Aaron has led the company’s technical accounting function, advising on complex transactions and working closely with various functions across the organization to find practical solutions to complex transactions while maintaining appropriate financial statement integrity.

Nicholas is a seasoned accounting and finance professional with over 15 years of experience spanning public accounting, consulting, and corporate finance.

Nick is INTX’s Chief Financial Officer, responsible for the company’s financial strategy, reporting, and enterprise risk management as the organization grows its InsurOS tech platform.

Nick started his career with Deloitte in Kansas City and then Grand Cayman, auditing clients over a span of industries. He then spent nearly 10 years with RSM in Risk Advisory Services across the Greater Chicago and Austin markets, with a focus on process improvement and SOX reporting.

Nick holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree from the University of Kansas and is a Certified Public Accountant.

He resides in Austin, Texas.

Jay is the Chief Financial Officer of the global non-profit, Water.org where he helps ensure all financial aspects and decisions of the business are accurate, responsible, and fiscally sound. Prior to joining Water.org, Jay led the financial activities of organizations like Earthjustice and Human Rights Watch. He started his nonprofit career with the Washington Office on Latin America and served as an Economic Development volunteer with the Peace Corps in Honduras.

Matt Davies is a Senior Partner at Isaac Operations, where he leads the firm’s Consumer sector practice across food and CPG manufacturing. Over the past decade, he’s worked alongside executive teams at manufacturers, private equity portfolios, and industrial companies to optimize capacity, evaluate capital investments, and improve performance across multi-site networks. His engagements have delivered $55–65M in post-merger synergies, 20–40% capacity gains, 6 percentage points of EBITDA improvement, and 10–30% reductions in direct cost. Known for his collaborative, hands-on leadership style, he works with leadership and frontline teams to build alignment, accelerate adoption, and drive lasting operational change. Outside of work, Matt is usually fly fishing or hanging out with his daughter, ideally both at the same time.

Emily Allen, CPA, was recently promoted to Director of Finance & Accounting at CloudZero, Inc., a Boston-based cloud cost intelligence company. She started her career at Deloitte and has since worked across accounting, FP&A, and investor relations at companies including CarGurus and Roku. At CloudZero, she has been instrumental in standing up the finance function, implementing an AI-powered ERP, and partnering with finance teams on cloud cost strategy.

Gary Mark is Vice President of Finance & Accounting at Happiest Baby, Inc., where he leads finance and accounting for the venture-backed consumer technology company behind the SNOO Smart Sleeper. Gary specializes in building scalable finance and accounting functions in high-growth environments, with a focus on process optimization and automation.

Recently, his work has centered on deploying artificial intelligence tools to streamline accounting and financial reporting processes at Happiest Baby, Inc. At the NAM Finance Executive Summit, Gary will lead a roundtable on “Leveraging AI in a Startup ‘Zero Budget’ Environment,” sharing practical strategies for finance leaders seeking to implement AI-driven efficiencies with minimal resources.

Andrew Garner is the Vice President of Finance at Trilogy MedWaste, a high-growth platform in the regulated healthcare and hazardous waste sector. He leads the Finance organization and IT function, overseeing financial strategy, forecasting, and performance management to drive disciplined execution and scalable organic growth.

He brings deep expertise in strategic finance, FP&A, and operational finance, with a strong track record of translating financial insights into actions that drive performance and margin expansion. Andrew’s experience spans healthcare, waste management, and enterprise operations, with prior leadership roles at Frontier Waste, Firetrace International and Waste Connections.

As a key member of the executive team, he is focused on modernizing finance through improved data visibility, advanced analytics, and AI, building finance functions that operate as true strategic partners to the business.

Andrew holds a degree in Finance from the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University.

Nathan is a multi-industry financial professional who has over 35+ years of working for both private companies and private equity owned organizations. Nathan has also had the opportunity to work directly in private equity as a Director of Portfolio Operations for a NY based private equity firm. Throughout his career he has worked in the middle market private equity space in retail, B2B retail, manufacturing, oil & gas, for-profit education, industrial distribution, parking, and tolling revenue management and multi locational medical practice management. Nathan’s career has taken him all over the country and began his career in West Virginia. He has lived and worked in West Virginia, Nevada, Wisconsin, Texas, New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, Michigan and Florida. Nathan has focused his career on growing executive and departmental teams while supporting the CEO to raise organizations to the next level. Over his career he has been a key part of multiple restructurings and successful exits.

Nathan enjoys spending time with his wonderful wife, LaLa and their French Bulldog Patrick. He is also the father of 3 amazing children Ash, Caitlin, and Gabe.

Maurisse is the Chief Financial Officer of the United Federation of Teachers (UFT), one of the largest labor unions in the United States, where he leads all financial operations, grants management, and technology governance. Maurisse brings a cross-sector career across investment banking, corporate finance, and mission-driven organizations, and is a graduate of Columbia Business School.

Fabian is an experienced software evangelist, solution engineer, and sales leader with a passion for high-quality software and outstanding customer service. His mission is to revolutionize how companies tackle purchase-to-pay (P2P) and order-to-cash (O2C) natively embedded in SAP through Doxis’s leading Intelligent Content Automation (ICA) solution. Fabian has deep technical knowledge (e.g. SAP ecosystem, eInvoicing, databases, APIs, mobile development environments and user experience) and extensive market experience with the SAP client base.

Neal Chopra grew up around finance technology. Before founding Pointer, he worked at a company training document processing models for finance and accounting workflows (pre-gen AI!), then shifted to research focused on computer use and language model behavior.

Pointer came out of a simple conviction: AI is already capable enough to do most finance work, but nobody has built a system that proves the work was done right, which is the only thing that matters in a domain where almost right is the same as wrong. Today he works directly with enterprise finance teams deploying AI into production.

Mark Flournoy is the Chief Accounting Officer at Realpage. Previously, he spent 17 years at Intuit as SVP of Finance and Chief Accounting Officer, where he led the RPA program that saved over 300,000 hours of manual work and oversaw the $8B Credit Karma acquisition integration, and directed all global accounting and financial compliance for Google Cloud. Mark brings a process-first approach to finance and accounting, building systems where operational rigor and auditability come before the technology.

Marybeth Gray has spent more than 25 years helping employers nationwide reduce healthcare costs while improving quality. As Senior Vice President of Health and Welfare Benefits at Marsh McLennan Agency, she leads comprehensive account management and advises large, self-insured clients, with particular depth in pharmacy strategy, healthcare utilization data, and cost trend analysis. A frequent national speaker, she helps organizations anticipate emerging cost drivers such as pharmacogenomics, new specialty medications, and gene therapies. Previously, she held leadership roles at AON Consulting and Aetna, managing complex accounts with 10,000+ employees across multiple locations. She has received multiple leadership honors and has been featured in leading business and HR publications.

Tom has more than 15 years of experience leading Fortune 500 organizations through finance transformation initiatives. He works with finance teams to make sure they have the right skills, tools, and mindset to succeed in a fast-changing environment and more importantly, sustain these efforts long-term. Whether it’s implementing new technologies or upskilling existing teams, Tom brings a unique, forward-looking approach to prepare organizations for the future of finance.

Since joining SC&H in 2008, Nick has led the firm’s Data Analytics practice, helping organizations shape and execute modern data strategies that turn data into a true business asset. He has also been central to expanding SC&H’s AI capabilities, guiding clients in using tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Copilot effectively built on strong data foundations and sound governance.

Nick brings deep expertise in enterprise data warehousing (Oracle, SQL Server, Informatica), cloud platforms (AWS, Azure), and EPM solutions (Oracle EPM Cloud, Hyperion, Essbase). Known for delivering results that drive real organizational impact, Nick’s success stems from his ability to build lasting client and colleague relationships.

Rick Jones is the Leader of the Aon Pooled Employer Plan (PEP). He advises employers on retirement plan strategy, governance and fiduciary oversight, helping organizations balance cost, risk and complexity while supporting better retirement outcomes for employees. Rick serves on the Executive Committee of the American Benefits Council and is a frequent speaker on retirement policy, plan governance and the evolving retirement landscape.

Subu, the visionary Founder & CEO of Discover Dollar, is a seasoned professional with expertise in data science, retail audit & Agentic AI for finance.

• Developed breakthrough AI-driven technology using NLP and Generative AI to capture revenue leakage and overpayments for Finance and Procurement leaders.
• Recovered over $2 billion for Fortune 500 companies.
• Solution awarded Top 5 Most Innovative Solution by SAP in Florida.
• Featured as the youngest CEO in “The CEO” Magazine in 2017.
• Honored with the NASSCOM Emerge 50 Award.
• Mentored by former Google CFO Patrick Pichette and Infosys Founder Shibulal.

Brendan Peck is a Strategic Leader for the Aon Benefit Experience (BenX).  He advises employers on healthcare design and administrative strategies, targeting improved risk and cost outcomes for employees and employers.  Prior to joining Aon, Brendan has held roles in FP&A, actuarial consulting, and global benefits leader.  He has received MBAs from Columbia University and London Business School, as well as attainment of the Fellow of the Society of Actuaries (FSA) designation.

Amanda Ackel is a Learning and Development Consultant, Certified Professional Coach, and leadership development expert with more than 20 years of experience designing and delivering impactful learning experiences. As a Senior Learning Consultant at Insights, she partners with global clients to build leadership capability, drive organizational performance, and create engaging development programs. Amanda is passionate about helping individuals and teams transform insight into action and lasting growth.

Eric Wade is a Managing Director in CohnReznick’s CFO Advisory Practice who specializes in technical accounting and financial reporting under US GAAP, SEC Regulations, and International Financial Reporting Standards. ​Eric has over 25 years of public and private experience in the manufacturing, technology, and retail industries. Eric supports the office of the CFO of his clients by advising on the accounting for complex transactions, including providing solutions to address new accounting and reporting requirements, as well as in the context of business and organizational changes such as mergers and acquisitions and IPO’s. Other initiatives include assisting clients in formalizing financial reporting policies, procedures and processes for integration in mergers and consolidations. He is experienced in SEC and international filings, risk assessments, and drafting financial statements and related disclosures. ​Eric also leads the inventory cost team within the firm’s CFO Accounting practice.​

Prior to joining the firm, Eric served as a Senior Vice President within a top US regional bank. In this role, Eric led assessment initiatives for ERP system implementation, new accounting reporting requirements, Sarbanes-Oxley, and regulatory reporting filings. ​​

Eric previously spent 14 years in the audit practice of a Big Four accounting firm primarily serving clients in the manufacturing and distribution industry. During this tenure, Eric spent 5 years in the firm’s National Office, with roles in the United States and the National Office Desk in Singapore, specializing in audit readiness, lease transactions, debt restructuring, consolidating and standalone financial statements, and business combinations. Key clients included Belk, Maersk, Pfizer, and Metromedia International Group.​

As a partner in CohnReznick Advisory’s Valuation Advisory Services practice, Tara has more than 20 years of experience providing valuations of entire businesses, business interests, equity securities, and intangible assets for financial reporting, tax, and advisory purposes. Tara is recognized as a technical leader in business valuation, with extensive specialized experience in fair value measurements (ASC 820/IFRS 13), regularly advising clients and audit teams on highly judgmental and complex valuation matters. She has led hundreds of valuations for financial reporting purposes, including complex purchase price allocations (ASC 805/IFRS 3), goodwill and indefinite‑lived intangible asset impairment analyses (ASC 350/IAS 36), long‑lived asset impairment (ASC 360/IAS 36), and equity‑based compensation valuations (ASC 718 and IRC 409A), as well as valuations for corporate tax planning, individual tax compliance and reporting including estate and gift tax and charitable contributions, buy/sell agreements and shareholder buyouts, and strategic planning.​

Tara has led valuation engagements for businesses across industries including manufacturing and distribution, hospitality, retail and consumer products, technology, life sciences, healthcare, government contracting and cannabis. These engagements frequently involve significant real estate, specialized asset components, and complex technical accounting requiring close coordination and an integrated team approach across valuation disciplines and accounting advisory. ​

Tara began her career at a Big Four accounting firm within its Valuation and Financial Advisory Services practice, where she supported large public company transactions.​

Tara has earned the professional designation of Accredited Senior Appraiser (ASA) in business valuation from the American Society of Appraisers.

Alexis Fanelli is Vice President of Finance and Accounting at Thomas Scientific, where she leads the finance department’s strategic roadmap spanning ERP implementation, close process standardization, and company wide forecasting. She currently serves as the finance business owner for the Kinetic ERP implementation, working with IT to process map financial functions and leading her team through system testing, while also rebuilding the accounting leadership team, establishing new reconciliation standards, and elevating FP&A into a joint function with Accounting through a monthly executive operating review.

Before joining Thomas Scientific, Alexis held finance leadership roles at Rite Aid Corporation, Apple Leisure Group, and Avantor, where she built forecasting models, led sales compensation and pricing functions, and supported system conversions and an IPO. She began her career in audit at KPMG and Kreischer Miller.

Alexis holds an Executive MBA from Saint Joseph’s University and a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Arcadia University, along with Six Sigma training from Villanova University.