A heightened focus around corporate transparency and governance, in combination with a challenging business climate, has highlighted the criticality of the CFO’s ability to drive shareholder value in the boardroom. Our panel of Directors brings extensive experience in corporate leadership, corporate governance and executive guidance.

Session discovery topics:
• Beyond compliance — focusing board interaction on critical business issues
• Communicating investor interests to the board to promote alignment
• Engaging the board for strategic business guidance

On the issue of tax, the message is clear — all parties agree that it is time for change. Enabling CFOs to think more comprehensibly about the future tax outlook, Bill Blaylock will discuss emerging tax topics impacting large corporations and strategies for minimizing tax exposures.

Session discovery topics:
• Evolving regulatory and legislative shifts — IRS and federal income tax changes
• The impacts of operational structure on tax exposure
• Managing tax treaty issues and dispute resolutions

Despite the wealth of data and content available today, most decision makers are starved for the right information and meaningful insights. Analytics-driven organizations are outperforming their competitors by connecting people with trusted information, enabling them to make timely decisions and act with confidence to deliver better business outcomes. IBM presents findings and recommendations from its recent study, developed in partnership between the IBM Institute for Business Value and MIT Sloan Management Review.

Session discovery topics:
• The power of analytics to create value and impact business performance
• Recommendations on how to operationalize analytics while accelerating value creation
• Case studies illustrating the transformation of insights into action

With pressures to deploy cash for maximum return and increased regulatory scrutiny on public companies, a unique environment exists for firms contemplating equity moves. With extensive experience leading the IPOs of major tech companies and structuring mergers and acquisitions, Frank Quattrone brings a unique perspective on the development and future of IPOs and the M&A market.

Session discovery topics:
• The evolving IPO market — past, present and the decision to go public
• The changing face of the environment for mergers and acquisitions
• The value proposition — convincing investors of the strategy and value behind an acquisition target

The 2010 Dodd-Frank Act, the forthcoming Basel III bank requirements, and the 2011 Treasury White Paper on mortgage reform have set the stage for the reform of U.S. banking, financial, and mortgage markets. While the reforms have been long needed, this does not make the outcomes easier to project or to accomplish. The difficulty is further expanded because banking, financial markets, and mortgage markets necessarily interact in complex ways. Professor Jaffee has been deeply involved in the reforms through his research, teaching, and policy advising. He will provide us his views as to the likely outcomes for the banking, finance, and mortgage markets.

Special discovery points include:
• Will the banking reforms enhance or reduce the role of banks as the core of U.S. lending?
• Will the banking reforms succeed in controlling systemic risk in future crises?
• Will corporations find the financial markets or the banks the more ready source of credit?
• Will derivative trading remain primarily an OTC market, or will it move to exchanges?
• Can the U.S. mortgage market operate without Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac?

Many companies are sitting on cash, eager to do deals but uncertain about austerity measures, regulatory and currency issues. With these forces in play, corporate agendas are focusing on capital management issues, such as optimizing, raising, investing and preserving capital. With record-breaking levels of cash on hand and confidence slowly returning, companies and executives are realizing that a new capital agenda is emerging.

Session discovery topics:
• The new normal — cash reserves, allocations for growth, investor expectations
• When to employ — buy-back, dividend or acquisition strategies
• How business maturity impacts upon capital allocation strategy

Striving to recover from the economic downturn experienced over the past two years — American business is looking at the global economy and its impact on the new normal. A thought-leading educator and contributor to our national policy, Laura D’Andrea Tyson brings sophistication and insight to understanding the global economy of tomorrow.

Session discovery topics:
• Economic recovery — what the two-track path means for industry
• Emergence — understanding the direction, players and opportunities of the new global economy
• The effects of U.S. monetary and fiscal policy on American business