Event

The Finance Think Tank

A half-day, in-person event for finance leaders dedicated to moving beyond reactive reporting and building an intelligent, predictive, and strategic finance function for tomorrow.

Melbourne
Tuesday 21 October 2025
W Hotel

Sydney
Thursday 23 October 2025
Sheraton Grand Hotel

Register Now

Finance is no longer just about the numbers; it's about strategy.

But while the demand for insight grows, manual processes are holding your team back. Agentic AI is no longer a future concept - it's the new benchmark for efficiency, and the gap between reactive and predictive finance is widening daily.

The question isn't if your function will change, but if you will lead it.

Introducing the Finance Think Tank: an exclusive, half-day event designed to provide a practical roadmap. We’ll move past the hype to help you build an agile, intelligent finance function that drives real business advantage. Join your peers and gain the tools to lead the change.

Why attend?

Invest one morning to sharpen your strategic edge for the year ahead. You will leave with:

A clear vision of the future

Go beyond the buzzwords. Our thought leaders will demystify Agentic AI and its real-world impact on finance, giving you a clear view of the data-driven trends shaping the Australian landscape in 2025.

A blueprint for success

Discover a proven blueprint for success. Step through a real-world case study of financial transformation. You'll hear about the challenges faced, the solutions implemented, and the tangible results achieved on the path to a smarter finance function.

Practical, actionable skills

Choose a hands-on masterclass tailored to your role. Whether you're in FP&A or core Finance Operations, you’ll leave with actionable strategies and new techniques to drive immediate value for your team.

Who should attend?

This event is specifically curated for finance professionals responsible for driving strategy, efficiency, and growth, including:

Chief Financial Officers (CFOs)
Chief Information Officers (CIOs)
Heads of Finance & Finance Directors
Financial Controllers
Heads of Financial Planning & Analysis
Finance and FP&A Managers & Analysts
Finance Operations Leaders

Hear from thought leaders.

Matt Lovell

Senior Regional Sales Director

Simon Adams

Chief Financial & Strategy Officer, ANZ

Chris Banks

Chief Financial Officer & Company Secretary

Esther Monks

Industry Advisor

Luke Bebbington

Strategic Industry Advisor

Jerry Ting

Vice President, Head of Agentic AI & Evisort

Andrew Kershaw

Group General Manager, Office of the CFO

Marty Engel

Partner Workday Adaptive Planning

Sarah Young

Group Director ESG

Paul Dobson

Partner Climate and Sustainability

Gerd Pranoto

Director Workday Adaptive Planning

Benjamin Patricks

APAC Workday Financials and Adaptive Insights Lead

Colm Giblin

Head of Finance Transformation

Lisa Dunne

National Workday Lead Partner

Perry Han

Planning Specialist

Steve Pratley

Finance transformation Lead Partner

Agenda at a glance.

Your roadmap for the morning:

9:00am

Kick-Off & The Strategic Vision
- Matt Lovell
  
  Senior Regional Sales Director

9:10am

A CFO’s Guide to AI Readiness and Value
- Esther Monks
  
  Industry Advisor
- Andrew Kershaw
  
  Group General Manager, Office of the CFO
The modern CFO’s role has evolved from financial discipline to driving technological and cultural change. Yet, with 77% of Australian CFOs struggling to get value from AI, a new approach is needed. Drawing on our new research with ADAPT, Winning with Agentic AI: A CFO’s guide to AI readiness and value this session provides a framework for finance and IT leaders to lead the change and empower their teams with new technology.

Key Takeaways:
- Embrace the CFO’s role as a leader of cultural and workforce empowerment.
- A practical framework for bridging the gap between AI hype and business value.
- Strategies for fostering an AI-curious culture in a compliance-first environment.

9:30am

The Rise of Agentic AI in the Finance Function
- Jerry Ting
  
  Vice President, Head of Agentic AI & Evisort
Based out of the US, Jerry will join us in person to share his unique perspective on bringing an AI-first, startup mentality to a global enterprise.

This is a unique opportunity to learn directly from a leader at the forefront of AI innovation, as he reveals Workday’s strategic blueprint for agentic AI in Finance and its profound impact on the future of work.

You will leave with invaluable, real-world insights on how AI can move beyond the hype to become a powerful engine to transform for your finance function.

Discover how it can augment your workforce, streamline operations, and drive new growth.

9:50am

Customer Spotlight: Nando's ANZ and Fitness & Lifestyle Group
- Simon Adams
  
  Chief Financial & Strategy Officer at Nando's ANZ (Sydney & Melbourne)
- Chris Banks
  
  Chief Financial Officer & Company Secretary at Fitness & Lifestyle Group (Melbourne)
Hear directly from leaders shaping the future of finance.

In both Sydney and Melbourne, join Simon Adams, Chief Financial & Strategy Officer at Nando's ANZ, as he shares the strategic blueprint behind their scalable, global finance operation.

Our Melbourne event will also feature Chris Banks, Chief Financial Officer and Company Secretary at Fitness & Lifestyle Group, who will explore the evolving role of the CFO and the compelling business case for transformation.

10:20am

Networking & Coffee Break

Networking & Coffee Break Connect with peers and speakers.

10:50am

Deep Dive Masterclasses Choose the stream that best fits your goals:
- Perry Han
  
  Planning Specialist, Workday
- Esther Monks
  
  Industry Advisor, Workday
- Luke Bebbington
  
  Strategic Industry Advisor
Deep Dive Masterclass: Strategic FP&A

Unlocking the Power of Faster, More Informed Decisions to Propel your Business Forward.

At this interactive workshop we will explore how to:
- Model various "what if" scenarios for proactive planning and faster, more insightful decision-making.
- Harness the power of next-gen AI to surface anomalies, create predictive forecasts, and generate more accurate projections.
- Drive efficiencies and savings by aligning HR and Finance for a more connected approach to workforce and headcount planning.
Deep Dive Masterclass: AI in Finance

Towards Zero Day Close: How AI Is Reshaping the Modern Finance Team

At this interactive workshop we will explore how to:
- Accelerate the financial close and enhance accuracy by using AI to automate data reconciliations and accounting.
- Bolster internal controls and manage risk with AI that provides continuous auditing and automatically flags anomalies for fraud and compliance.
- Provide strategic business insights by leveraging AI-powered analytics to move beyond basic reporting and deliver predictive, data-driven recommendations to your stakeholders.

Melbourne
Sydney

11:30am

Aurecon: Delivering Value Through End-to-End Workday Transformation
- Chris Gebbie
  
  Program Manager, Aurecon
- Willem Boshoff
  
  Director, Tridant
Aurecon implemented a fully integrated Workday ecosystem – including Financials, HCM, and Adaptive Planning – as part of a company-wide finance transformation. The initiative replaced manual, Excel-based processes with a unified platform, reducing budget cycle times from months to five weeks, standardising planning across regions, and enabling real-time financial insights. The solution has positioned Aurecon for scalable growth and greater operational efficiency across its 31 global offices.
Beyond the Ledger: AI as the Architect of Financial Transformation
- Lisa Dunne
  
  National Workday Lead Partner, KPMG
- Anthony Pepe
  
  General Manager, Operational Finance, John Holland
- Steve Pratley
  
  Finance transformation Lead Partner, KPMG
Join KPMG as we explore John Holland's finance transformation journey and how AI is reshaping the finance function for the future. This session dives into the transformation journey that redefined financial operations at one of Australia’s most iconic infrastructure firms. Discover how Workday Financials, powered by KPMG’s AI-enabled methodologies, delivered automation, mobility, and real-time insights, is ushering in a new era of intelligent finance.

11:30am

Beyond Compliance: Real ESG Impact with Workday
- Marty Engel
  
  Partner Workday Adaptive Planning, Deloitte
- Sarah Young
  
  Group Director - ESG, Finance, Ooh! Media
- Paul Dobson
  
  Partner Climate and Sustainability, Deloitte
- Gerd Pranoto
  
  Director Workday Adaptive Planning, Deloitte
As ESG expectations accelerate, finance leaders are being asked to do more than simply demonstrate compliance - they must provide credible, transparent insights that build trust and drive real impact.

In this session, we are excited to welcome Sarah Young, Group Director - ESG Finance, Ooh! Media, Paul Dobson, Deloitte Partner in Sustainability and Climate, and our Adaptive Team as they reveal how Workday Adaptive Planning is being used to go beyond traditional planning and reporting, enabling finance teams to seamlessly integrate financial and ESG data, streamline disclosures, and respond with agility to shifting regulatory demands. You’ll gain a first-hand view of how Ohh! Media is using Workday Adaptive Planning to turn ESG compliance into a competitive advantage - delivering transparency, unlocking strategic insights, and setting a new benchmark for finance leadership.
An Evolution of Workday Financials - From Cloud Pioneer to AI Innovator
- Colm Giblin
  
  Head of Finance Transformation, Insignia Financial
- Benjamin Patricks
  
  APAC Workday Financials and Adaptive Insights Lead, Accenture
- Luke Bebbington
  
  Strategic Industry Advisor, Workday
As Workday turns 20, we look back at the journey of Workday Financials and the powerful philosophy underpinning the product. Workday was the first to unreservedly connect Finance and HR, and to bring Finance fully to the cloud to allow native AI adoption, something competitors are still grappling with. You will hear stories from three Workday Finance Professionals with over 30 years’ experience in Workday Finance, including from Insignia Financials, on how the product has matured and why the most exciting chapter is yet to come.