Fall 2026
1:00 – 5:00 pm MT
A curated preconference experience built entirely from real CFO-submitted finance technology challenges.
Before the conference, CFOs submit their most pressing automation and systems issues. Those anonymized challenges shape a focused, executive-level agenda featuring a thought leader keynote, two rounds of structured tech challenge responses from five solution providers, and moderated Q&A designed to surface practical insight—not product pitches.
The workshop concludes with CFO peer roundtables led by industry thought leaders, where finance leaders engage in candid discussion around automation tools, implementation strategy, ROI, and change management.
The result: exposure to multiple solution approaches, independent strategic framing, and peer-to-peer clarity in a tightly structured format.
Tickets $95. Offered exclusively to Fall CFO Conference attendees. 2 CPEs offered.
5:00 – 6:30 pm MT
8:00 – 9:00 am MT
9:00 – 9:10 am MT
9:10 – 10:00 am MT
Speaker: Michael Sarraille | Best-Selling Author, Retired U.S. Navy SEAL & Chief Talent Officer of Overwatch Mission Critical
Mike Sarraille has led at the highest levels of both elite military operations and high-growth businesses—commanding special operations units authorized directly by the President and later building and exiting companies as a CEO. In this powerful keynote, Sarraille will translate lessons from SEAL Team Six, Delta Force, and special mission units into a practical framework for how leaders build teams that perform under pressure, adapt faster than competitors, and consistently deliver results.
Drawing on two decades of combat leadership and hands-on experience scaling and restructuring businesses, Sarraille challenges conventional thinking about hiring, performance management, and leadership development. For CFOs—who sit at the intersection of talent decisions, operational discipline, and financial outcomes—the message is clear: talent strategy is not an HR issue; it is a value-creation lever. And these principles have never been more critical amid tighter capital, flatter organizations, and the need to do more with fewer resources—without sacrificing performance
You’ll hear how elite teams:
10:00 – 10:50 am MT
10:50 – 11:20 am MT
11:20 am – 12:10 pm MT
12:10 – 1:45 pm MT
1:45 – 2:35 pm MT
2:35 – 3:00 pm MT
3:00 – 3:50 pm MT
3:50 – 4:00 pm MT
4:00 – 5:00 pm MT
Speaker: Macrina Kgil | CFO, Figure Technology Solutions
For many CFOs, leading a company through an IPO is the defining moment of their career—the ultimate test of financial leadership, operational readiness, and credibility under pressure. It is the point at which finance stops being an internal function and becomes a public promise.
In this keynote, Macrina Kgil, CFO of Figure Technology Solutions, offers an insider’s, real-world view of what it takes to guide a company from private growth to public accountability—particularly in a complex, highly regulated business operating at the intersection of financial services, technology, and capital markets. Drawing on senior finance leadership roles across technology, crypto, and high-growth environments, Macrina shares what changes immediately when the ticker goes live: investor expectations, the pace and intensity of reporting, the culture shift toward discipline, and the constant balancing act between speed and control.
A centerpiece of the discussion is the increasingly powerful leadership dynamic of CFO partnering with a CFO-turned-CEO. At Figure, Macrina works alongside CEO Michael Tannenbaum, whose own finance background shapes decision-making, accountability, and what great execution looks like in the first critical months as a public company.
This is a practical blueprint for CFOs who want to lead at the highest level—where performance is measured quarterly, in public, with no margin for error.
Key Takeaways
5:00 – 6:30 pm MT
7:45 – 9:00 am MT
8:00 – 8:50 am MT
9:00 – 9:05 am MT
9:05 – 9:55 am MT
Speaker: Deidra Merriwether | SVP & CFO, Grainger
As CFO of W.W. Grainger, Deidre Merriwether helps lead a 95-year-old company that has consistently reinvented itself—through pricing transformation, analytics, digital investment, and a relentless focus on the customer. In this fireside chat, Merriwether will share how her unconventional path—spanning engineering, sales leadership, pricing strategy, and finance—shaped her view of the CFO role as a strategic connector across the enterprise. She’ll discuss how finance leaders can move beyond reporting to influence growth, margin, and long-term decision-making, even in complex, asset-intensive businesses.
While Grainger operates at global scale, the lessons apply directly to CFOs across industries: how to embed customer insight into financial decisions, use analytics to sharpen pricing and investment choices, and balance discipline with adaptability in uncertain markets. Together, we’ll explore themes that will help attendees ensure finance is a driver of performance, including:
9:55 – 10:45 am MT
10:45 – 11:10 am MT
11:10 am – 12:00 pm MT
12:00 – 12:10 pm MT
12:10 – 1:00 pm MT
1:00 – 2:30 pm MT
2:30 pm MT
10 CPEs offered pending NASBA approval on final agenda.
The CFO Leadership Council is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be addressed to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors, 150 Fourth Avenue North, Suite 700, Nashville, TN, 37219-2417. Website: www.nasba.org
Instructional method: Group-Live
Recommended CPE Credits: Up to 12 Credits
Experience Level: Basic
Prerequisites/advance preparation: None
For CFOLC CPE credits, one credit hour equals 50 minutes according to NASBA guidelines. Some state boards may differ on how many minutes constitute a credit hour. Contact your state board for more information. Questions or comments? Contact Nancy at nancy@cfolc.com