How Could CFOs Enable Optimal Efficiency Along the Value Chain? Interviews with Dr Derek Ambrose, Wayne Stokes and Sean Unwin, speakers at the marcus evans CFO Summit 2014

1. CFO Summit 2014
16 - 18 March 2014
executive perspectives
speakers from the CFO Summit 2014 discuss…
How Could CFOs Enable Optimal Efficiency
Along the Value Chain?
Dr Derek Ambrose, CFO, Australian Reinsurance Pool Corporation
CFOs can optimise efficiency through their leadership style and behaviour, paying particular
attention to the way they practice leadership accessibility and accountability. These simple
actions will transform them into respected leaders delivering increased innovation, quality,
responsiveness and productivity for the organisation, whilst at the same time improve employee
participation, skills, knowledge and attributes, ensuring contribution to the greater good of the
organisation and the individual.
CFOs need to understand they are now Chief Facilitating Officers, and their task base has a
number of new dimensions. The CFO’s challenge is to supercharge the workforce to achieve
competitive advantage, remove constraints, make the workplace a destination of fun and
creativity, remove fear, and lead to create a different and unique workplace environment.
Wayne Stokes, CFO, Carnival Australia
Cruising is a complicated and intensive business, where customer experience is paramount. Our
back-end value chain is customer-focused, whether this is the pre-cruise experience, on-board
holiday experience or post-cruise interaction.
As CFO, and like every CFO, data is “king” - knowing how to extract and utilise the data for the
benefit of our various business partners along each part of the passenger cruise experience. For
example, how the analysis of call types received in our call centre help with sales conversion
rates. Analytics of our shore tour operator spend helps yield management and associated
margins achieved - and tailoring for the customer. Passenger destination preference combined
with fuel consumption and speed helps focus on itinerary planning. Post-cruise passenger
insights help drive repeat customers and loyalty to the brand. All of the analysis only works when
you truly set your own team up with a “partnering” attitude with the business - and that has to
start with me. A lot of my time is dedicated to “coaching” my team and building respect and
credibility with the individual business partners. With trust comes results.
Sean Unwin, CFO Australia, Colliers International
The key is not to just sit in the back seat but get involved in the business decision-making and
be a true business partner. CFOs have access to a lot of data. They can be brilliant at pulling that
data together into information, in an executive format that allows busy executives to make sense
of it and to have an opinion on business decisions.
Many CFOs can get too involved in running the finance function, so the key is to have the right
people in place to make that happen and instead work more on the business and do not
underestimate how much you can contribute to actionable outcome orientated strategies.
Transaction processing is not where CFOs should spend their time. They should be well
positioned to see how business functions interact and be active in decision-making.

2. About the CFO Summit 2014
The
F i nan ce
N etw o rk
–
Summits group
This unique forum will take place at the Surfers Paradise Marriott Resort & Spa,
delivers peer-to-peer information
Australia, 16 - 18 March 2014. Offering much more than any conference, exhibition
on strategic matters, professional
or trade show, this exclusive meeting will bring together esteemed industry thought
trends
leaders and solution providers to a highly focused and interactive networking event.
marcus
evans
and
breakthrough
The Summit includes presentations on streamlining operations, enabling optimal
innovations.
efficiency along the value chain, tackling global uncertainty and bolstering financial
performance.
www.cfo-anz.com
Please note that the Summit is a
closed
number
business
of
event
participants
and
the
strictly
limited.
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About marcus evans Summits
marcus evans Summits are high level business forums for the world’s leading decision-makers to meet, learn and discuss
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Upcoming Events
CFO Summit (North America) - www.cfosummits.com
Chief Procurement Officer Summit (North America) - www.cpo-summit.com
To view the web version of this interview, please click here: www.cfo-anz.com/DerekAmbrose-WayneStokes-SeanUnwin