Summit 2009--surpassing expectations.

• Author: Hollein, Marie
• Position: President's page - Financial Executives International - Conference news

Considering relevance, I believe that clarity was achieved after having attended FEI's Summit conference in May. More than 500 attendees were counseled by Diane Swonk, chief economist and senior managing director for Mesirow Financial, that while the United States economy had been in a free fall, we could now clearly see that the parachute is open; we just don't know when--or where--we're going to land. For certain, however, we can expect that when all is calm, we'll find an economy that is fundamentally different from what we've become accustomed to.

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In his compelling presentation, FEI member and Chief Financial Officer of Toyota Financial Services Chris Ballinger admitted that the title of his address, "The End of the World as We Know It, and What Finance Can Do About It," was dramatic. But, he then noted he began his CFO post at Toyota last year--on a day when the Dow Jones Industrial Average was below 6,600 and big U.S. banks were having "shotgun" marriages. There have been some changes since that time, and he, like we, can see some recent signs of recovery.

And, in his keynote address, Chief Executive Officer of NYSE Euronext Duncan Neiderauer urged attendees to "look where we are going, not where we've been."

For sure, on one point all of our featured keynoters and I agree: the time has come to focus on the future; set our sites on the new financial horizon; and move into a mode of not just preservation and survival, but of optimism and achievement.

I believe the best is yet to come, especially for FEI. I addressed FEI's Leaders at Summit on the many ways that the organization can help members navigate new realities (the theme of Summit) during these challenging times. To view my "State of the Union" presentation, visit www.financialexecutives.org/fly/holleinaddress, and then take advantage of all that your FEI membership can offer.

For example: I encourage you to call our Membership Hotline at 973.765.1070--from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern (to better serve our West Coast members). Speak to an FEI staff member; ask us how we can assist you and what benefits we offer to meet your changing needs as a senior financial executive.

I enjoyed meeting so many of you, and am thankful for all of our attendees, speakers and sponsors who made Summit an enlightening and strong networking event. Now, it's onward to our next opportunity to meet again, at FEI's Current Financial Reporting Issues conference (known as CFRI), Nov...