Finance Leadership Summit 2025

About the summit

Finance leaders play a pivotal role in navigating the shift from traditional Finance 1.0 to the dynamic, technology-driven Finance 5.0 era. As financial ecosystems become decentralized, data-driven, and automated, finance leaders play a crucial role in embracing digital transformation, risk management, and strategic decision-making to drive growth and resilience.

In recognition of their significant contributions to the finance functions, Dun & Bradstreet had organized the third edition of its flagship conference ‘Finance Leadership Summit 2025’ with the theme ‘Redefining the CFO Role – Transitioning to Finance 5.0’ on August 22, 2025 at Hotel Taj Santacruz, Mumbai.

The summit featured

About Finance Elite

Finance Elite are the individuals who have demonstrated exceptional leadership, expertise, and accomplishments in the field of finance. These individuals are often recognized for their strategic vision and innovative approaches in financial planning and stewardship.

About Finance Elite

Finance Elite are the individuals who have demonstrated exceptional leadership, expertise, and accomplishments in the field of finance. These individuals are often recognized for their strategic vision and innovative approaches in financial planning and stewardship.

About the Theme: ‘Redefining the CFO Role – Transitioning to Finance 5.0’

The CFO role is evolving beyond finance management to driving business strategy, digital transformation, and long-term value creation.

The Strategic CFO: Leading the shift from traditional financial stewardship to becoming key drivers of business strategy and growth.
The Transformational CFO: Focuses on driving finance digitalization, leveraging AI, machine learning, and automation to transform financial processes.
The Future CFO: Embraces innovation, sustainability, and decentralized finance to shape the next era of financial leadership.

Who attended?

Dun & Bradstreet Finance Leadership Summit is designed for a diverse range of professionals and industry stakeholders:

About the Report – ‘Rethinking The Future of Finance Leadership’

Dun & Bradstreet launched the report ‘Rethinking The Future of Finance Leadership’ at the summit which features India’s top finance leaders by recognizing their achievements in the field of finance. The report features the ‘Finance Elite 2025’ with their success mantras and key accomplishments.

The report broadly covers:

The Shifting Role of CFOs with Evolution of Finance
Profiles of Finance Elite 2025
Experts’ views andcase studies of leading corporates

Award Winner List

Agenda

Time

Details

03:00 – 04:00 pm Registration

04.00 – 04.15 pm Welcome Address by Mr. Vipul Oberoi, Director - Learning & Economic Insights Group, Dun & Bradstreet India

04:15 – 05:00 pm Panel Discussion: The Changing Role of CFO: From Financial Gatekeeper to Strategist

The value of traditional CFO skills & responsibilities in the modern era
Aligning the finance function with the broader business vision
Proactive risk management and scenario planning – Protecting the business in uncertain times
Optimizing capital allocation and making informed investment strategies

Moderator: Mr. Mukesh Kumar Jain, Senior Director- Sales, Dun & Bradstreet India

Ms. Pinky Mehta, Chief Financial Officer, Aditya Birla Capital
Mr. Alok Jagnani, Group Chief Financial Officer, API Holdings
Mr. Kaleeswaran Arunachalam, Group CFO & Head of Strategy - Crompton Greaves Consumer Electricals Limited
Mr. Rajesh Prabhu, Chief Financial Officer, DBS Bank India Limited
Mr. Mayur Gandhi, Chief Financial Officer Cluster India & Indian Sub-Continent, Schenker India Private Limited

05:00 – 05:15 pm Keynote Session: Unlocking Strategic Value: CFOs Collaborating Across Functions to Drive Business Performance

Speaker: Mr. Srinivasan Swamy, Founder & CFO Partner, CFO Bridge

Promoting cross-department collaboration to align financial and operational goals
People management - Aligning financial objectives with talent acquisition and retention strategies
Collaborating with IT department to drive digital transformation, improve operational efficiency, and create value through technology

05:15 – 05:30 pm Keynote Session: Reimagine Finance with Connected Business Process Speaker: Mr. Keval Shah, Customer Advisory Lead – Cloud ERP, SAP

05:30 – 05:45 pm Networking Break

05:45 – 06:00 pm Keynote Session: Redefining the CFOs Role for the Age of AI and Cloud by Mr. Pushkaraj Kale, CEO, atQor

Focus on People – Upskilling finance professionals, managing diversity and including experts (such as data scientists and AI specialists)
Navigating the shift to cloud-based finance
Embracing hyperautomation for enhanced operational efficiency
Balance automation with a human-centered culture in finance teams
Managing stakeholder expectations and fostering transparency
Driving ESG integration and sustainable finance strategies

06:00 – 06:45 pm Panel Discussion: The Intersection of Finance and Cybersecurity

How can CFOs safeguard sensitive financial data in the evolving digital landscape?
Understanding the identification & mitigation of financial risks associated with cyberattacks and data breaches
Building a culture of cyber resilience within the finance teams
Navigating the evolving cybersecurity regulations in finance
Best practices for CFO-CISO collaboration to protect financial data

Moderator: Mr. Govind Joshi, VP and Chief Operating Officer, Dun & Bradstreet India

Mr. Kumar Subbiah, Executive Director & Chief Financial Officer, CEAT
Mr. Vipul Chandra, Chief Financial Officer, LTI Mindtree
Mr. Om Prakash, Chief Financial Officer, RAK Ceramics
Mr. Murthy GVAS, Chief Financial Officer, Vodafone Idea

06.45 pm – 07.00 pm Keynote Session: The Rise of Tech-Savvy CFO by senior representation from Mr. Nishant Vyas, General Manager, CCH Tagetik India, Wolters Kluwer

Navigating the balance between financial stewardship and technological innovation
How CFOs can leverage big data and analytics to drive strategic decision-making and operational improvements
Real-time financial insights - Moving from retrospective analysis to predictive analytics
The role of AI in automating financial operations, compliance monitoring, and risk detection
The role of Decentralized Finance (DeFi) in enhancing financial transparency