The Road Ahead: Perspectives from CFGI Philadelphia | CFGI

The Road Ahead:
Perspectives from CFGI Philadelphia

CFOs, private equity leaders, and finance executives gathered at Lincoln Financial Field to discuss market momentum, AI adoption, and building finance functions ready for whatever comes next.

The finance function is being rewritten in real time.

From volatile interest rates and shifting tariff regimes to the rapid emergence of AI as a valuation driver, today's finance leaders are operating under conditions few playbooks anticipated. At our recent Philadelphia summit, CFGI brought together CFOs, sponsors, and industry leaders to share how they are building dynamic finance organizations, integrating emerging technology, and positioning their companies for an active 2026. Watch the highlights below.

Full Event Recap

A Day at Lincoln Financial Field

Justin Femmer, Chief Commercial Officer at CFGI, opens the day and reflects on the conversations that defined it, covering the impending market, the disruption posed by AI, and how dynamic tax and regulatory environments are reshaping the CFO's agenda heading into 2026.

Host Perspective

Predictability, Partnership, and the Path Forward

CFGI Philadelphia leaders George Sarianos and Michael Lutz unpack the dominant themes from the floor: clients searching for predictability in a volatile tax and tariff environment, the importance of business partnership across the C-suite, and the growing role of data analytics in forecasting.

Biotech Capital Markets

Funding the Science: A CFO's Playbook

Mark Guerin, CFO of Anavex Life Sciences, shares his perspective from over two decades in biotech finance. He discusses the early priorities of stepping into a new CFO seat, the discipline of funding clinical trials, and why current capital markets conditions offer reason for optimism in 2026.

M&A Activity

Platform Deals and the Return of Scale

Sean O'Reilly, CFGI's Valuations Leader, breaks down a marked uptick in M&A activity over recent months, the shift back toward larger platform deals from private equity, and which sectors, from professional services to home services, are driving multiples in today's market.

Data and AI in Retail

Crawl, Walk, Run: AI in the Retail Enterprise

Barry Susson, CFO of Spencer Spirit Holdings, explains how high-volume retail data informs daily decisions on assortment, promotion, and inventory, why data cleansing must precede AI deployment, and how a collaborative leadership team keeps finance at the center of strategy.

Scaling Through Volatility

Business Partnership and Disciplined Growth

Nick Tornello, Senior Vice President of Finance at Radwell, discusses navigating extreme volatility through close partnership with operations, automating core finance functions to scale with growth, and integrating acquisitions cleanly as the company heads into a busy 2026.

Closing Thoughts

Ready for Whatever 2026 Holds

Justin Femmer closes the day by reflecting on three takeaways from the summit: optimism around the impending market, real progress on AI moving from pilot to production and into the valuation story, and finance functions being rebuilt to be dynamic enough for any scenario ahead.

George Sarianos

Managing Partner

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Michael Lutz

Managing Partner

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Sean O'Reilly

Managing Partner

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