A Bridge Over Troubled Waters: The River Island Restructuring Plan
The UK retail sector has been grappling with subdued consumer demand, an accelerated switch to online shopping during the pandemic and rising costs squeezing profit margins. High Street and mixed channel retailers face stiff competition from online-only stores. This was the backdrop to clothing retail brand River Island sustaining losses in 2023 and 2024.
Attendees will discuss the conclusions of ‘Career Paths Reimagined’, a report published by the ACCA on the evolution of CFO skillsets and career opportunities over the next decade. Career paths are less linear and more fluid than in the past. Opportunities will favour the flexible specialists who can best adapt to technological change. Updating skills and maintaining curiosity in mindset are key. A panel of current CFOs will review the report’s assertions reflecting on their own experiences and insights with the report’s author Clive Webb.
We’re delighted to welcome back Nicole Newbury and colleagues from the Large Business directorate at HMRC to update attendees on a range of topics of relevance to corporate taxpayers, including policy implementation; working with international tax authorities; and resourcing.
CHAIR
Sandy Markwick, C-suite Director, Winmark
SPEAKERS
Nicole Newbury, Director Large Business, HMRC | Nick Jones, Deputy Director, HMRC | Lucy Arundel, Deputy Director, HMRC
Closing the AI Value Gap: A Private C-Suite Dinner
Most organisations have moved past the hype phase into deployment with agentic AI. Yet few are seeing real returns.
Whether due to lack of business value, unready data, escalating costs or poor change management, PwC’s Global CEO Survey showed over half of CEOs haven’t realised increased revenue or cost benefits from AI investment. Gartner says over 50% of GenAI projects are abandoned after proof-of-concept.
Against a backdrop of increased economic pressures, Winmark’s C-Suite groups have been shining a light on what peers getting it right at pace are doing differently.
This session is for CEOs, CFOs and COOs and will help executives accelerate the journey to closing the AI value gap and realising tangible, financial gains more quickly.
Expect clarity and practical, proven examples around questions such as:
– Are we transforming our business fast enough or being left behind?
– Am I doing enough to help us stay viable and innovate?
– What should the roadmap and investment level look like to succeed?
– How do I build strong foundations for a cohesive, enterprise wide deployment from fragmented tactical projects?
– How do we balance looking inward and capability with outwards at opportunity?
– How do we overcome the culture and trust conundrum?
SPEAKERS
Dan Zinkin, Head of Data and AI, InvestCloud | Trevor Scott, Transformation & AI Digital Leader, Next Level Transformation | Ben Allgrove, Chief Innovation Officer, Baker McKenzie
The in-house tax team will typically have a close involvement in acquisitions, most obviously conducting due diligence to assess any exposure to tax risk in target companies, supporting the negotiation and arranging W&I insurance to cover any residual risks that might remain hidden.
CHAIR
Louisa Gonzalez, Head of Tax, Advisory Member
SPEAKERS
Peter Bellini, Group Head of Tax, The Ardonagh Group | Darren Tish, Tax Senior Manager, M&G Plc
Human, Skills & Agentic AI – The Rolls-Royce Story
In 2022, Rolls-Royce faced a critical juncture: multiple business units in the company were heading towards significant skills shortages in specific skillsets. To solve it, the organization didn’t just recruit; they fundamentally redesigned how work happens.
SPEAKERS
Stuart Evans, Director – Future of Work & Digital Employee Experience, Rolls-Royce
The Modern CFO: Partnering with the Board, CEO & Stakeholders
This Masterclass is part of the Global CFO Academy and is delivered in collaboration with Bayes Business School, London.
This masterclass supports CFOs in operating as strategic partners to the CEO, Board and wider stakeholder group. In today’s environment, the CFO is not only responsible for financial stewardship, but for shaping strategy, driving performance and enabling long-term value creation. The session explores how to strengthen board relationships, provide clear decision-ready insight, and increase the influence and impact of the finance function. Topics include:
• CEO expectations and the CFO’s evolving strategic role
• Building trusted relationships with the Chair, NEDs and C-Suite
• Structuring impactful financial input at board level
• Communicating risk and opportunity to non-financial stakeholders
• Aligning financial strategy with enterprise priorities
Designed for CFOs seeking to deepen their influence at the centre of organisational decision-making.
This is for Global CFO Academy Delegates only, to find out more or become involved please contact Sandy Markwick (sandy.markwick@winmarkglobal.com)
SPEAKERS
Patrick Butcher, Non Executive Director, Endava | Francisco Urzua, Professor of Finance, Bayes Business School
