EY was once again the proud sponsor of this event, which provided attendees with a platform to share expertise, build knowledge and network, as well as debate, discuss, and seek practical solutions to the industry’s main challenges. Through the stellar line-up of local and international speakers who talked about these challenges, main developments and key trends, the event aimed to shed some light on the ever-changing and always challenging role of the Chief Financial Officer, namely the CFO of #TheNextDecade.

Stelios Demetriou, Partner and Head of Transaction Advisory Services of EY Cyprus, who was the Chairman of the Forum, mentioned in his introductory speech: “Finance leaders need to possess capabilities in key areas, such as operations, customer and commercial focus, strategy design and planning. They need to be able to effectively manage and deliver transformation and reform. Creativity and the ability to offer innovative solutions to business issues, is also becoming part of the role of the CFO. Increasing stakeholder scrutiny and demands for transparency and compliance means that finance functions will need to improve their regulatory knowledge and undertake a greater responsibility for the ethics of decision making.”

Representing EY as a keynote speaker, Tonny Dekker, a Senior Advisory Partner based in Amsterdam, presented the topic of Trust by Design. During his presentation, he argued how in this transformative age, trust has never been more critical to success and longevity and in order to thrive, organizations must think differently about risk management. With over 25 years of experience, Tonny Dekker is EY’s EMEIA Risk Advisory Leader, with a vast expertise in governance, risk management, internal control and internal audit frameworks.

In addition to the Forum, the evening comprised also the 3rd CFO Awards ceremony that presented renowned people in the Cypriot world of finance with awards, in recognition of their contribution, achievements and professional excellence in the field of financial management. The recipients of this year’s Awards are:

1. CFO of the year Award: Mr. Christos Ioannides, Chief Financial Officer of Thanos Hotels and Resorts
2. Finance and Technology Award: Mr. Andrew Tinney, Chief Financial Officer of Wargaming
3. Corporate Finance - Restructuring, Mergers and Acquisitions Award: the Hellenic Bank team responsible for the merger with the Cyprus Cooperative Bank – Mr. Lars Kramer, Chief Financial Officer of Hellenic Bank, accepted the award on behalf of the Hellenic Bank team
4. Public Sector CFO Award: Mr. Spyros Spyrou, Financial Services Director of the Human Resource Development Authority of Cyprus.