What a day. The second annual CFO Forum, recently co-hosted by Cooper Parry and Founders Forum Group, brought together around 150 CFOs and finance leaders from some of the UK’s most exciting scaleups. The energy in the room was off the charts. From the moment doors opened, conversations were flowing, ideas were sparking, and connections were being made.
This wasn’t your typical finance event. It was a high-octane mix of fireside chats, panels, and Q&A sessions, tackling the topics that are shaping the future: AI adoption, M&A and exit planning, international expansion, and the CFO’s evolution into a true strategic leader. Whether it was debating the next-gen tech stack or exploring how to embed AI into forecasting and reporting, the discussions were bold, practical, and future-facing.
The vibe? Collaborative, curious, and full of momentum. Unicorn CFOs, founders, VCs, and tech innovators shared their insights into Fundraising, M&A and Exit planning, the CFO interface to VCs, the rapid development of AI in the finance stack, and managing vision and the human factor as a CFO. While partners like Capsule Insurance, Harmonic Finance, HSBC Innovation Banking, Light, Payhawk, and Stacks helped deliver a programme packed with fresh thinking and actionable takeaways.
One clear message echoed throughout: CFOs are no longer just number crunchers. They’re architects of transformation. Driving growth, shaping strategy, and connecting technology across the business.
The Big Themes That Emerged
The conversations didn’t point to one big trend. They highlighted a mix of priorities shaping the CFO role today:
- AI in the Finance Stack: It’s no longer about experimenting. CFOs are figuring out how to move from pilots to real-world impact. How to use automation and machine learning to make forecasting sharper, reporting faster, and decisions smarter.
- M&A and Exit Readiness: Deals don’t happen overnight. The message was clear: discipline and optionality matter. CFOs need to keep their businesses ready for liquidity events or strategic moves without losing focus on day-to-day growth.
- International Expansion: Scaling globally sounds and is exciting. But it’s all too easy to get tangled in entity sprawl, tax headaches, and disconnected systems. The advice? Expand with intent and keep control of complexity.
- Investor Engagement: Reporting numbers isn’t enough anymore. CFOs are shifting from pure data delivery to storytelling. It’s about building trust with investors through clarity, cadence, and a narrative that connects the dots.
- The Human Factor: Finance isn’t just about numbers; it’s about culture. CFOs are embedding rituals, transparency, and communication to keep teams aligned and momentum strong through change.
These themes aren’t separate; they overlap and reinforce each other. The challenge for today’s CFO’s is all about balancing precision with speed, and leading transformation with both data and empathy.
The buzz didn’t stop when the sessions ended. Breakouts turned into deep conversations with the networking carried on long after the agenda wrapped well into the evening’s drinks reception. This year’s CFO Forum wasn’t just an event – it was a movement.
A huge thank you to everyone who joined and shared their insights. The openness in the room was incredible. If you’re a CFO or founder looking to stay ahead of the curve, this is where the conversation starts. Don’t miss out on our future events. Look out for future blogs from us which will go into more detail on some of these themes.
