Events – CFSI

Coming Program

A one-day program focused on value to be gained for digitalization, cyber security and the growing influence of private equity in these areas is in formation and will be announced soon.

CFSI Cyber Series

  • 12/14/21 “Managing Cyber Risk” panel discussion in partnership with Harvard Business School Club of Dallas

CFSI Series on Market Developments

  • 9/28/21 “Are Today’s Equity Markets Rational? – GameStop vs Wall Street”, panel discussion in partnership with Financial Executives International Dallas Chapter
  • 6/8/21 “David vs. Goliath” panel discussion in partnership with Harvard Business School Club of Dallas
Events center for finance strategy and innovation

CFSI Unlocking Value Through Innovation Series

  • 4/24/2019 Unlocking the Value in Consumer Data: Designing for Security, Privacy and Trust
  • 11/7/2018 Harvesting AI, IoT and Blockchain Innovation Strategies – Unlocking Business Value
  • 6/26/2018 Decentralization of Trust – Unlocking Value in Food and Drug Supply Chains
  • 9/21/2017 Uses of Blockchain – Unlocking Value Though Business Innovation, featuring Toyota

Past Events

The Center for Finance Strategy & Innovation sponsors a number of conference, panel, and workshop programs each year. Recent programs (below) have concentrated on transformational technologies, private equity, hedge funds, growth capital, public-private partnerships, and turnaround topics.

Moderator: Dr. David Springate

Panelists:

  • Srik Soogoor, President of Maxxsure
  • Don Rowley, Chief Information Officer of ATX Networks
  • Robert Hull, CFO of Panini America

Moderator: Dr. David Springate

Panelists:

  • Dory Wiley, President and CEO of Commerce Street Holdings
  • Ron Nash, principal of Nash Technology Group
  • Dr. Gil Sadka, Professor of Accounting at UT Dallas
  • Elizabeth Jones, Co-Founder and Associate Director of UT Dallas CFSI

Moderator: Dr. David Springate

Panelists:

  • Dory Wiley, President and CEO of Commerce Street Holdings
  • Ron Nash, principal of Nash Technology Group
  • Dr. Gil Sadka, Professor of Accounting at UT Dallas
  • Elizabeth Jones, Co-Founder and Associate Director of UT Dallas CFSI

Surprise Guest: Gary Kusin. Former CEO of GameStop

On May 4 Dr. James Scott, Chief Data Scientist and Director of Fintech Training, was a featured speaker at the 2019 Blockchain Technology Conference at the School of Engineering and Computer Science, University of Texas at Dallas. The event was sponsored by IBM, Plymouth AI and Tarski Tech. UTD’s. Jay’s presentation topic was “Blockchain Technology and Automation Innovation in the Financial Sector.” Other finTech, blockchain and Artificial Intelligence professionals participating were: Leemon Baird, (founder and CTO of Swirlds Inc., inventor of Hashgraph), Raffi Gostanian, (intellectual property attorney for blockchain and quantum computing), Peter Hunn, (founder of Clause,io., Accord Project, smart contract expert), Mark Hopkins, (founder Roger Wilco Agency, IBM futurist and blockchain evangelist), Shamoil Shipchandler, (U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission: Regional Director), Wes Williams, (Goldman Sachs: Global Head – Security Incident Response, Head of Dallas Technology).

Unlocking the Value in Consumer Data: Designing for Security, Privacy and Trust – April 24, 2019

With the explosion of digital technologies, companies are collecting and analyzing massive amounts of data about consumers’ activities, both online and offline. With cloud based platforms the cost of collecting and storing data is extremely low. As a result, companies are quietly collecting personal data for which they have no immediate use, reasoning that it will be valuable someday. Adding to this trend are new smart, connected products—from fitness trackers to home automation systems and assistants including nest, Alexa, Google home —that gather and transmit detailed information about you and your family. Business models like Facebook, Google, Linked-in, etc. all rely on monetizing consumer data. “Data is the New Oil” and the consumer is the source of it. How trustworthy is this data?

With the daily news of security breaches and privacy concerns, everyone is impacted directly or indirectly. What actions are advisable?

The panels in this program will explore the following areas of data security, privacy and trust:

  1. Privacy and impact on Value Creation – Current & future trends around data privacy. How do rules like GDPR affect collection of consumer data and its monetization?
  2. Data Security – How should enterprises look at data security and what are the trends?
  3. Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain – How are technologies like Blockchain and AI driving the creation of new business models to monetize data and unlock value?

EXPERT PANELISTS

  • Sylvia Karmanoff, Automotive Industry Chief Technologist, DXC Technology – Read Biography

    Sylvia is the Americas CTO Innovation & Growth for DXC Technology. She is responsible for developing and driving innovation and digital transformation strategy for industry clients in the Americas. Throughout Sylvia’s career, she has applied emerging technologies to create innovative solutions that incorporate artificial intelligence, big data analytics, Internet of Things, and remote monitoring and control to improve vehicle design, accelerate productivity, and enhance product capabilities within medical device, logistics, oil & gas, and automotive industries. Sylvia is a trusted advisor to government and industry organizations, helping to define visions for autonomous vehicles and associated infrastructure. In addition to holding executive positions at Intel, General Motors, and other firms, Sylvia founded and ran a consulting practice, leveraging and applying technologies, such as analytics, IoT, VR, AI, miniaturization, and wearables to help clients expand into new markets. Sylvia was instrumental in developing successful monetization strategies for vehicle telematics, connected vehicles, and connected medical devices. After developing the strategy, Sylvia and her firm led the product and program device (cardiac assist and TAH), Internet of Things, and transportation industries. Sylvia is a patent holder and invited speaker at conferences and industry events on innovation, intelligent transportation systems, and the Internet of Things. Her higher education degrees include an MS in Computer Science and an MBA. She also serves on several professional and not-for-profit boards, and volunteers as a tutor and mentor for underprivileged children.

  • Steve Street, SVP Supply Chain, Fossil
  • Suresh Oleti, SVP Technology, Brierly + Partners – Read Biography

    Suresh joined Brierley+Partners in 2018 and serves as our Senior Vice President, Technology Operations. He leads the technology and operations for our client implementations. Suresh has expansive expertise in transforming organizational culture to deliver on strategic vision and increasing shareholder value. Prior to joining Brierley+Partners, Suresh was the Director of Engineering at Dell EMC where he built and managed mission critical enterprise solutions delivered via an Experience Driven engineering model. Prior to Dell EMC, Suresh was at Sabre helping Airlines and Agencies make smarter operational decisions and inspiring users via meaningful travel experiences.

  • Kurt Wedgewood, NA Blockchain Leader (Distribution Sector), IBM
  • Timothy Armbrust, Senior Specialist Advisor, NTT Data Services – Read Biography

    Tim is Senior Solutions Architect working at NTT Data, where he focuses on Unix System Security, disaster recovery planning and testing. He has authored and delivered the first Public Unix security courses starting in 1987 with assistance from UC Davis. Prior to NTT Data, Tim was at CPS Energy where he was responsible for security Administration of NERC, ERCO and CIP compliance for SCADA systems. He is also a member o Defense Intelligence Agency Alumni, Association of former Intelligence Officers, National Military Intelligence Association and the International Cryptological Society.

  • Ravi Boggaram, Senior Director Global Digital Services, PepsiCo
  • Laura Craig, Security Client Executive, IBM – Read Biography

    Laura Craig is a Security Client Executive at IBM. She is responsible for assisting executive level clients in large organizations across multiple industries with securing their enterprise from current cybersecurity threats. This includes solution development and deployment across multiple vendor software products and managed and consulting services. Prior to focusing on cybersecurity, Laura worked as a technical client specialist in the requirements and testing discipline of the software development lifecycle. Laura also has extensive experience working as part of a Research & Development team for a major defense contractor, where she designed, developed, and tested several confidential software/hardware sub-systems for the United States Army. Prior to that role, Laura worked as a flight controls engineer for the X-35 concept demonstration phase of the Joint Strike Fighter.

  • Rost Ginevich, President and CEO, Cooperative Processing Resources – Read Biography

    Rost Ginevich is President and CEO of Cooperative Processing Resources. CPR is a 24-year-old financial software development firm which provides a platform for Credit Coaching, Housing Counseling, Student Loan Counseling, and Representative Payee / Guardianship administration. CPR serves client agencies across the US, Canada, UK and Singapore. Prior to CPR, Mr. Ginevich served as CIO of two public companies, as well as having a long career in consulting with PwC and IBM. He received his BS in Computer Science and MBA in Operations Research and Marketing, from Oklahoma State University. [ GO Cowboys! ] Rost is also an adjunct lecturer at UT Dallas where he teaches Social Media for Business and Digital Business Development.

  • Eric Weber, VP Operations, Global Data Sentinel – Read Biography

    Vice President, Account Executive , Global Enterprise Strategies. GES is a 3rd party marketing firm that sells GDS (Global Data Sentinel’s) security Product. Strategic growth executive known for building businesses, establishing infrastructure and growing market share. Strongest attributes are connecting and building lasting relationships coupled with natural leadership capabilities. Specialties: Opening new channels of distribution, Generating organic growth, Achieving stakeholder engagement, Customer advocacy, Market expansion, Expense management, Talent acquisition and growth, Customer centric strategies, Agent for change.

On April 4 Dr. James Scott, Chief Data Scientist and Director of Fintech Training, was a keynote panelist for the Dallas Startup Week Blockchain Discussion sponsored by Capital One. Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings and investor Mark Cuban were notable organizers. The event was hosted by the Capital Factory + The DEC. The panel itself included representatives from University of Texas at Arlington, University of North Texas, Southern Methodist University and Tarski Tech. Dr. Scott represented the University of Texas at Dallas. The panelists highlighted the existing research and education being performed at each respective institution. Attendees included individuals from academia and business, and investors from venture capital and private equity firms.

On November 14 Dr. Springate and Elizabeth Jones addressed 150 KPMG partners and professionals at KPMG’s Asset Management / Private Equity Industry Forum. The attendees from across the country work in the asset management and private equity industries. Most came from Advisory although there were some tax and some audit partners attending. The focus of the session was on innovation and digital disruption in the featured industries. The session itself was part of a longer three-day program to have these KPMG partners better understand what is important and significant to the various types of clients with whom the partners interact. The presentation, using a discussion format, was led by Mr. Steve Hill, the Global Lead for Innovation. Topics addressed in the session included the necessity for driving innovation in client companies and in target portfolio companies, what it takes to have innovation efforts succeed and to create value, the nature of barriers to digital innovation in various industries, and the indicators that might be watched for early proof that a company was likely to create value through its ongoing efforts. Examples of successful and non-successful initiatives were introduced and discussed.

Agenda Highlights

  • Program introduction by one of the technology giants of blockchain
  • Two expertly guided panel discussions relating to artificial intelligence, internet of things and blockchain
  • Consideration of relevant issues of enterprise information
  • Discussion with the audience

Location and Time

Wednesday, November 7, 2018.
Presentation 2:00 pm to 5:30 pm
Networking hosted reception 5:30 to 6:30 pm
Program organized and presented in partnership with IBM
Location: IBM Innovation Center – Dallas
1177 S. Belt Line Rd. Coppell, TX 75019

Panelists

  • Gurvinder Ahluwalia, Faculty Member of CFSI and Founder of Digital Twin Labs, Co-Founder/COO Beyond Protocol
  • Aamer Charania, Director Data Science, Capital One
  • Brendan Cooper, Director of Digital and IT Systems, Panini America
  • Sylvia Karmanoff, CTO Automotive Industry-Americas, DXC Technologies
  • Rob Palacios, EVP, Director TCB Labs at Texas Capital Bank
  • Rohit Rai, Vice President, Competitive Supply Chain, Lockheed Martin (retired)
  • Dilip Rane, Senior Director of Innovation, PepsiCo
  • Kurt Wedgewood, Blockchain Leader for Distribution Sector, IBM
  • Alex Siskos, Chief Growth Officer, Everseen

Download Flyer

On July 26 Dr. James Scott, Chief Data Scientist, served as a panelist for the Blockchain 2018 Conference sponsored by Thomson Reuters. Other panelists included Dave Wakeman of IBM, Lacey Shrum of the North Texas Blockchain Alliance, visionary Mark Hopkins and attorney Mark Rasmussen. The panel discussed blockchain use cases in industry. Following the panel discussion, Dr. Scott provided a one hour workshop entitled “Blockchain Financial Transactions.” The 250 attendees consisted of professionals from banking, investment, and insurance industries.

Tuesday, June 26, 2018. 9:30 am to 3:30 pm
Program organized and presented in partnership with IBM

Location:
IBM Innovation Center – Dallas
1177 S. Belt Line Rd. Coppell, TX 75019

Program will consider:

  • Sourcing Trust
  • Manufacturing/Processing/Transactions Trust
  • Inter-organizational Transactions Trust

Two panels, one keynote speaker

Keynote Speaker: Mike Anderson, CIO, CROSSMARK

Food and Grocery Panel:

  • Alex Siskos – Former President North America, Blue Yonder
  • Archana Sristy – Digital Leader, Walmart
  • Alan O’Herlihy – CEO and Founder, Everseen
  • Karl Bedwell – Senior Director, Walmart

Drug and Pharma Pane:

  • Rishi Khullar – Chief Product /Technical Officer, Pharmaceutical Strategies Group
  • Tim Gorman – Former VP of Asset Protection, Walgreens
  • Pam Machemehl-Helmly – Founder and Chief Science Officer, Wellnicity
  • Ven Kumar – CTO PepsiCo Account, IBM

On May 24 Dr. James Scott, Chief Data Scientist, made a presentation at the invitation of Dave L. Barker, Senior Model Development Officer and Vice President for Comerica Bank’s Enterprise Risk Planning and Development Department. The presentation to 300 employees was entitled “Blockchain’s Impact to the Banking Industry.” It took place at Comerica Bank’s Dallas location and was broadcast to Comerica’s Detroit and Los Angeles locations.

Wednesday, April 11, 2018. 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm
Title: Tech Titan Cybersecurity Forum About Blockchain in the Enterprise
Location: Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas

Join us for this jointly sponsored program. The panelists and content have been coordinated by Craig Hall, Fellow at the Center for Finance Strategy Innovation (CFSI) with the help of Elizabeth Jones, Associate Director of CFSI. The primary event organizing group is Tech Titans. The host is the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.

Panelists

Lead Participant and Moderator: Gurvinder Ahluwalia, Executive Faculty Member at CFSI, Founder of Digital Twin Labs

Stephen Ellis, North Texas Blockchain Alliance
Ven Kumar, IBM, Advisory Board Member at CFSI
Mark Rasmussen, Jones Day
Jon West, Thomson ReutersTax and Accounting

The program includes discussion and coverage of smart contracts, international business contracts, supply chain, security, standardization and regulations

The link for registration is Blockchain in the Enterprise – Dallas Federal Reserve Bank – April 11

Thursday, Sept. 21, 2017
Presented by Center for Finance Strategy Innovation
Naveen Jindal School of Management

11:30 a.m.

Registration

Noon – 1:30 p.m.

Luncheon and Keynote Speaker

  • Opening conference remarks
    Dr. David Springate, Director
    Center for Finance Strategy Innovation
  • Welcome
    Dr. Hasan Pirkul, Dean, Caruth Chair of Management
    Naveen Jindal School of Management
  • Keynote introduction
    Dr. David Springate
  • Keynote Speaker
    Chris Ballinger, CFO and Head of Mobility Services, Toyota Research Institute CFO and Chief Officer, Strategic Innovation, Toyota Financial Services

1:30 – 1:45 p.m.

Networking/Break

1:45 – 3:15 p.m.

Panel 1: Blockchain in the Business Mainstream

  • Introductions
    Elizabeth F. Jones, Center for Finance Strategy Innovation
  • Blockchains in government, trade and finance
    Nitin Gaur, IBM Blockchain Labs
  • Blockchain disruptions in banking and financial services
    Dr. Jared Harwayne-Gidansky
  • Corporate uses of blockchain in supply chain management and the energy sector
    Dr. Tyler Smith, ConsenSys
  • Blockchain in corporate securities, corporate finance, private equity and capital markets
    Rick Winnard, Symbiont.io

3:15 – 3:30 p.m.

Refreshments/Break

3:30 – 5 p.m.

Panel 2: The Future of Blockchain

  • Introductions
    Craig R. Hall, Caudicum and Center for Finance Strategy Innovation
  • Blockchain and the future of energy markets
    Mark D’Agostino, Grid+/ConsenSys
  • Blockchain and the future of smart digital payment platforms
    James Johnson, MoneyGram and Oaken Innovations
  • Blockchain and the future of AI and supercomputing in healthcare
    Dr. Tom McNeill, Nimbix and Ingentium
  • Blockchain and the future of capital formation and “smart contracts”
    Ron Smith, Norton Rose Fulbright

5 – 6:30 p.m.

Networking and Demonstrations

  • Dr. David Springate/Final remarks
  • Happy Hour
  • Blockchain Showcase
  • Makerspace Marquee Demonstrations

Conference Leaders

On May 1, Dr. James Scott, Chief Data Scientist, was the keynote speaker at the annual convention of the National Council of University Research Administrators held in Tulsa, Oklahoma http://ncuraregionv.com/2017/01/ Dr. Scott shared his experiences with research administration in a changing environment providing an economic analysis of the anticipated funding opportunities after the 2016 Presidential Election. The 500 attendees were university research administrators from Texas and Oklahoma. Past keynote speakers include Ms. Ginger Kerrick, Flight Integration Division Chief for NASA.

Key Speakers:
Kevin Boardman, Partner, Patton Boggs LLP
Gregg Buksbaum, Partner, Patton Boggs LLP
James Cheng, President & COO, NPIC (Natural Polymer International Corp.)
Harvey Fine, Managing Director U.S. Global Investments and Strategies, Fosun
Stephen Foote, Director, Northleaf Capital Partners
Kim Garber, Co-Founder and Principal, CORE-CCO, LLC
Gus Gatzios, Managing Vice President of Strategic Access Platforms at Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System
Micah Green, Partner, Patton Boggs LLP
R. David Kelly, Chairman, Teacher Retirement System of Texas
Roman Kikta, Managing Partner and Founder Mobility Ventures
Shoa-Kai Liu, Founding investor of RenRen
Paul Louie, North American Partner, Long March Capital
Matt O'Reilly, Chief Investment Officer, San Antonio Fire and Police Pension Fund

Key Speaker: Ronnie Jung, Texas Teachers Retirement System

Representative Speakers:
Don Moorehead, Patton Boggs
Kim Garber, US Securities and Exchange Commission
Carl Kopfinger, TD Bank
Joy Brawner, McGladrey
Suzanne Kriscunas, Riverside Company
Brett Palmer, National Association of SBIC’s
Tony Schell, Escalate Capital
Roman Kikta, Mobility Ventures
Conner Searcy, Insight Equity

Opening Remarks: Mike Rawlings, Mayor of Dallas

Keynote Speaker: André Bourbonnais, Senior Vice President of Private Investments, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board

Sponsor: USI Southwestern

Panelists:
Peruvemba Satish, Allstate Investments
Todd Centurino, Teachers Retirement System
Philip Durst, TollesonWealth Management

Panelists:
David Leininger, Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART)
Paul Wageman, North Texas Tollway Authority (NTTA)
Sasha N. Page, IMG
Paul N. Wageman, North Texas Tollway Authority (NTTA)
Robert M. (Bob) Brown, P.E., TXDOT
Michael Morris, P.E., Transportation Department of the North
Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG)
Col. Dennis Beal, USMC (Ret.), Texas A & M University System
Hon. Cynthia Figueroa, Attorney
Paris Rutherford, Catalyst Urban Development, LLC
John N. Crew, Public Werks, Inc.
Stephen W. McCullough, Public Werks, Inc.

Panelists:
Conner Searcy, Insight Equity
Michael Bruder, Macquarie Group
Jay Lucas, Lucas Group
Don Bibeault, Verto Partners
Harry Gray, Verto Partners

Panelists:
Rick Pelini, Vice President and Treasurer of Lennox International
Henry Schopfer who has served as CFO of four public mid-sized companies
Mahesh Shetty, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Encore Enterprises
David Whiting, Senior Vice President and head of Comerica Bank’s Technology and Life Services Division
Suzanne Lovett, Senior Vice President of Wells Fargo Capital Finance

Panelists:
Trey Vincent, Riverside Company
Mary Jo Hoch, Capital One Bank
David Oden, Haynes and Boone
Ron Stacey, Legacy Advisors
Jorge Joramillo, ORIX Leveraged Finance

Sponsors and Partners