Last week in San Diego, a group of 165 finance leaders convened for the fourth Future of Finance Summit. This JofA podcast episode is a compilation of takeaways from the event and a look at key areas of focus for leaders in 2025. It is the first of several Future of Finance recordings.

The speakers for this episode are:

n Tom Hood, CPA/CITP, CGMA, AICPA & CIMA's executive vice president–Business Growth & Engagement

n Kimberly Ellison-Taylor, CPA, CGMA, the CEO of KET Solutions and former AICPA chair

n Becca Shane, CPA, CGMA, the CFO of Blue Marlin Ventures

n Okorie Ramsey, CPA, CGMA, vice president–Sarbanes Oxley at Kaiser Permanente and former AICPA and Association of International Certified Professional Accountants chair

What you'll learn from this episode:

· More about Tom Hood's summation that the event "leveled up."

· The top priorities of finance leaders, based on polling last week at the Future of Finance Summit.

· Why Kimberly Ellison-Taylor says she's looking forward to "clarity" in 2025.

· Why the phrase "feed forward" and an emphasis on positivity resonated with CFO Becca Shane.

· Okorie Ramsey's focus on the talent pipeline and relevance.

· His explanation of the profession's need to "tell a better story."