The CFO Holiday Mixer takes place in downtown Palo Alto on Thursday, December 17, 2026, from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. PST. Open Future Forum’s CFO Executive Forum is bringing together CFOs and senior finance leaders for food, drinks and introductions. Attendance is subject to host approval.
At arrival, guests choose a badge sticker showing the question they are most interested in discussing for 2027. It might be fundraising, audit or IPO readiness, AI in finance, M&A or building the team. The hosts use that choice to help people find someone with relevant experience.
Request an invitation to the CFO Holiday Mixer.
Start with the question already on your desk
A finance leader preparing for an audit may want to meet someone who recently rebuilt a close process. A CFO considering an acquisition may be interested in how another company organized finance work after the transaction. Someone planning a hire might welcome a conversation about which responsibilities need to sit with that person.
That detail gives a host something specific to work with. The badge stickers give the hosts a way to begin, while leaving guests free to move between conversations.
You do not need a polished case study or a successful result to share. A decision you are still working through is enough.
For instance, if your team introduced an AI tool this year, you might want to discuss what happened after the first rollout. Did the work become quicker? Who now reviews the output? Has the change affected the hiring plan? Those questions can lead to a practical exchange without requiring anyone to disclose company numbers.
The evening leaves room for social conversation too. This is a holiday gathering, and catching up over food is a good use of it.
Who should attend
The invitation is aimed at CFOs, VPs and heads of finance, and chief accounting officers at venture-backed, private equity-backed and public companies in the Bay Area.
That includes people leading finance at different stages of a company’s development. A finance leader building a department may have different priorities from someone preparing for a public-company audit. Give the hosts enough context about your responsibilities to understand where an introduction could help.
The CFO Executive Forum is part of Open Future Forum, a global executive community founded in Silicon Valley. Its year-round gatherings provide ways to keep in touch after December.
The December 17 evening
Holiday drinks and food begin at 5:30 p.m. The welcome from Open Future Forum and the partners is scheduled for 6:15, followed by hosted introductions and mixing at 6:20. The evening closes at 8:00.
Dress is festive business casual. Conversations are off the record, and the published format has no slides or vendor pitches. The exact address is shared with approved guests.
If there is someone you would particularly like to meet, tell a host what you are hoping to discuss. A sentence about the problem is more helpful than a list of job titles.
The people hosting
Murray Newlands and Yvonne Newlands host alongside Christina Bui of Robert Half and Protiviti, Ellie Yashiro of First Citizens Innovation Banking, Louis Lehot of Foley & Lardner, and Preet Gill of Lockton.
For events beyond the holiday season, Open Future Forum’s guide to CFO events and finance conferences in San Francisco covers the wider range of local formats.
See all four Open Future Forum holiday gatherings in December 2026.
Last updated: November 13, 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Join the CFO Holiday Mixer
Request a place for December 17 and include your company and finance responsibilities.