An Open Future Forum community

The CFO Executive Forum

Off the record. By invitation. A private forum for senior finance leaders.

The Committee

Convened by people
finance leaders trust

The CFO Executive Forum is shaped by a small committee of senior operators across finance, law, and banking. They set the tone, open the room, and decide who belongs.

Christina Bui, VP, Managed Business Solutions, Robert Half
Co-Chair
Christina Bui
VP, Managed Business Solutions
Robert Half
 Murray Newlands, Founder, Open Future Forum
Co-Chair
Murray Newlands
Founder
Open Future Forum
Open Future Forum Louis Lehot, Partner, Foley & Lardner LLP
Board Member
Louis Lehot
Partner
Foley & Lardner LLP
 Ellie Yashiro, Managing Director, Silicon Valley Bank
Board Member
Ellie Yashiro
Managing Director
Silicon Valley Bank
 Janice Berthold, Heffernan Insurance Brokers
Board Member
Janice Berthold
Heffernan Insurance Brokers
What It Is

A room built for
the finance seat

The CFO Executive Forum gathers chief financial officers and senior finance leaders of high-growth companies. It is part of Open Future Forum, and it runs on the same principle: everyone in the room is a giver.

There is no sales agenda, no formal presentation and no recording. The conversations are the ones finance leaders cannot have anywhere else, with peers who understand the seat.

"The best finance conversations happen off the record, with peers who have sat in the same chair."
  • 01Private dinners across Silicon Valley
  • 02CFOs and senior finance leaders only
  • 03Small rooms, 10 to 25 guests
  • 04Off the record, always
  • 05Membership by invitation or referral
  • 06Part of Open Future Forum
How We Gather

Dinners are the heart.
These bring people back.

The private dinner is the center of the forum. Around it, members gather in a handful of settings built for the way finance leaders actually connect.

Format

Panel events

Sharp, off-the-record sessions on the questions finance leaders are working through right now.

Format

Wine tasting

Smaller, relaxed gatherings where the conversation runs long and the introductions stick.

Format

Golf

A full day with a small group of peers, the kind of time that builds real trust.

Format

Sailing

A signature Open Future Forum setting on the bay, where the room opens up away from the office.

Format

Giants games

Private boxes at Giants games, a relaxed room for finance leaders and their guests.

Format

AI training

Practical working sessions on how AI is changing the finance function, built for the CFO seat.

Upcoming

Forum
gatherings

View & register on Luma →

All gatherings are managed and updated in real time on Luma. Register, get reminders, and share events directly from the calendar below.

Can't see the calendar? Open the full events page on Luma →
Who Belongs Here

The informal
selection criterion

The forum is built for finance leaders who make the room better. The question is simple: does this person give more than they take?

Members are identified by how they show up, long before any invitation is extended. If the answer is yes, a personal note follows.

  • ✓Chief financial officers
  • ✓Senior finance leaders (VP Finance, Finance Directors)
  • ✓Finance leaders at high-growth companies
  • ✓Leaders navigating the finance function through AI
  • ✓Givers, always givers
The Philosophy

Built on
Give and Take

Like every Open Future Forum room, the CFO Executive Forum runs on Adam Grant's Give and Take: the most generous people in the room create the most value over time.

Give

Share what you know

Members offer their honest read of the numbers, the board, the market, without holding back for advantage.

Connect

Make the introduction

The most valued act in the room is a warm introduction made without being asked.

Return

Receive without obligation

This is not a quid pro quo network. The room holds the debt and pays it forward.

Membership

Ready to be
in the room?

If you think you belong in the CFO Executive Forum, or know a finance leader who does, we'd like to hear from you. Membership is by invitation or referral, reviewed personally by the committee.

Request an invitation Follow on LinkedIn See upcoming events
Common Questions

What people
ask us

Who is the CFO Executive Forum designed for?
Chief financial officers and the senior finance leaders who report to them at companies past early stage, including VPs of Finance and heads of FP&A at businesses without a CFO title yet. The forum is convened with a committee of finance leaders and operating partners. See eligibility.
What types of companies do participating CFOs represent?
Mostly growth-stage and later private companies plus some public companies, across technology, enterprise software, financial services and healthcare. Venture-backed and self-funded businesses are both represented. What the room shares is a finance function large enough that the CFO is allocating capital rather than closing books.
Does the forum cover AI budgets, governance and ROI?
Yes, and they are the most persistent subjects in the room. Our September research found proving ROI named as the main blocker by 65 percent of the August finance cohort, up from 53 percent earlier in the year, and 28 percent of finance-lane respondents reporting no clear AI budget at all. The CFO AI Leverage Report carries the figures with their response bases.
What finance and capital-strategy issues are discussed?
Capital allocation under uncertainty, funding new spend against headcount, the finance operating model as AI changes what the team does, audit and controls, transaction readiness, board and investor reporting, and public-company readiness. Vendor selection comes up often enough that we map the market in the CFO AI Market Map.
How do the private CFO gatherings work?
Small dinners and roundtables, generally 10 to 25 seats, private and off the record. No presentations, no recordings and no sales agenda. A host opens with a question and the table works it, which is why the group skews toward specifics rather than general commentary. More on the format.
What research and benchmarking does Open Future Forum provide CFOs?
The CFO edition of the Enterprise AI Buying and Budget Index, published from first-party data collected across the network, alongside the CFO AI Market Map of the vendor landscape. Every figure is published with its response base so it can be cited or challenged. Browse the research library.
How are finance leaders selected?
By invitation, referral or direct application, reviewed by the forum committee. Selection weighs the seat you hold, what you are currently working through, and whether you will speak candidly in a room of peers rather than present a polished version of the quarter. The executive forums decline most applicants, so a referral helps.
How can a CFO request an invitation?
Apply directly and say what you run, roughly what stage the business is at, and the decision you are currently working through. A referral from a committee member or someone already in the community helps. Apply here. The September CFO report is a fair preview of the conversation.