The MIT Sloan CFO Summit enters its 23rd year as the premier one-day gathering of senior financial executives in the United States, once again drawing more than 400 CFOs and financial leaders to Cambridge on Thursday, November 20, 2025. The conference has become the nation’s definitive CFO forum, consistently attracting those who guide the financial strategies of major corporations and innovative firms across industries, alongside faculty from MIT Sloan who bring cutting-edge academic insight to real-world challenges.
The central theme this year, “Change Management: How CFOs Lead, Structure, and Manage Change,” is designed to highlight the evolving role of the CFO as not only financial steward but also organizational leader steering transformation. Attendees will engage with sessions that reflect the shifting priorities of the profession, such as “AI Do’s and Don’ts,” which explores both opportunities and pitfalls in adopting artificial intelligence, “Focus & Flex for Change,” which centers on balancing long-term strategy with the agility required in today’s volatile markets, and “Risk & Resilience,” addressing both financial and operational vulnerabilities. Complementing these are discussions on career pathways, fundamentals beyond business basics, and the practical evaluation of emerging software technologies.
This year’s agenda reflects a deliberate effort to combine intellectual rigor with pragmatic experience. A morning fireside chat pairs Nelson Repenning, Distinguished Professor of Organization Studies at MIT Sloan, with Jason Child, CFO of Arm Holdings, for a deep dive into organizational change. Robert Glazer, CEO of Acceleration Partners, will deliver a special address on values and leadership with his talk “The Compass Within: Core Values.” The keynote panel brings together Walden Siew of CFO Journal with John Dietrich, CFO of FedEx, and Scott Roe, CFO and COO of Tapestry, for a high-level discussion of the CFO’s evolving remit in a rapidly transforming economy. To close the day, Eric So, MIT Sloan Professor of Global Economics and Behavioral Science, will sit down with Jeff Hoffmeister, CFO of Shopify, for a forward-looking conversation on global financial leadership.
Speakers this year include CFOs from Alnylam, Boston Dynamics, Fundrise, Itaú Unibanco, Navan, Pegasystems, Rocket Software, Swoop, and XPO, among others—underscoring the breadth of sectors represented, from biotechnology to e-commerce and logistics. The mix of industries allows for a rich cross-pollination of ideas, with participants gaining exposure to strategies and approaches beyond their own sectors.
Since its founding in 2002, the MIT Sloan CFO Summit has been defined by its ability to integrate faculty research, corporate leadership, and peer exchange into one concentrated day. The 2025 program continues this legacy, providing CFOs not only with insights into financial leadership but also with a platform to engage directly with peers facing similar challenges. As Jeremy Seidman, the event’s Executive Chair, emphasized, the value lies not only in the content delivered from the stage but also in the collective wisdom and shared experiences exchanged among participants. For financial leaders navigating uncertainty, transformation, and opportunity, the Summit offers a chance to step back, recalibrate, and return to their organizations with sharpened vision and renewed confidence.