HISTORY
Established in January of 2004, The CFO Round Table
was the brainchild of David Payne, Kevin Mitchell,
Michael Levine and John Hughes.
Founders
David Payne and Kevin Mitchell were asked to sponsor
the FENG organization (the financial executives’
networking group) in 2002. This organization assists
CFOs in transition.
They began vigorously supporting the Atlanta chapter:
posting job opportunities; finding complementary
office space to hold chapter meetings; assisting in
organizing quarterly events and coordinating additional
sponsors to contribute food and beverages for those
events. Their most significant contribution has been
successfully helping many transitional CFOs find their
new positions.
Michael Levine is a CPA and was previously the CFO of
a 500-million-dollar Atlanta based company.
Michael is a knowledgeable resource regarding ongoing
issues affecting financial executives.
John Hughes assumed leadership of the Atlanta Chapter
of FENG (the financial executives’ networking
group) in 2003. With his unconventional style, John
broke new ground, both leading the FENG meetings
and taking them to the next level. He turned the bimonthly
networking events in to Job Search Workshops.
John’s unique approach has become a model for
all FENG chapters throughout the nation.
Roundtable Inception
Collectively David, Kevin, Michael and John saw the
need for financial executives to stay connected well
after
their transitional period was over. They started asking
CFOs what the ideal networking event would look like.
Their input became the seeds for the structure of the
organization:
· Lunch meeting
· Flexible attendance standard
· Sharing of best business practices
· Confidentiality
· Low annual membership dues or Fees
It was decided that the meetings would be held at
12 noon on Friday. Each group would be filled with
approximately fifty CFOs. Realizing that financial executives
are busy, this would insure a good turnout
while creating a flexible attendance protocol. The members
could come when their schedule permitted,
as frequently or infrequently as they chose. In an effort
to keep the meetings intimate, attendance would
be limited to the first 20 responders. Michael Levine
was well qualified to lead the group.
The first meeting was held in January, 2004. Today
there are over 300 members, consisting of four
groups that participate in one meeting per month. As
the organization evolved, additional social
events were introduced, including:
· Wine Tasting
· Braves Game and Tailgate Party
· Golf Outing
· Christmas Gathering
These events have been well received and well attended
by the members. Sponsorship has provided for
the cost of most of these functions. Attending one of
these functions gives participants the opportunity to
meet other members outside their respective groups.
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