In this issue
FEISV Chapter Newsletter | September 18, 2026 
Celebrating 50 Years of FEI Silicon Valley!
2026 marks FEI Silicon Valley’s 50th Anniversary! We’re excited to celebrate this incredible milestone with our Members, Partners, and friends throughout the year.
The celebration will culminate in April with a special 50th Anniversary Casino Night, and we’re making it a night to share — significant others are invited! More details will be coming soon.
But we’re not waiting until April to start celebrating! At each Keynote event leading up to our anniversary celebration, we’ll hold a special 50th Anniversary Raffle, with one lucky attendee taking home a $50 bottle of wine.
50 years of connections, leadership, and community — and plenty to celebrate!
FEI Silicon Valley Events
09/25 - Financial Officers Forum (FOF) (Virtual)
09/29 - People, Payroll, and Profitability
10/20 - Keynote: How Finance Leaders Can Harness AI Without Losing Control
11/18 - Annual Women CFOs of the Year Awards
12/09 - Annual President's Party
04/27 - FEI Silicon Valley 50th Anniversary Celebration: Casino Night - Save the Date!
Partners & Other Chapter Events
09/22 - AI in Action: How NetSuite Uses AI Across the Suite for Financial Executives International (Virtual) | FEI
09/23 - Quarterly Technical Update: Webcast Series (Virtual) | BDO
09/24- How to Improve Financial Forecast Accuracy When Business Conditions Keep Changing (Virtual) | FEI
09/14 - Q3 2026 Quarterly Accounting Webcast (Virtual) | PwC
09/29 - Why AI Fails In Corporate Finance – and How to Get Ahead (Virtual) | FEI
09/30 - Global Finance Trends Survey (Virtual) | FEI
10/07 - Beyond SAP BPC: Rethinking Finance for the AI Era (Virtual) | FEI
10/13 - Private Company Roundtable (Virtual) | FEI
10/15 - Beyond Spreadsheets: Building an Audit-Ready Fixed Asset Process for Complex Lifecycles (Virtual) | FEI
10/15 - Financial Scenario Planning: How to Prepare for Disruption and Make Faster Decisions (Virtual) | FEI
10/22 - Is Your Budgeting and Forecasting Software Built for Where You’re Going — or Just Where You’ve Been? (Virtual) | FEI
10/28 - 10/29 - AI Update and Use Cases Conference (Virtual) | FEI
11/10 - 2026 Corporate Financial Reporting Insights (CFRI) Conference (Virtual) | FEI
Latest Trends in FEI
We would like to extend a heartfelt thank-you to everyone who made our recent FEI Silicon Valley events such a valuable and engaging gathering!
We’re grateful to our outstanding pre-Keynote panelists—Matt Padfield, CFO of SambaNova; Mahesh Karanth, CFO of Sonatus; and Karen Moran, CFO of Wellth—for sharing candid, experience-driven perspectives on the evolving role of the CFO.
Moderated by Davina Kaile, Partner at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, the conversation offered practical insight into leading through growth, fundraising, public-market readiness, M&A, strategic transactions, and the operational demands of scaling a company.
We'd also like to say "Thank you" to our Keynote speakers, Sanjay Chandra, Vice President and Global Head of Information Technology at Lucid Motors, and Steve Januario, Chief Information Officer at BILL, for an insightful discussion on AI: Hype or Reality? A CIO’s Perspective on the Future of the Enterprise and the Office of the CFO.
Their perspectives helped cut through the noise around AI, exploring where it is creating real enterprise value today, where it remains in development, and how finance and technology leaders can work together to pursue AI adoption with the right governance, data, security, and business outcomes.
We also extend our sincere appreciation to Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP for being such gracious hosts and providing a wonderful venue for the program.
Most importantly, thank you to our Members, Partners, guests, and everyone who joined us. Your thoughtful questions, participation, and continued engagement are what make the FEI Silicon Valley community so meaningful. As we continue celebrating 50 years of connections, leadership, and community, we look forward to seeing you at the next Keynote event!
Celebrating 50 Years of FEI Silicon Valley: Congratulations to Keynote Event Monthly Raffle Winner!
Congratulations to Jon Moeller, COO of BlocPower, the latest winner of our 50th Anniversary Raffle! Jon took home a $50 bottle of wine at Tuesday night's Keynote event.
In the months leading up to our 50th Anniversary Celebration this April, each Keynote event will feature a raffle, and one lucky attendee will take home a celebratory bottle of wine.
It’s just one more reason to join us each month as we toast 50 years of connections, leadership, and community!
Financial Officers Forum - Next Week
The Financial Officers Forum (FOF) is one of the most valuable perks of an FEI Silicon Valley Membership. This exclusive, virtual forum brings together CFOs, Controllers, and senior finance leaders for a candid, off-the-record exchange on what’s happening right now across their client work.
No presentations. No fluff. Just real conversations, real challenges, and real solutions, all shared in a confidential, peer-driven setting.
ou’ll get direct insight into what consulting CFOs are seeing across industries, plus practical ideas you can apply immediately. Recent conversations have covered everything from SaaS metrics and ASC 606 audits to board compensation and PEO strategy. Plus, AI is always a topic of interest when we get together.
Come ready to engage, share, and talk out your thinking with experienced peers. When you register, submit a question you want answered and help shape the conversation!
Financial Officers Forum will be held virtually on Friday, July 24th, from 12:00 pm - 1:15 pm Pacific.
FEISV Members & Partners, Other FEI Members, and Non-Members: Free | Registration: Here
Nominations Are Open: 4th Annual Women CFOs of the Year Awards
Nominations are now open for the 4th Annual Women CFOs of the Year Awards, recognizing exceptional women whose financial leadership strengthens organizations, shapes strategy, and inspires the next generation of accounting and finance professionals. See the form attached to nominate yourself or another deserving financial executive.
This is an opportunity to spotlight CFOs who bring rigor to the numbers, clarity to complex decisions, and leadership that extends well beyond the finance function.
Honorees will be recognized across five categories:
- Public Company CFOs at organizations with market capitalization of $1 billion or more
- Public Company CFOs with market capitalization below $1 billion
- Private Company CFOs at organizations with revenue of $50 million or more
- Private Company CFOs with revenue below $50 million
- Non-Profit Organization CFOs
Whether she is guiding a public company through change, helping a growing private business scale responsibly, or advancing a mission-driven organization, nominate a leader whose work deserves to be celebrated.
The awards honor women who lead, inspire, and motivate others while making meaningful contributions to their organizations and to the broader accounting and finance community.
Nomination form is attached to this email.
Please submit nominations by the end of the day on October 30, 2026.
4th Annual Woman CFO of the Year Awards Dinner will be held at the Green Hills Golf & Country Club on Wednesday, November 18th, from 5:30 pm - 8:00 pm Pacific.
FEISV Members & Partners: Free | Non-Members: $275 | Registration: Here
Select Sponsorship Opportunities: 4th Annual Women CFOs of the Year Awards
The 4th Annual Women CFOs of the Year Awards will take place on November 18 at Green Hills Golf & Country Club, bringing together an exceptional community of leaders who are shaping the future of finance.
This event is a platform to recognize and elevate women who are driving innovation, strengthening organizations, and inspiring the next generation of financial leadership. Their impact extends far beyond their roles, influencing industries, workplaces, and communities.
Sponsoring this event is a meaningful opportunity for your organization to align with that impact. It positions your brand alongside excellence, leadership, and progress in the accounting and finance space. More importantly, it demonstrates a clear commitment to supporting and advancing women in executive roles—something that resonates with clients, partners, and employees alike.
With a range of sponsorship options available (some with limited availability), now is the time to secure your place and ensure your organization is part of this important evening.
To explore and claim sponsorship opportunities, please download the sponsorship form attached to this email.
4th Annual Woman CFO of the Year Awards Dinner will be held at the Green Hills Golf & Country Club on Wednesday, November 18th, from 5:30 pm - 8:00 pm Pacific.
FEISV Members & Partners: Free | Non-Members: $275 | Registration: Here
Why AI Fails In Corporate Finance – and How to Get Ahead
AI is rapidly reshaping the finance function, but its value depends on a data foundation built for the precision, control, traceability, and complexity of financial information. Join FEI for a highly impactful webcast that brings together industry experts for a practical discussion on what it really takes to make finance data AI-ready.
Designed for CFOs, finance transformation leaders, and senior technology stakeholders, the session goes beyond the hype to examine the decisions that determine whether modernization creates measurable value or unnecessary risk.
You will explore why finance data must be managed differently from other enterprise data, what “AI-ready” truly means in a financial environment, and which changes to data architecture are needed before AI can deliver trusted intelligence, speed, and stronger decision-making. The discussion will also show how Fynapse helps organizations maintain control, compliance, and confidence without compromising innovation.
For leaders navigating complex modernization programs, this webcast offers a clear framework for moving forward. Learn how to build alignment with CIOs, CTOs, and CDOs; reduce disruption as you modernize critical finance data; and create a roadmap that unlocks the full potential of AI across the finance function.
Why AI Fails In Corporate Finance – and How to Get Ahead will be held virtually on Tuesday, September 29th, from 10:00 am - 11:00 am Pacific.
FEISV Members & Partners, and Other FEI Members: Free | Registration: Here
Don’t Be Fooled by Slowing GDP. The Economy is Strong.
Gross domestic product slowed to 1.5% in the second quarter in the United States, but a large part of that slowdown can be attributed to a significant increase in the trade deficit that subtracted 1% from overall growth.
In the end, the top-line GDP figure, which decelerated from 2.1% in the first quarter, offers a misleading indication of just how strong the American economy is.
The rise in the trade deficit was caused by imports needed for the buildout of artificial intelligence infrastructure that is transforming the American economy.
If anything, those imports paint a portrait of strength, robust consumer demand and inflation that remains above the Fed’s 2% target.
Beneath the top-line figure, growth looks much firmer and inflationary as the GDP price index advanced by 6.2% and the core personal consumption expenditures index, the Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge, rose by 3.4% on a quarter-over-quarter basis.
The rise in the GDP price index was the sharpest since the 2022 inflation shock.
Learn more. Read Don’t Be Fooled by Slowing GDP. The Economy is Strong via our Gold Partners at RSM.
FEISV Member of the Week
Janice Bradley is a strategic finance and accounting leader with deep experience supporting high-tech, software, and innovation-driven organizations. She currently provides controller and accounting-management services through Seonaid Accounting while serving on the FEI Silicon Valley Board and Partners Committee.
Her background includes controller, finance, and SOX consulting roles with VividLogic/SeaChange International, Sony Electronics, and Unisys. Janice has led financial reporting, strategic planning, cash-flow management, revenue recognition, internal controls, audit readiness, M&A due diligence, and international consolidations. She brings particular expertise in partnering with CEOs, boards, and investors to strengthen financial integrity, streamline processes, manage risk, and support growth at pivotal stages of a company’s evolution.
FEISV Partner of the Week
RSM is a leading provider of audit, tax, and consulting services focused on the middle market. They guide their clients through business challenges by understanding their needs and bringing together the right team to address them. RSM US LLP is the U.S. member of RSM International, a global network of independent audit, tax and consulting firms with more than 43,000 people in over 120 countries.
CONTACTS:
Adam Fauvre
Director
[email protected]
(408) 594-0876
Ahmad Ejaz
Audit Partner
[email protected]
(408) 572-4473
Special Thanks to Our Strategic Partners
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