Record Attendance Expected at Association of Bioscience Financial Officers (ABFO) 2016 National Conference

SAN DIEGO, May 3, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Association of Bioscience Financial Officers (ABFO) today reported that record attendance is expected at the organization's national conference, which will take place May 24-27 in San Diego, CA. 

With its central theme "Financial Leaders in Bioscience, Innovation.  Integrity.  Influence.", the Conference is seeing pre-registration numbers close in on 200, driven by the strong interest in a broad range of keynote and guest speakers, and breakout sessions.  This year's conference has registrations from every major biotechnology geographic "hub" in the United States, extending into Canada.  Topics and seminars will include a negotiation master class, public speaking, bridging the gap between financial and science leaders in business and how we think about innovation, communication and risk. In addition, expert panelists will discuss trends in mergers and acquisitions, a CEO's view of managing and interacting with Boards of Directors, and more. Featured speakers and sessions include:

• Shankar Vedantam, NPR's social science correspondent, author and the host of the Hidden Brain podcast
• Jim Thomas, a Washington attorney, author, speaker, trainer and one of the most acclaimed and respected negotiators in the United States
• Joe Quinlan, Managing Director, Chief Market Strategist at Bank of America
• Darren Snellgrove, Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer of Johnson & Johnson Innovation and Johnson & Johnson Development Corporation
• Andrew Fastow, former Chief Financial Officer at Enron
• A motivating and inspiring glimpse into patient's perspective on surviving cancer, and emphasis on the importance of innovation in drug discovery, hosted by the Susan G. Komen San Diego Foundation

ABFO National Conference 2016 Topics - Highlights

The following sessions are a preview of content for the upcoming 2016 ABFO National Conference. Please check the conference agenda on the website periodically for updates.

Guest Speaker: Joe Quinlan, Managing Director & Chief Market Strategist, U.S. Trust, Bank of America, Private Wealth Management

Mr. Quinlan's talk will cover the main drivers of long-term change as key to investment success in the 21st century. We are at the beginning of a secular growth phase for the U.S. economy driven largely by the rebalancing of global growth from the developed to the developing world. Joe will discuss the long-term drivers, the macro forces and investment themes at play across industries that are taking us into the next growth cycle.

Panel Discussion:  A CEO's View of Managing and Interacting with Your Board of Directors and Audit Committee 

This panel will bring together a seasoned group of industry veterans to discuss the current life sciences challenges presented and the opportunities and the role of the CFO in supporting the company and Board of Directors. Also, CEOs will discuss their perspectives on the role of finance in an organization and how the CFO can go from being a number cruncher to a trusted advisor to the CEO and Board.

Panel Discussion: Washington Update

This panel will provide an inside look at the issues facing the life science industry and how legislators in Washington DC and state capitals have an influence over how management runs companies. The Jobs Act, and Affordable Care Act are just two examples of major pieces of legislation that were influenced by our panel members and impacted the industry.  The IPO window many companies took advantage of was propelled by the initiatives in the Jobs Act.  The $5 billion R&D grants from the Affordable Care Act provided life science companies a needed shot in the arm as we struggled to raise capital in the depths of the recession and was the only portion of the bill where Washington actually paid out funding to assist an industry. SEC reporting, IRS tax rules, and the FDA approval process are all in the hands of our legislators and are on the forefront of advocacy issues our panel will discuss. 

"We are pleased that the ABFO Conference continues to provide a venue for financial officers to come together to discuss the state of the industry," commented, Vanessa Jacoby, Vice President, Finance at PharmAkea Therapeutics and co-chair of the 2016 National Conference. "The national participation of speakers and attendees provides a unique perspective of this innovative industry."

Dan Chevallard, Vice President, Finance and Accounting at Regulus Therapeutics and co-chair of the conference, said, "In addition to learning from industry leaders, participants can earn over 17 CPE credits and network with peers. The conference provides participants an unmatched opportunity to advance their leadership, expand their network and fundamentally improve their contribution as leaders in their organization."

Registration can be completed online at: http://www.abfointernational.org/WP/abfo-national-conference/ through May 22, 2016.  The cost to attend the conference is $1,400, and over 17 hours of continuing education credits are available.  For general information about the conference, and questions about registration and billing, please contact Genie Hawkins at [email protected].  

The 2016 ABFO National Conference is sponsored by Aon, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Ernst & Young, Hughes Marino, Latham & Watkins, Medidata, Merrill Corporation, Oxford Finance and R&D Logic. The conference is also supported by Russo Partners.

About ABFO

Formed in 1989, the Association of Bioscience Financial Officers has chapters nationwide that serve as forums for the exchange of information about the industry and networking. Regional chapters are based in top bioscience hubs to allow for face-to-face meetings and discussion of hot topics of interest to bioscience financial officers. The regional chapters meet annually at the ABFO National Conference for extended networking. For more information, visit http://www.abfointernational.org

Media Contacts:

David Schull
Russo Partners LLC
Tel: (858) 717-2310
Email: [email protected]

Alex Fudukidis  
Russo Partners LLC
Tel: (646) 942-5632
Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Association of Bioscience Financial Officers

Related Links

http://www.abfointernational.org