CFO StraTech 2025 | Dubai, UAE

NetNex Global has scheduled the 25th edition of CFO StraTech for September 18, 2025, in Dubai. For fintech professionals and finance leaders, the summit represents a critical pulse-check on how the Middle East is navigating the intersection of AI-driven digital transformation, ESG regulatory pressures, and the need for resilient capital growth in a volatile global market.

What was announced

The milestone edition of the event will convene under the theme “The Strategic Trifecta: Balancing Growth, Sustainability & Resilience.” The agenda is designed to address the multifaceted challenges of the modern financial landscape, specifically focusing on how digital acceleration and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) mandates are reshaping the CFO’s traditional responsibilities in the region.

The event features a lineup of more than 20 speakers from various sectors. Key participants include Zahra Al Dahmani of the Federal Tax Authority, Ahmed Atef Ghoneim, VP & CFO for Middle East, Pakistan & Sub-Saharan Africa (Beverages) at PepsiCo, and Dr. Mohamed ELRouby, Associate Vice President of Global Commercial Finance at Pharmanovia. Other confirmed speakers represent major global and regional brands, including Sujay Sarkar, Chief Financial Officer at Advanta Seeds, Mohammad Shehab, VP Finance in Industrial Automation LoB at Schneider Electric, and Thomas Teo, Chief Financial Officer at Jameel Motors. The list also includes Eugenie R, Head of Finance at KIKO MILANO, Duygu Prigent, Head of Finance Middle East – Personal Care Division at Unilever, and Ignacio Anglada, Group Chief Financial Officer at Taqeef.

The summit expects to host over 200 delegates representing more than 130 companies on September 18, 2025. The program includes six hours of networking and peer-to-peer exchange, with sessions dedicated to four primary pillars. These include AI, Data & Finance Transformation, which looks at leveraging intelligence for decision-making; Sustainability & ESG Integration; Risk & Compliance, focused on navigating geopolitical and regulatory volatility; and Capital Efficiency & Growth Strategies, aimed at enabling profitability during periods of uncertainty.

The companies involved

The 25th CFO StraTech is organized by NetNex Global, positioning the event as a long-standing fixture for finance leadership in the Middle East. The companies represented at the summit reflect a broad cross-section of the regional economy, ranging from government bodies like the Federal Tax Authority to multinational consumer goods giants and industrial leaders.

PepsiCo and Unilever represent the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector, where supply chain resilience and sustainability are currently top-tier financial priorities. Schneider Electric and Jameel Motors bring perspectives from industrial automation and the automotive industry, sectors heavily impacted by the transition to green energy and digital-first operations. The inclusion of Pharmanovia highlights the specialized financial strategies required in the global pharmaceutical market, while Advanta Seeds and Taqeef represent the agriculture and cooling solutions sectors, respectively. This mix of participants suggests a focus on cross-industry knowledge sharing, where the regulatory insights of the public sector meet the operational agility of private enterprise. The event serves as a bridge between these diverse corporate structures, all of which are currently grappling with the same pressures of digital transformation and ESG integration in the Dubai hub.

What this means

The focus of this 25th edition signals a permanent shift in the CFO’s mandate from fiscal gatekeeper to strategic architect. By placing AI and ESG at the center of the agenda, the event highlights that technological literacy and sustainability are no longer "extra" skills but core requirements for financial survival. The industry is under pressure to move beyond traditional reporting toward real-time, data-driven decision-making. This raises significant questions for the sector regarding the speed of AI adoption and whether current financial frameworks are robust enough to handle the dual demands of aggressive growth and strict ESG compliance in a fluctuating economic climate.