PETALING JAYA: The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Forum 2026, organised by Star Media Group (SMG), brought together more than 150 finance leaders and industry experts to explore the evolving role of finance in driving growth and resilience.
The two-day event, now in its second year, featured discussions on financial leadership, digital transformation, governance, sustainability, cyber risk, taxation and value creation under the theme “Finance That Impacts, Growth That Inspires”.
Strategic partners included the Malaysian Financial Planning Council (MFPC) and the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants (AICPA) & CIMA.
Held on Sept 22 and 23 at the Petaling Jaya Marriott Hotel, the forum opened with a keynote address by Khazanah Research Institute Research Adviser Prof Dr Jomo Kwame Sundaram and featured prominent senior finance leaders from various industries.
In his speech, he spoke about the role of finance in driving national growth and fiscal resilience under the 13th Malaysia Plan.
“Finance can play very important and crucial roles in supporting growth but it is a terrible master,” he stressed.
He said the distinction between financial and direct investment was particularly important for finance leaders, as not all investment necessarily increased an economy’s productive capacity.
“Direct investment can enhance productive and economic capacity, while financial investment largely involves the transfer of funds between different activities,” he said.
Prof Jomo also highlighted the difference between greenfield and brownfield investment, saying the former could add or expand economic capacity while the latter generally involved taking ownership of existing assets.
He said corporate finance had also become increasingly short-term in its focus, with companies and policymakers facing pressure to deliver results over shorter periods.
“It introduces a certain kind of short-termism in the way that the economy is managed, in the way that corporations are managed.
“This short-term approach could create challenges for long-term economic development, particularly when financial considerations overshadow productive investment,” he said.
An engaging discussion followed, focusing on how value-based Islamic finance can mobilise responsible capital, strengthen resilience and broaden access to funding for businesses, innovation and sustainable economic development.
The plenary session was moderated by Ernst & Young PLT Senior Executive Director, Norhayati Yakap. The panelists were Association of Shariah Advisors in Islamic Finance (ASAS) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Makhtar Abdullah, Bank Muamalat Malaysia Berhad Chief Economist Dr Mohd Afzanizam Abdul Rashid and ISRA Associates CEO Assoc Prof Dr Mohamed Eskander Shah Mohd Rasid.
The next session highlighted the growing financial threat from AI-enabled fraud and deepfakes and how CFOs can strengthen controls, governance and organisational readiness against increasingly sophisticated attacks.
The session was moderated by Foodie Media Berhad Chairman Yeoh Chen Chow and panelists included Ernst & Young Consulting Sdn Bhd Partner and Head of Forensic & Integrity Services Malaysia Joyce Lim, Geodis Malaysia Sdn Bhd Finance Director Chee Cheng Han, HAVI Logistics (M) Sdn Bhd Country Head of Finance Christina Ong and Huawei Technologies (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd Cyber Security Privacy Officer (CSPO) Lee Han Ther.
Another exciting discussion was on how finance leaders can integrate ESG into business strategy and potentially turn sustainability into a source of long-term financial advantage.
The session was moderated by Ernst & Young Consulting Sdn Bhd’s Associate Partner Jasmine Voo and panelists included ESG Association of Malaysia (ESGAM) President Adjunct Practice Prof Cheah Kok Hoong, Pos Malaysia Berhad Group Financial Controller Jessimah Sulaiman and VAT Group Finance Director Sanjeev Selvarajah.
The next panel shed views on how AI and automation are reshaping finance roles and the capabilities, judgment and leadership needed to build future-ready teams that can work effectively alongside intelligent technologies.
Moderated by SRKK AI Berhad Chief Strategy Officer Alex Lam, the panelists are AirAsia MOVE CFO Ramanathan Thiagarajan, Shell Business Operations Financial Planning and Analysis Lead Dylan Low and Unilever (M) Holdings Sdn Bhd former Finance Director Kelly Chong.
The first day ended with an important discussion on “When Things Do Not Go As Planned: Financial And Governance Lessons From Corporate Crises”.
The panel shared lessons on navigating corporate crises through decisive financial leadership, sound governance, transparent communication and the resilience to protect value while steering organisations through uncertainty.
The session was moderated by Malacca Securities Sdn Bhd CFO Rachel Hong Pui Chee, joined by panelists UEM Sunrise Berhad CFO Hafizuddin Sulaiman, Vantris Energy Berhad former Chief Restructuring Officer Andy Chew and Volvo Car Group Finance Transformation & Business Leadership Regional Finance Leader Faisal Irfan.
The second day kicked off with a presentation by UEM Sunrise Berhad Board Member and Chairman of the Governance and Risk Committee, Chari TVT, on how CFOs can price uncertainty, build resilience and use scenario planning, capital allocation and strategic flexibility to turn geopolitical and market volatility into business opportunities.
The next plenary session featured PEMANDU Associates Joint Managing Director and Partner Aida Azmi, who examined the CFOs’ evolving mandate from financial custodian to strategic foresight leader, navigating changing capital markets while balancing governance, disciplined capital allocation, risk and emerging opportunities.
“Chief Financial Officers will now have to move more and more to be a Chief Foresight Officer,” she said.
This was followed by a panel session discussing the CFO’s growing role as an anchor of organisational stability, balancing financial discipline with commercial ambition while giving businesses the confidence to make bold decisions amid uncertainty.
Titled “CFO: The New Chief Stability Officer“, the discussion was moderated by PricewaterhouseCoopers Risk Services Sdn Bhd Partner Ting Choo Wai and was joined by panelists Green Packet Berhad CFO Farizul Yahaya, MAMEE-Double Decker CFO Lionel Lim and Premium Vegetable Oils Sdn Bhd Head of Strategy and Revenue Growth Humayun Habib.
Another session explored how technology, automation and better data can transform tax from a compliance obligation into a more agile, transparent and strategically valuable business function for CFOs.
It was moderated by Ernst & Young Tax Consultants Sdn Bhd Asean Tax Leader Partner Amarjeet Singh and joined by Maxis Berhad Head of Tax Fitriah Yusof, former APACSA Regional Finance Control Director McCain Diana Cheang and Ernst & Young Tax Consultants Sdn Bhd Associate Partner Ville Antikainen.
The forum concluded with the final session on how SMEs can make disciplined choices between investing, borrowing, raising equity or preserving capital to pursue growth without compromising cash flow, resilience or long-term control.
The session was moderated by Endeavor Managing Director Shan Li Tay while being joined by panelists Weblite & Enginemailer Founder and Chief Executive Officer Jeffri Shahul Hamid, Orlig Sdn Bhd Co-Founder and Customer Experience Visionary Officer Yvonne Ng and Reanda LLKG International PLT Managing Partner Datuk Koong Lin Loong.
The Chief Financial Officer Forum 2026 is organised by SMG through the Leaders Council.
The Leaders Council by SMG is an exclusive platform that brings together C-suite leaders for bold conversations, real-world insights and transformative collaboration.
Built for decision-makers, this dynamic space goes beyond networking to spark strategic dialogue, peer-driven learning and practical solutions to today’s toughest business challenges.
