CFO Studio Magazine with Bernd-Peter Bier, CFO, Bayer

4th QUARTER 2015 WWW.CFOSTUDIO.COM 31 Finer Things Keep Shining Through CFO INNOVATORS HONORED AT THE CFO STUDIO RECEPTION E nglish musician Steve Winwood sings, “The finer things keep shining through,” in his hit song, “The Finer Things.” CFO Studio’s summer reception, held July 14 at the Upper Montclair Country Club, tapped into that song name as a theme. Being honored that evening were the nominees and winners of the 2015 CFO Innovation Awards, which had been presented May 12. Attendees enjoyed samples of Scotch as they learned about the intricacies of the whisky. Fine wines were on hand to be swirled and sipped, and craft beers were savored. A cigar roller demonstrated his craft as he made customized cigars for the group. Experts in all those finer tastes addressed the 100 or so in attendance, offering insights to make connoisseurs of the CFOs. Everyone left the reception a little more buff — their shoes, that is — as TAHAS Technologies and PC company Lenovo sponsored a shoeshine booth that was a big hit. CFO Studio magazine’s Publisher Andrew Zezas hosted the event. Promotional partners were Deloitte, O’Connor Davies, and Robert Half. “This reception offered a fascinating array of the finer things in libations, and although I don’t smoke, the cigars looked interesting. There was superb networking, as always, at CFO Studio, with a lot of great peers. I even got my shoes shined,” said Ed Schultz, Principal at Allendale, NJ–based Highland Business Group, a consulting firm. Mr. Schultz was not the only attendee who praised the opportunities for networking among the New Jersey– and New York–area CFOs and other senior executives. For some, indeed, the networking was the finest part. “I work at a company where I’m surrounded by and interacting with composers, musicians, and producers most of the time,” said Glenn Turell, CFO, Elias Arts Holdings, LLC, based in New York City. “The opportunity to attend the event, where I knew I would be able to network with accomplished CFOs and discuss common business issues and challenges, was something I did not want to miss.” And Mark Toriello, Founder/Director of Marketing and Sales for The Alliance Group, commented that “aside from the great venue and the education provided by the on-site cigar and wine experts, this CFO Studio Reception once again gave me an opportunity to follow up on open items with past contacts as well as engage in new opportunities through the numerous introductions made possible by Andrew with new attendees.” CFOs, and particularly those nominated for 2015 CFO Innovation Awards, made the evening a special one for all concerned. C RECEPTION B C D E F G A A David Rockwood, Albert Caamic B Maureen Wilner, Skip Braun C L. to R. AnnMarie Santamarina, Jessica Hickman, Jim Iemma D Cigar roller E Andrew Savadelis with Scotch whisky expert F L. to R.: Ned Mavrommatis, Robert Weingartz, Andrew Zezas G Walter Brasch EVENTS PROMOTIONAL PARTNERS