The Equipment Leasing and Finance Association announced the agenda for its 2023 Lease and Finance Accountants Conference and recognized the members on its 2023 financial accounting committee. This year, the conference will be offered both in-person from Sept. 11- 13 in New Orleans and virtually at a discounted rate. The three-day event will provide the latest information on accounting and financial reporting issues affecting the $1 trillion equipment finance sector.

“Accounting professionals today are being challenged to lead, interpret and navigate fast-changing business environments like never before,” Jay Wilensky, senior vice president of accounting and finance at Chicago Freight Car Leasing and chair of the ELFA’s financial accounting committee, said. “Make sure you not only reinforce your current technical and soft skills but also stay on top of the new trends and regulations by attending the Lease and Finance Accountants Conference on Sept. 11-13. There’s nowhere else you’ll find this level of operational and accounting information you need to succeed, along with the opportunity to network and exchange best practices with peers and other industry leaders.”

Highlights from the 2023 Lease and Finance Accountants Conference agenda include:

• General sessions on “as-a-service” contracts, lease accounting challenges in the current economic environment, the state of the economy with Robert F. Wescott, what’s new from representatives from the FASB and IASB, and accounting and audit-related questions
• Breakout sessions on the capital markets, CECL, climate financing, ESG, lease and loan pricing, navigating the lease accounting guidance, sale leasebacks, securitizations and syndications, tax law and more
• Pre-conference session on fraud

Attendees will be eligible to receive 15 continuing professional education credits from the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy. The agenda also includes multiple networking events, including a New Orleans walking tour, a newcomers reception and a 5K fun run.

Attendees also will have access to a host of technology-related sessions at the ELFA’s Operations & Technology Conference, which will be held concurrently at the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel in New Orleans. Attendees may participate in both conferences at no extra cost. Both conferences will share an exhibit featuring lease and finance accounting software and other technology-related processes and systems.

In addition to Wilensky, the members of the ELFA’s 2023 financial accounting committee who are helping to plan the Lease and Finance Accountants Conference, include:

• John Bober, Managing Member, IXL Lease Advisory Services (Past Chair)
• David Abplanalp, COO, BMO Harris Equipment Finance
• Therese Babiash, Director of Accounting Policy, GATX
• Deborah Brady, Senior Vice President and CFO, Key Equipment Finance
• Matthew Derba, Partner – National Assurance, CohnReznick
• Kyle Elken, Controller, DLL
• Matt Esposito, Partner, Grant Thornton
• Joseph Guage, CFO, First American Equipment Finance, an RBC/City National Company
• Shawn Halladay, CLFP, Chief Financial and Operating Officer, Pitney Bowes Global Financial Services
• Marc Jerusalem, Managing Director of Accounting and Consulting Services, PricewaterhouseCoopers
• Gary Kabureck, Retired Board Member, IASB; Former Corporate Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer, Xerox
• Tim Kolber, Managing Director of Accounting Advisory and Transformation Services, Deloitte
• Jeffrey Lezinski, Senior Vice President of Solution Architecture, Odessa
• Herbert Lohmann, Global Leasing Controller – HFS, Healthcare Financial Services, GE Healthcare
• Scott Muir, Partner – Department of Professional Practice, KPMG
• Steven Pinamonti, Senior Technical Accounting Manager, IBM Financing
• Derrick Prine, Controller for U.S. and Canada, John Deere Financial
• Sumeet Puri, Controller and Principal Accounting Officer, Caterpillar Financial Services
• Joseph Sebik, Director of Tax, Siemens Financial Services
• Charlie Shannon, Partner, Moss Adams
• Mamta Shori, CFO, Wells Fargo Equipment Finance
• Jeremy Simons, Partner, Ernst & Young
• Amie Sweeney, Vice President, CBRE
• Rick Thompson, Director of Structuring and Transaction Management, Bank of America Global Leasing