World's Largest Networking Group of Senior Financial Executives

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The Financial Executives Networking Group (The FENG)

Connect

Build meaningful relationships with 25,000+ CFOs, Controllers, and Treasurers (and other top financial executives) across all industries.

Learn

Access expert tactical insights through peer networking, editorials, and thought leadership content from financial leaders sharing real-world experience.

Grow

Attend one of 400+ annual events hosted by 80+ U.S. and International Chapters, plus 40+ Special Interest Groups; access Job Leads, Career/Job Clubs, peer referrals, and insider opportunities.

Give Back

Share your knowledge and experience by guiding and mentoring other members. Take on a chapter, club, or committee leadership role. Donate to our 501(c)(3) to support our operations.

Upcoming Events

Connect with peers, learn from industry leaders, and stay engaged. View the full event calendar.

Read, Listen, and Watch

The Financial Executives Journal (FEJ), The Financial Executives Edge (FEE) Podcast, and our YouTube Channel (@TheFENGorg) provide a continuous stream of practical, peer-driven thought leadership for today’s financial executive.

About Us
Double-Edged-Shield

SPOTLIGHT: AI and Cybersecurity

The Financial Executives Journal

Cybersecurity is evolving faster than ever, powered by artificial intelligence. AI is transforming how organizations detect threats, predict vulnerabilities, and respond in real time—turning cybersecurity from a reactive necessity into a strategic business advantage.

I invite forward-thinking leaders, AI innovators, and cybersecurity experts to share insights on how AI is reshaping the security landscape, driving enterprise resilience, and unlocking new growth opportunities.

Read the Spotlight Articles
Ep-11-The-Illusion-of-Control-Wide-720x480

PODCAST: The Illusion of Control: Cybersecurity, AI and the Risks Beneath the Surface

The Financial Executives Edge

The conversation around cybersecurity and AI is often dominated by visible threats: ransomware, phishing attacks, data breaches, and the race to deploy more advanced tools. But some of the most significant risks organizations face today are not the ones making headlines. They are the hidden structural weaknesses quietly building beneath the surface of modern enterprises.

In this episode, we explore cybersecurity through a lens that is often overlooked: the growing disconnects between where organizations believe risk exists and where exposure is actually building.

Listen to the Podcast
World-Class CFO

Top 5 Lessons to Become a World Class CFO & Beyond

Unlock Leadership, Influence & Career Acceleration

Are you operating like a top-tier CFO or just keeping up? What separates world-class CFOs from the rest? What skills will elevate you to the next level of leadership and influence? And what’s holding you back that you don’t even realize?

Many financial executives hit a plateau because they rely on the same skills that got them here. But as the saying goes: “What got you here won’t get you there.” In this exclusive FENG session, Julie Jackle, Founder & CEO of Growth Axis, will share the 5 key lessons she’s learned from 17 years of coaching elite CFOs and CEOs. 

Watch on YouTube

Career Management Editorials

The competition is fierce

No one ever said it would be easy. And, when it comes to finding a job after the age of 40, it can easily become a demoralizing situation. For those who are even older, like in our 50’s or 60’s, it can be extremely difficult. Let me start you out with the idea that you are no longer the least expensive product out on the market. You bring a wealth of experience to the party, and those on the other side of the desk feel obligated to pay more to you than for someone earlier in their career should they decide to hire you. It’s true, of course, that they should pay more, but what is often missed is your value proposition. Your value proposition is where you have to focus your persuasive energies. Oscar Wilde once said that a cynic is a man who knows the price of everything but the value of nothing. In job search terms, it is often true that if the salary to be paid is $150,000, the hiring manager wants to pay this sum to someone who will find himself well paid and happy. Interestingly they don’t appear to be as concerned about getting the greatest value for their money, like hiring someone who previously earned (and was worth) $175,000. Their concern, valid or not, is that you will not be happy and leave at the first opportunity. The secret of personal selling, which is what you do as a job seeker, is handling customer objections. Often times the customer objection is like an 800 pound gorilla sitting in the room. Everyone knows it’s there, but no one wants to talk about it. Typically there are about 20 viable candidates presented to a hiring manager. Out of these 20, he/she will select 5-10 to interview. ALL of the candidates presented will, at least on paper, be fully capable of doing the job. If the search firm or human resources department has done their job well, the candidates will have varied backgrounds and bring slightly different things to the party. No two human beings on the face of the earth are identical and/or perfect substitutes for one another. Simply stated, the product we sell is “been there and done that.” While you want to avoid the trap of talking only about past achievements, your years of experience should give you a leg up if you present them properly. The “knock” is 20 years of experience – 1 year of experience repeated 20 times. My sales approach is that there are lots of things that only happen once a year, and you have done them 20 times. What this means is you won’t be seeing a situation as new and try to reinvent the wheel. You will see it as a variation on a theme you have solved many times. The perception of the hard working young executive is true. They work hard because they have the energy of youth. (Oh, how I remember my 30’s, but it was a long time ago.) That said there is an element of “digging ditches and filling them in again” that is not entirely obvious to the rest of the world. My suggestion to all of us who still want to work is to accept the fact that you need to fight even for a job that is in a sense “beneath your dignity.” There are more than enough qualified candidates at all times and for every job that even if you could do it and would do it (with one hand tied behind your back) for the money on the table (and be happy to have it), you will have to dispel the myths and make the sale to get them to offer it to you. The competition may be fierce, but if you enjoy a good fight as much as I do, have at it and give them your best shot. (By the way, sucker punching is permitted. It is one of those “all’s fair in love and war” things.) Regards, Matt
Nov 4, 2026

Hard won personal relationships

The world is actually built on a series of personal relationships.
Nov 2, 2026

Networking, networking and more networking

For those of you who are new to networking and for those of you who think you know everything about networking, I thought I would take tonight’s editorial space to distinguish for you the 3 kinds of networking.
Nov 1, 2026

Member Testimonials

After being unexpectedly let go from a senior financial leadership role at age 40, Steve found himself navigating a job search he had never prepared for. Without a roadmap, he struggled — until he joined The FENG. Through peer-level support, disciplined networking, and proven career strategies, Steve rebuilt his confidence and approach. Within six months, he landed the best role of his career. Today, he continues to support The FENG so other financial executives can find clarity, connection, and their next great opportunity.

Steve Cary, Inside Out Partners

Marty joined The FENG in 2015 after a prolonged period of financial instability and layoffs at his company finally resulted in his own job loss. Introduced to the organization by a co-worker, he used FENG’s guidance to navigate periods of transition, taking on temporary assignments he may have otherwise overlooked. Through the newsletters and practical job-search discipline he learned, Marty stayed engaged even after landing a role that lasted seven years.
Years later, when his next employer began facing financial trouble, Marty began preparing early — using FENG’s resume approach. That preparation paid off: a recruiter found him, driven by the depth of his full career history, not just recent roles. He secured a new leadership position and started within weeks. Marty credits The FENG for helping him stay ready, visible, and strategically positioned throughout his career.

Marty Kierzek, Director of Finance, Axelent, Inc.

After spending more than two decades building a stable executive career with a global energy company, Steve’s role was eliminated following a major corporate merger at age 46. Suddenly in transition, he joined The FENG and fully committed to the process — attending chapter meetings, refining his resume, and applying disciplined networking strategies from the nightly newsletters.
After nearly a year of searching, Steve discovered a role through a FENG newsletter listing that was not posted anywhere else. He secured the position and went on to spend 16 years with the company, achieving greater professional and financial success than he thought possible. Even in retirement, Steve continues to support The FENG, crediting the organization with changing the trajectory of his career.

Karen Justice, Managing Partner

Membership Benefits:

  • Trusted Job Leads
  • Presentations, Panel Discussions
  • Career/Job Clubs
  • Mentoring and Résumé Reviews
  • Elevate thought leadership through The Financial Executives Journal
  • Elite-Level Executive Networking

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Built by Financial Executives, for Financial Executives

two financial executives telling war stories to each other

The Power of Networking. The Power of Friendships.

Born from one executive’s simple idea, The Financial Executives Networking Group began in 1991 as a small circle of twelve finance leaders who believed in one uncommon principle: generosity first. In the early years, Matt Bud joined the group and soon took on a leadership role, helping nurture the philosophy that would guide its growth into a worldwide community of more than 25,000 senior-level professionals — all still connected by the same spirit that launched it.
At The FENG, our mission is simple and human: to support one another through every chapter of a financial career — working, searching, transitioning, consulting, and even into retirement. We are a community built on lifelong networking, knowledge-sharing, and the understanding that no executive should navigate their career alone.
And at the heart of it all is reciprocity. We have a shared expectation that every member gives as much as they receive. This ethos has guided our community from day one and continues to shape who we are today: a network of leaders lifting one another up, one connection at a time.

Our Story

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