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SAN DIEGO, March 23, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION ENDS SOON!  Only 8 more days to take advantage of the Early Bird registration. You can save money by registering now. Conference information is available online at http://www.abfointernational.org/WP/2016conferenceregistration. For general information, and questions about registration and billing, please contact Genie Hawkins at abfogenie@comcast.net.

CFOs and other senior biotech and life science finance executives have a unique opportunity to become more effective leaders by attending the 2016 Association of Bioscience Financial Officers (ABFO) National Conference, the industry's premier financial executive event, taking place May 24-27, 2016, at the San Diego Hilton Bayfront.

More than 200 financial executives will gather to discuss opportunities, challenges in the industry as well as best practices that will provide participants tools to become more effective strategic business partners, better tactical business operators and improve their skills from the negotiating table to the Board Room. The comprehensive agenda includes dynamic keynote addresses, panel and presenter-led discussions, unprecedented opportunities for interactive learning and insight into contemporary issues relating to the life sciences industry. 

Featured speakers will include Shankar Vedantam, NPR's social science correspondent, author and the host of the Hidden Brain podcast and Jim Thomas, a Washington attorney, author, speaker, trainer and one of the most acclaimed and respected negotiators in the United States. Guest speakers will include Joe Quinlan, Managing Director, Chief Market Strategist at Bank of America; Darren Snellgrove, Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer of Johnson & Johnson Innovation and Johnson & Johnson Development Corporation; and Andrew Fastow, former Chief Financial Officer at Enron.

Program Highlights:

• Innovation: Challenges in health and health care and innovative solutions;
• Negotiations:  From managing and resolving workspace conflicts and sharpening negotiation skills to mastering strategies for increased effectiveness and advanced negotiation;
• Mergers & Acquisitions: The panel discussion will examine merger and acquisition activity and how organizations are working to optimize their acquisitions and realize the full value of post-deal synergies; the panel will also examine trends in life sciences M&A activity;
• Managing and Dealing with the Board of Directors:  A panel discussion with a CEO's view on how Finance executives can deal effectively and efficiently with the board of directors;
• Washington Update: Panel discussion on new regulations and their impact on the industry;
• Biotech Primer: Closing the gap between finance and science professionals;
• Susan G. Komen Survival Panel: How the life science industry is improving the lives of patients and saving lives.

Conference participants will have an opportunity to network throughout the conference, including evening events.

"In this challenging financial market for our industry, the pressure is on financial executives to provide leadership and guidance," said Vanessa Jacoby, Vice President, Finance, of PharmAkea Therapeutics and co-chair of the conference. "The 2016 ABFO conference is packed with valuable tools to provide our members with training on skills that they can have an immediate impact."

Dan Chevallard, Vice President, Finance and Accounting at Regulus Therapeutics and co-chair of the conference, continued, "We expect participants will find the conference to be a rewarding experience, providing opportunities for an incredible amount of learning and knowledge. In addition to learning from recognized industry leaders, participants can earn over 17 CPE credits and have an opportunity to network with peers. The conference provides participants an unmatched opportunity to advance their leadership, expand their network and fundamentally improve their contribution as leaders in their organization."

The 2016 ABFO National Conference is sponsored by Aon, Bank of America, Ernst & Young, Hughes Marino, Latham & Watkins, Medidata, Merrill Corporation and Oxford Finance.

About ABFO

Formed in 1989, the Association of Bioscience Financial Officers has 11 chapters that serve as forums for the exchange of information about the industry and networking. Regional chapters are based in top bioscience hubs to allow for face-to-face meetings and discussion of hot topics of interest to bioscience financial officers. The regional chapters meet annually at the ABFO National Conference for extended networking. For more information, visit http://www.abfointernational.org

Media Contacts:

David Schull
Russo Partners LLC
Tel: (858) 717-2310
Email: david.schull@russopartnersllc.com

Alex Fudukidis            
Russo Partners LLC
Tel: (646) 942-5632
Email: alex.fudukidis@russopartnersllc.com

SOURCE Association of Bioscience Financial Officers