The Finance Function of the Future: Equipping Your People to Deliver (Decision Makers Conference)

Ash Noah, CPA, FCMA, CGMA
Vice President - CGMA External Relations
American Institute of CPAs

Ashok Noah, CPA, FCMA, CGMA, is vice president of CGMA external relations at the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA). In this role, he serves as a liaison to CFOs and CEOs to understand how finance teams are evolving and guides AICPA initiatives to help finance and accounting professionals create more value for their organizations. Noah is responsible for elevating awareness among employers and finance leaders of the Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA) designation, which develops confident and competent business leaders through a structured approach to skills development. He works closely with the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) in the U.K. in that effort.
 
Noah joined the AICPA in 2012. Prior to the AICPA, he served as CFO of the international unit of TNT Express, the global transport and logistics provider and led finance teams in 45 countries through significant transformation. He has been involved with mergers and acquisitions in Brazil, Chile, India and Spain. 
 
Noah is a licensed U.S. CPA and a Fellow of CIMA. He is based in Durham, North Carolina.

Pauline Le, CPA, CGMA, CITP
Vice President - Finance
Birkman International, Inc.

Pauline is a CPA, CGMA, and CITP with over 10 years of practical private company and nonprofit CFO and Controllership experience.  She currently serves as the VP of Finance and Treasurer of Birkman International, a 65-year-old personality assessment company based in Houston, TX. In this role, she is responsible for the protection of business assets and the integrity of company’s financial information. As an early adapter of the Global Management Accounting Principles, Pauline has leveraged the CGMA Competency Framework to build and develop Birkman's finance team while overseeing compliance with legal regulations, managing shareholder and third-party relationships, driving business process improvements, and collaborating with management to recommend and implement growth strategies.

Prior to joining Birkman International, Pauline served as Director of Finance for the Independent Petroleum Association of America, a not-for-profit organization in Washington DC, and had worked in public, not-for-profit, and governmental accounting.  Pauline is a University of Maryland graduate, and an active member of the AICPA and currently serves on the AICPA Controllers Conference Steering Committee.