AFP Conversations

Treasury and finance professionals are in a unique position to influence the strategic direction of their organizations. As such, they need certain skills that allow them to influence key decision makers.

AFP 2020 host and spotlight speaker Mark Jeffries joins this episode of AFP Conversations to discuss the art of influencing. An author, communications expert and former Merrill Lynch stockbroker, Jeffries has become a trusted advisor and communications consultant to some of the world's largest and most successful corporations. He's published two books, and has just launched two highly innovative e-learning courses. At AFP 2020, he'll provide financial professionals with an instantly usable toolbox of communication and networking tools designed to help them become strategic influencers.

Register for AFP 2020 here.

The external market influences and risks that organizations must account for in their planning cycles have never been more chaotic. In this episode of AFP Conversations, AFP 2020 Certification Keynote Mona Sutphen discusses how financial sanctions and investment restrictions are a critical tool in U.S. policy.

Sutphen served as the White House Deputy Chief of Staff under President Barack Obama, and has also been a Managing Director for UBS AG. She has more than 20 years of experience advising Fortune 500 companies on the intersection of geopolitics, policy, and markets. In her upcoming conference session, Sutphen will explain how sanctions can directly and indirectly affect corporate treasury and finance.

For treasury and finance professionals, peak performance is no longer optional—it's foundational. Studies of high performing organizations show that the secret to peak performance is "flow" – an optimal state of consciousness where we feel and perform our best.

In this special edition of AFP Conversations, AFP President and CEO Jim Kaitz discusses flow and peak performance with Steven Kotler, Executive Director of the Flow Research Collective. Kotler is a New York Times bestselling author, an award-winning journalist, and one of the world's leading experts on high performance. His book "Stealing Fire" was a national bestseller and nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. His previous book, "The Rise of Superman," was the first book in history to appear on the New York Times bestseller lists in the sports, science, psychology, and business categories simultaneously.

At the AFP 2020 Executive Institute, Kotler will discuss how treasury and finance professionals can harness flow and amplify performance. Using examples drawn from multiple blue-chip enterprises, as well as his own experience working with executives, he will cutting edge neuroscience into practical, applicable steps for organizational transformation.

Corporate treasury and finance professionals require a quick access to accurate data and the ability to draw insightful analysis to propel their organizations forward. As we navigate this current crisis, forecasting the future has only become more complex and uncertain. So how can we take what seems to be disparate information and reveal the deeper underlying connections?

In this special episode of AFP Conversations, AFP President and CEO Jim Kaitz speaks with Amy Webb, CEO and founder of The Future Today Institute, on how to spot those underlying connections and broader patterns. Webb is one of America's leading quantitative futurists, a professor of strategic foresight at the NYU Stern School of Business, and a bestselling, award-winning author. As the AFP 2020 Mindshift Keynote, she will discuss how treasury and finance professionals can harness futurist strategic tools to benefit their organizations.

The 2020 AFP Liquidity Survey was conducted in March 2020, just before the true impact of the coronavirus pandemic was felt in the United States. But even though respondents were surveyed before businesses began closing down, the results revealed cautious attitudes among treasury and finance professionals. In this episode of AFP Conversations, sponsored by Invesco, we discuss the survey results with Laurie Brignac, CIO of the Invesco Global Liquidity Fixed Income Group, and Justo Gonzalez, Invesco's Head of Global Liquidity Research.

Is artificial intelligence the next must-have tool in FP&A's planning toolkit? AI has the potential to enhance FP&A in four key areas: data cleansing, forecasting and prediction, categorization and scoring, and driver-based planning. That's because unlike other programs, AI is able to gather information. And the more it does, the more it can think for itself, allowing for endless possibilities in the finance realm.

In this episode of AFP Conversations, sponsored by Santander, Dr. Liran Edelist, President of Jedox; Jamie Cousin, Manager of Financial Planning and Analysis for ServiceMaster; and Bryan Lapidus, FP&A, AFP's Director of the FP&A Practice; discuss how FP&A is implementing these technologies.

Cash forecasting is a difficult task that every treasury department must deal with. Can artificial intelligence help? It has the potential to improve processes, save costs and enhance treasury's decision-making for liquidity, working capital and currency exposure management. In the latest episode of AFP Conversations, sponsored by Santander, we look at how AI and Big Data are leading the path to powerful decision-support and automation of treasury. Discussing this complex topic are Nicolas Christiaen, CEO & Co-Founder of Cashforce and Ron Chakravarti, Managing Director, Treasury and Trade Solutions for Citi.

In this special edition of the AFP Conversations Podcast, Jim Kaitz, President and CEO of AFP, speaks with skateboarding legend Tony Hawk. Widely considered to be the greatest in his sport, Hawk started his own foundation, created a video game that inspired a generation, and is the most recognized action sport figure in the world. He'll be appearing at AFP 2021 as the Sunday Keynote speaker, where he'll discuss the importance of maintaining authenticity in your career and in life. In this interview, he provides a preview of his presentation.

AFP 2021 takes place Nov. 7-10 in Washington, DC. The early registration deadline is through June 25, 2021. To learn more about the event and to register, visit AFP2021.org.

In this special edition of AFP Conversations, members of the AFP 2020 Planning Task Force preview the agenda for the upcoming conference, which will take place in Las Vegas, from October 18-21.

First, Tracy Butler, CTP, CFO of Sound Transit, provides a preview of the FP&A track. Next, Ray Beasley, CTP, Senior Manager of Treasury for Best Buy, previews the Payments track. After that, Jenifer Herdin, CTP, Vice President of Corporate Treasury for PVH Corp. previews the Treasury Management Track. Last but not least, John Nielsen, CTP, Treasurer for Henniges Automotive, Inc., provides a look at the Capital Markets, Investments and Risk Management track.

For more information on AFP 2020 and to register, go to: AFP2020.org.

Upgrading technology to optimize processes, controls and reporting has become essential for treasury. What was once seen as optional has gradually become a requirement. Treasury management system (TMS) selection in particular can be a long and difficult process, but the end result typically makes it all worthwhile. In the latest episode of AFP Conversations, sponsored by Santander, Kjell Aansloekken, Director of International Treasury for MTD Products Inc., Kevin Huxoll, Manager of Global Treasury Operations for Levi Strauss, and Colin McAlpine, Principal of Treasury Strategies, discuss how improving technology has gone from a nice-to-have to a must-have for treasury.