Afp Conversations

Finance executive Anders Liu-Lindberg of Maersk explains to AFP Conversations host Ira Apfel why he became a prolific blogger -- and how writing sharpens his thinking. He also talks about FP&A and business partnering, and how his new role blends finance and HR. 

Vikram Gupta, Vice President at Oracle Financial Services, talks to AFP Conversations host Ira Apfel about artificial intelligence and machine learning and how they will impact financial services and products used by corporate treasury and finance professionals. 

Leslie Chacko, a principal in Oliver Wyman's Digital, Technology and Analytics practice, explains how finance executives can keep pace with the enormous changes fintech and blockchain promise to bring. Chacko and Oliver Wyman are part of AFP MindShift, which gathers innovators, disruptors and experts to discuss technology's role in corporate finance and treasury, in partnership with the Association for Financial Professionals and Starfish Leadership.

Robert Tercek, author of "Vaporized: Solid Strategies for Success in a Dematerialized World," spoke with AFP Conversations host Ira Apfel about how treasury and finance professionals can invent their future and thrive in a world of constant chaos. Tercek is scheduled to speak at AFP2017.

Interest rates are on the rise -- and many treasury and finance professionals have never operated in this environment. AFP Conversations host Ira Apfel interviews Amol Dhargalkar, Managing Director for Chatham Financial, to get his insights on implementing an interest rate hedging program. Dhargalkar advises companies on financial risk management, and he says the number of organizations seeking his advice is on the rise since the Fed raised funds in March.

Television host and AFP2017 keynote speaker Mike Rowe completed more than 300 dirty jobs in his career. So what can he teach treasury and finance professionals working in an office? Listen to Rowe tell AFP Conversations host Ira Apfel about his stint as an opera singer, his unconventional advice for college graduates, and the dirtiest job you couldn't pay him enough to do again.

Magnus Carlsson, Manager of Treasury and Payments at the Association for Financial Professionals, discusses the results of the 2017 AFP Payments Fraud & Control Survey, underwritten by J.P. Morgan. Nearly three quarters of corporate treasury and finance professionals said their companies were victims of payments fraud last year, the highest percentage since the survey debuted in 2005.

More than 1.8 million meetings and conferences are held in the United States each year by one estimate. But have you ever thought about what it takes to plan one? And how far in advance does it take to plan a conference for 6,500 people? In this episode of AFP Conversations, veteran event planner Kristina Mechelis explains how she and her team put together the biggest event in treasury and finance. Kristina also previews what's new at the upcoming AFP 2017 this October in San Diego.  Learn more about AFP 2017 at www.AFP2017.org.  Download more AFP Conversations at www.AFPonline.org/conversations.  If you subscribe to AFP Conversations on your favorite podcast app, please give it a review -- it will help other listeners find the show. Thanks!  

In this episode of AFP Conversations, Don Tapscott, best-selling author of Blockchain Revolution, explains why blockchain technology will fundamentally change what we can achieve online, how we do it, and who can participate. Tapscott will be speaking at AFP 2017 this October in San Diego. Find out more at AFP2017.org. Download more AFP Conversations at www.AFPonline.org/conversations.  If you subscribe to AFP Conversations on your favorite podcast app, please give it a review -- it will help other listeners notice the show. Thanks!  

So just what is financial planning and analysis anyway? Like many practitioners, at first Jake Hammon thought it was about forecasting, budgeting and spreadsheets. Now he's not so sure. Today Hammon acts more like an internal consultant to his company's business units. "Honestly that's one of the things I pitched to new hires as they come in," he says. "It's one of the benefits of working in FP&A." In this edition of AFP Conversations, hosted by Ira Apfel, Jake Hammon talks about the changing role of FP&A, what he looks for when hiring for his team, and all the crazy things he did as a member of his college's Financial Society Management Consulting Club. (Okay, not really.) You can hear more AFP Conversations at www.AFPonline.org/conversations.  If you subscribe to AFP Conversations on your favorite podcast app, please give it a review -- it will help other listeners notice the show. Thanks!

Just in time for Tax Day, the IRS issued a new new phishing scam warning. This ingenious new threat combines business email compromise and W-2 fraud; cybercriminals posing as company executives send emails to employees in payroll and HR, requesting a list of all employees and their W-2 forms. The result: stolen money and reams of confidential data.  In this episode of AFP Conversations, host Ira Apfel talks to Brian Lapidus, Practice Leader, Identity Theft and Breach Notification, with Kroll, a risk management firm. Lapidus explains what treasury and finance professionals can do to fight this new battle in the war on cyberfraud, and he reveals other new cyberscams as well as additional advice. You can hear more AFP Conversations at www.AFPonline.org/conversations.  If you subscribe to AFP Conversations on your favorite podcast app, please give it a review -- it will help other listeners notice the show. Thanks!

Vipal Monga covers the world of corporate treasury and finance as a reporter and editor with The Wall Street Journal. In this episode of AFP Conversations he gives a preview of the coming battle over corporate tax reform, what he's hearing from treasurers and CFOs that he regularly speaks with, how his background as a documentary film maker informs his business reporting, and more. Follow Vipal on Twitter at @VipalMonga. You can hear more AFP Conversations at www.AFPonline.org/conversations.  If you subscribe to AFP Conversations on your favorite podcast app, please give it a review -- it will help other listeners notice the show.   

Gauthier Vasseur has held many roles in his career: auditor, controller, marketer, strategist, to name several. These days, though, he’s probably best known as an educator -- he lectures on data science at Stanford University and in organizations around the world. His goal is to help students rely less on spreadsheets and more on smart data-driven processes. Vasseur believes treasury and finance professionals need to become data CEOs, relying less on technical skill and more on intellectual curiosity. In this episode of AFP Conversations, Vasseur tells host Ira Apfel why spreadsheets need to be set aside, how anybody can be a data scientist, why it’s so important to be professionally curious, and more. Vasseur will lead a virtual seminar, “Leading with Data: Design Efficient and Sustainable Data-Driven Processes for Treasury and Finance,” in May. You can learn more and register at www.AFPonline.org/training. You can listen to more AFP Conversations at www.AFPonline.org/conversations.

After 25 years in corporate treasury and finance, Eric Matheny remains on the cutting edge. The Vice President of Corporate Finance and Treasury for Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty has embraced fintech and offers a glimpse into his company's blockchain venture.  A Certified Treasury Professional, Matheny also talks about what he learned while working abroad and how it influenced his leadership style and his treasury management strategy. Finally, Matheny is on the planning committee for the upcoming AFP Executive Forum, May 21-23 in New York City, exclusively sponsored by Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Learn more about the AFP Executive Forum at www.AFPonline.org/executiveforum. Listen to more AFP Conversations at www.AFPonline.org/conversations.    

When the IRS and Treasury Department proposed changes to Section 385 of the tax code, corporate treasurers and CFOs went ballistic. Besides discouraging corporate tax inversions, they claimed the proposed changes would make everyday cash management functions like cash pooling nearly impossible. Now the final 385 regulation is out and due to take effect soon. Is it easier on treasurers and CFOs? And will the Trump administration repeal this Obama-era holdover? In this edition of AFP Conversations, host Ira Apfel talks to Melissa Cameron and Michael Mou of Deloitte. Cameron, U.S. & Global Treasury Leader, and Mou, Principal at Deloitte Washington National Tax, explain the final rule and what treasury and finance professionals must do to prepare.  Download more AFP Conversations at AFPonline.org/conversations, or subscribe in your favorite podcast format so you never miss an episode! If you do subscribe, please leave a rating -- it helps other people find the show. And be sure to follow AFP on Twitter @AFPon

When it debuted last year, Same Day ACH promised to make payments faster and more secure. So how's it doing?  In the latest episode of AFP Conversations, Michael Herd, Senior Managing Director, ACH Network Rules at NACHA, discussed the progress of the Same Day ACH program. Herd commented on how the initiative is going and its challenges, the future of Same Day ACH, and why treasury and finance professionals should take advantage of it. Download more AFP Conversations at AFPonline.org/conversations, or subscribe in your favorite podcast format so you never miss an episode! If you do subscribe, please leave a rating -- it helps other people find the show. And be sure to follow AFP on Twitter @AFPonline and at Facebook.com/AFPsocial. 

Corporate treasurers have a lot on their plate these days: Geopolitical risk, regulatory risk, blockchain, fintech... and of course their traditional duties too. To take stock of all their challenges, many global corporate treasurers will gather in New York City in May at the AFP Executive Forum, sponsored by Bank of America Merrill Lynch. And the host of this event is the guest of the latest AFP Conversations: Craig Martin, Director of Executives Programs and Treasury Practice Lead at AFP. Craig previewed the Executive Forum, the sessions and keynoters. He also talked about the challenges he's been hearing from his corporate treasurer contacts.   Download more AFP Conversations at www.AFPonline.org/conversations. 

Financial planning and analysis faces different challenges across the globe -- as Anne-Marie Rice will tell you. In this episode of AFP Conversations, Anne-Marie, Director, EMEA at AFP, provided the view from the UK and Europe on corporate treasury and finance. She discusses trends in FP&A, which she sees as the future of the finance function. Connect with Anne-Marie Rice and read her posts. Visit www.AFPonline.org/conversations to hear more treasury and finance conversations. Got a topic you'd like us to discuss? A great treasury and finance professional who deserves to be heard? Contact Ira Apfel.  

Chris Voss is the founder and CEO of the Black Swan Group as well as the author of the new book, Never Split The Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It. Chris worked 24 years at the FBI as a hostage negotiator. He's a favorite speaker with corporate treasurers and CFOs -- and now with Hollywood executives, too. Visit www.AFPonline.org/conversations to hear more treasury and finance conversations.

How do you go from client services to preparing data for National Hockey League player contract negotiations? Daniel Tolensky has the details. In this episode, Tolensky discusses doing FP&A in the advertising industry and online gaming industry, how he got his start as a hockey blogger, and how it led to his role helping a major sports agency represent NHL players at the negotiating table. Visit www.AFPonline.org/conversations to hear more treasury and finance conversations.