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AFP Conversations

Andrew Deichler, Multimedia Content Manager for AFP, interviews corporate treasury and finance executives about their latest challenges and insights. Topics include blockchain, fintech, cybersecurity, payments, risk, FP&A, career development, and more.
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Now displaying: 2019
May 28, 2019

From 2004 to 2008, Fran Townsend served as Assistant to President George W. Bush for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, and she chaired the Homeland Security Council.

Townsend spent 13 years at the U.S. Department of Justice under the administrations of President George H. W. Bush, President Bill Clinton and President George W. Bush.

Today, Townsend is a director on the board of three public companies, and she is a senior national security analyst for CBS News.

She regularly appears on network and cable television as a foreign policy, counterterrorism, national and homeland security expert.

Townsend is a featured speaker at AFP 2019 this October in Boston where she is expected to talk about strategic risk and crisis management – when bad news becomes good news. You can learn more at AFP2019.org.

AFP 2019, this October in Boston, is where treasury and finance professionals separate the hype from the reality. Visit www.afp2019.org/register to sign up and use discount code PODCASTAFP2019 at checkout to save $100.

 

May 21, 2019

Payments fraud reached a new high last year. Again. 

According to the 2019 AFP Payments Fraud & Control Survey, 82 percent of organizations reported payments fraud incidents in 2018. That beat the previous high of 78 percent set in 2017.

As always, the AFP Payments Fraud & Control Survey is underwritten by J.P. Morgan.

You can download the entire report at AFPonline.org/paymentsfraud.

Why is payments fraud reaching new heights every year despite so much attention and millions of dollars spent on law enforcement, training and tech solutions? AFP Conversations host Ira Apfel talked to Magnus Carlsson to find out.

Carlsson is the manager of treasury and payments with AFP, and he’s a former payments executive for Volvo. He’s a recognized payments industry expert, and he’s spoken about payments fraud at conferences around the world.   

AFP 2019, this October in Boston, is where treasury and finance professionals separate the hype from the reality. Visit www.afp2019.org/register to sign up and use discount code PODCASTAFP2019 at checkout to save $100.

May 14, 2019

Has blockchain lost its mojo? Today's guests on AFP Conversations podcast disagree. Dr. Sean Stein Smith is an assistant professor at the City University of New York, certified public accountant, and a member of the advisory board of the Wall Street Blockchain Alliance. Roberto Cruz Jr., is a certified treasury professional and Treasury Director for the North American Parent Subsidiary of Suez North America.

Stein Smith and Cruz frequently collaborate on treasury and finance thought leadership. They explain the practical applications for blockchain that exist right now.

AFP 2019, this October in Boston, is where treasury and finance professionals separate the hype from the reality. Visit www.afp2019.org/register to sign up and use discount code PODCASTAFP2019 at checkout to save $100.

May 2, 2019

U.S. companies built their cash reserves at a much slower pace in the first quarter of the year than in the last quarter of 2018, according to the AFP Corporate Cash Indicators®. What does that mean for the domestic economy?

Kevin Kane, Managing Director with BMO, joins AFP Conversations host Ira Apfel to give his thoughts on the state of corporate cash. 

The CCI is a quarterly survey of senior corporate treasury and finance executives conducted by AFP and underwritten by BMO.

Get the full results of the 2Q19 CCI at www.afponline.org/CCI.

Apr 30, 2019

In part two of a two-part interview executive coach Chip Colbert joins host Jim Kaitz for a special AFP Conversations: Leadership Series podcast.

Colbert led an executive coaching series at AFP 2018. He was so well received that he and his executive coaching series will return to AFP 2019 this October in Boston. Read Colbert's top 10 leadership traits

Working with Starfish Leadership and the Fully Charged Institute, which he co-founded, Colbert has coached hundreds of leaders in numerous organizations to help them improve their performance. He’s also the Managing Director of ITC Global Advisors, a consulting firm that brings private sector innovation to international security challenges.

Over a 20-year career in the United States Army, Colbert served in a number of leadership positions and deployed worldwide in support of military operations. Colbert is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, and he holds a Master of Arts Degree in Organizational Psychology from Columbia University.

"Chip has a knack for drawing out insights and wisdom and figuring out how to improve your performance," Kaitz said. "He’s really been an amazing resource for me, so I invited him to be on the podcast so you can learn from him as well."

Kaitz is chief executive and president of the Association for Financial Professionals

AFP 2019, this October in Boston, is where treasury and finance professionals separate the hype from the reality. Visit www.afp2019.org/register to sign up and use discount code AFP2019EXEC at checkout to save $100.

Apr 23, 2019

There is so much going on in the payments space today – mobile, digital, blockchain, and more. But let’s not forget Real Time Payments, which launched a little over a year ago. Developed by The Clearing House and its 25 owner banks, RTP is the first new payments infrastructure in the U.S. in more than 40 years. The first real-time payment occurred on November 13, 2017 and was a $3.50 transfer between BNY Mellon and U.S. Bank -- but it took only took three seconds to settle.

So it makes sense that an executive from one of those banks joins AFP Conversations host Ira Apfel to explain why Real-Time Payments is such a big deal.  

Adam Kruis is Vice President, Working Capital Consultant, Treasury Management with US Bank. Before that he was with GE Finance. Adam talks to treasurers all the time so he understands their challenges as well as he knows Real Time Payments.

AFP 2019, this October in Boston, is where treasury and finance professionals separate the hype from the reality. Visit www.afp2019.org/register to sign up and use discount code PODCASTAFP2019 at checkout to save $100.

 

Apr 23, 2019

In part one of a two-part interview (look for the second half next week), executive coach Chip Colbert joins host Jim Kaitz for a special AFP Conversations: Leadership Series podcast.

Working with Starfish Leadership and the Fully Charged Institute, which he co-founded, Chip Colbert has coached hundreds of leaders in numerous organizations to help them improve their performance. He’s also the Managing Director of ITC Global Advisors, a consulting firm that brings private sector innovation to international security challenges.

Over a 20-year career in the United States Army, Colbert served in a number of leadership positions and deployed worldwide in support of military operations. Colbert is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, and he holds a Master of Arts Degree in Organizational Psychology from Columbia University.

Colbert led an executive coaching series at AFP 2018. He was so well received that he and his executive coaching series will return to AFP 2019 this October in Boston. Read Colbert's top 10 leadership traits

"Chip has a knack for drawing out insights and wisdom and figuring out how to improve your performance," Kaitz said. "He’s really been an amazing resource for me, so I invited him to be on the podcast so you can learn from him as well."

Kaitz is chief executive and president of the Association for Financial Professionals

AFP 2019, this October in Boston, is where treasury and finance professionals separate the hype from the reality. Visit www.afp2019.org/register to sign up and use discount code AFP2019EXEC at checkout to save $100.

Apr 9, 2019

Are you an extrovert or an introvert? In the finance world we tend to associate expertise with extroverts. They can command a room and dominate a presentation with their confidences. Introverts? They’re too quiet, and not charismatic enough. They sit in their cubicles and take orders.

John Sanchez disagrees. He thinks we’ve got it all backwards. In fact, he believes introverts have innate abilities that are critical to effective communication—especially in finance. John goes so far as to call introversion a superpower.

Sanchez, who is Managing Director of the FPA Group, explains how introversion is a superpower and how finance professionals can leverage this personality trait. He explained how to turn introversion into jobs, assignments and opportunities.

Please leave a review of AFP Conversations -- it helps other people find the podcast!.

Apr 2, 2019

There’s a ton of new technology out there in treasury and finance world, and you only have so much time in the day to read up about them. More important, treasury and finance professionals only have so much money to spend on them. Even more important, customers will only care about a few of them -- if any.

So what’s a treasury and finance professional to do? 

That’s the question for today’s guests, Dan and Bill Carmody.

Bill Carmody has been in digital marketing since the concept’s inception in 1994. He built some of the first commercial websites for AT&T, MasterCard, CBS and Coors. He placed MasterCard’s very first banner ad on Yahoo, and he’s founded two marketing agencies including his latest, Trepoint.

Dan Carmody is president and executive director of TreaSolution as well as a faculty member at Northwestern University, where he teaches a post-graduate Certified Treasury Professional course.

Mar 26, 2019

Today on the podcast: Fighting low-tech payments fraud.

With all the focus on fintech these days it’s no surprise that when it comes to payments fraud treasury and finance professionals tend to focus on hi-tech fraud like business email compromise and phishing.

But there’s plenty of old-fashioned low-tech fraud that you may have forgotten about. Stuff like embezzlement. And check fraud – which was once again one of the most common forms of fraud in the annual AFP Payments Fraud Survey.

Kasthuri Henry understands this all too well. She spoke about low-tech fraud at AFP 2018. Henry holds a PhD and a CTP. Dr. Henry was the treasury consultant for Warren Buffet’s purchase of Duracell from P&G, and she’s currently driving all post-acquisition simplification and technology integration. In addition, she is the interim treasurer for Duracell assisting with the day-to-day operations.

Please leave a review of AFP Conversations -- it helps other people find the podcast!

Mar 19, 2019

Have you ever wished you could do a better job persuading -- especially at work? Today's guest, Lynne Franklin, is all about helping people do a better job of persuading. Franklin spoke at AFP 2018 in a session titled “Practical Neuroscience: How to Get More People to Agree with You.”

Please leave a review of AFP Conversations -- it helps other people find the podcast!

Mar 12, 2019

Scott Salmirs, CEO of ABM Industries, joins host Jim Kaitz for a special AFP Conversations: Leadership Series podcast. As the CEO of a 110-year-old company with $6.4 billion in annual revenue and 140,000 employees around the world, Salmirs can discuss many things. But this chat focused on digital transformation: How does the CEO of a venerable facilities management firm navigate the wrenching changes brought about by new technology? 

Kaitz also is a CEO -- he's chief executive and president of the Association for Financial Professionals. Listen as these two industry leaders discuss how they navigate digital transformation.

Mar 5, 2019

With a background in finance and IT, guest Tom Blakeley is uniquely qualified to discuss the impact of robotic process automation on FP&A. A director with Performance Architects, Blakeley helps FP&A teams create RPA for their reporting and forecasting. Blakeley will lead a session at FinNext, March 17 to 19, in Las Vegas.

Learn more at www.FinNext.org.

Please leave a review of AFP Conversations -- it helps other people find the podcast!

 

Feb 26, 2019

What does digital disruption mean for finance and FP&A? And how can finance and FP&A professionals navigate the transformation? Brian Mehr, has some thoughts.

Mehr is a vice president at Southern New Hampshire University, where he leads their FP&A department. He's also a speaker at FinNext, March 17-19, in Las Vegas.

Mehr spoke to AFP Conversations host Ira Apfel about how he and his team have redesigned the FP&A and budgeting process at SNHU and the lessons he’s learned along the way. 

Learn more at www.FinNext.org.

Please leave a review of AFP Conversations -- it helps other people find the podcast!

Feb 19, 2019

Stephen Hogan is Vice President Regional Treasury Asia Pacific for Deutsche Post DHL. He's responsible for all treasury, risk and corporate finance-related activities in the Asia Pacific region for Deutsche Post DHL and leads a team that covers more than 140 entities across 41 countries.

Reached at his office in Singapore, Hogan spoke to AFP Conversations host Ira Apfel about the challenges he faces in leading a regional treasury center – particularly in the APAC region. 

Please leave a review of AFP Conversations -- it helps other people find the podcast!

Feb 12, 2019

The right metrics can drive greater profitability. The wrong metrics can lead your organization down the wrong path. Dave Stark and Maik Henkel explain how metrics can mislead, and how they can be updated to become more relevant. They also discuss how to match KPIs with what decision-makers need to know and when they need to know it.

Stark is president of Analysis Team, Inc. and Henkel is Senior Manager, Deputy Director Finance for GlobalFoundries. You can hear them speak about metrics and KPIs at FinNext 2019 this March in Las Vegas.

Learn more at www.FinNext.org.

Please leave a review of AFP Conversations -- it helps other people find the podcast!

Feb 5, 2019

Anders Sorman-Nilsson spoke to AFP Conversations host Ira Apfel about digital disruption. Sorman-Nilsson is the author of "Digilogue: How to Win the Digital Minds and Analogue Hearts of Tomorrow’s Customers." He discussed how companies and finance teams can bridge that digital divide.

Sorman-Nilsson will keynote FinNext 2019 this March in Las Vegas. Learn more at www.FinNext.org.

Please leave a review of AFP Conversations -- it helps other people find the podcast!

Jan 30, 2019

It’s no secret that e-commerce is overtaking traditional brick and mortar retail. So what does that mean for finance and FP&A? Frank Chou talks to AFP Conversations host Ira Apfel about the unique challenges finance and FP&A face in supporting companies' e-commerce efforts, and how he addressed them in his previous roles at Amazon and Chewy.

Chou is a senior FP&A Manager with H&T Battery Components. He will speak about FP&A and e-commerce at FinNext 2019 this March in Las Vegas.

Learn more at FinNext.org.

Please leave a review of AFP Conversations -- it helps other people find the podcast!

 

Jan 28, 2019

It's a New Year's Resolution for finance executives: They plan to deploy corporate cash in 2019, according to the AFP Corporate Cash Indicators, underwritten by BMO. But saying they will draw down reserves on capex, buybacks, dividends and debt payments is one thing -- doing so is another.

Kevin Kane, Managing Director with BMO, joins AFP Conversations host Ira Apfel to give his thoughts on the state of corporate cash. 

Get the full results of the CCI at www.afponline.org/CCI.

Jan 24, 2019

It's more important than ever for FP&A and treasury to work together. Unfortunately, it’s never been more difficult. Alex Galitsky is not a marriage counselor but he does help FP&A and treasury resolve their relationship differences. Galitsky is Director of Finance Transformation/Strategy & Operations with the Peloton Group.

Learn more about finance transformation at www.FinNext.org. 

Please leave a review of AFP Conversations -- it helps other people find the podcast!

Jan 17, 2019

If it’s easier than ever to connect with your co-workers, then why is it so challenging to collaborate at work? Robert “Reb” Rebele calls it the paradox of the connected workforce. Rebele is a researcher for Wharton People Analytics and teaches in the Master of Applied Positive Psychology program at the University of Pennsylvania. He will keynote FinNext 2019 this March in Las Vegas.

Learn more at www.FinNext.org. 

Please leave a review of AFP Conversations -- it helps other people find the podcast!

Jan 10, 2019

Ellen Cooperperson believes that everybody is on a journey -- especially in their career. Managing your career journey takes time and effort. But, if done correctly, it can bring great personal and professional rewards.

Cooperperson is CEO of Cooperperson Performance Consultants, where she’s been coaching business leaders for more than 30 years. She spoke to AFP Conversations host Ira Apfel about what to do if your career journey goes off course.

Learn more at www.AFPonline.org. 

Jan 3, 2019

Why does payments fraud keep growing year after year? It’s not as if treasury and finance professionals aren’t aware of the problem, and they spend plenty of money to fight payments fraud.

Here to report from the front lines of the payments fraud war is Regina Ochev, Vice President and Assistant Treasurer with Prologis.

Please be sure to rate and review AFP Conversations -- it helps other listeners find the show!

Hear more at www.AFPonline.org/Conversations.

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