10 things not to miss at AFP San Diego 2017

GTNews will be reporting live from this year’s AFP conference in San Diego. Here are 10 of the best sessions taking place next week – we hope to see you there!

1. Tuesday Keynote: Finance & The Hidden Brain
Listen as NPR’s social science correspondent and author of The Hidden Brain, Shankar Vedantam explores how the behaviour and decision making of individuals and organizations are shaped by hidden psychological factors they rarely stop to consider. Like a puppeteer behind a curtain, these stealthy forces shape our perceptions, judgement and decisions.

When: Tuesday 17th, 3.15pm

2. Fintech & Millennials: The Perfect Storm
As millennials continue their rise to positions of leadership, the pace of innovation in financial technology will advance exponentially. The confluence of fintech and millennials will result in a new layer of technology dictated by the millennial push for an improved user experience and fintech’s incorporation of machine-learning capabilities argues Brian Orr, senior manager of treasury, Instructure. Orr will host this session alongside Carlos Vega, CEO and co-founder, Tesorio, Inc.

When: Monday 16th, 11.15am

3. Addressing Cash Forecast Challenges
Setting up a direct cash forecast can be challenging. In this session Saumya Mohan, Americas region treasurer for Tesla Inc. looks at how to get around cash forecasting challenges. This includes the use of inputs from people rather than systems to drive home accountability, weekly presentations and analyses of the forecasts to highlight risks and potential upsides, and close coordination with FP&A to reconcile differences to the company plan and leverage inputs.

When: Tuesday 17th, 10.30am

4. Treasury Transformation: The Evolution of the Treasurer’s Role
Globalisation and the expansion of technology, a worldwide financial crisis and regulatory reform: These trends and others have ushered in a new century, ripe with risk and uncertainty, as well as opportunity. Treasury organisations can lend critical insights into finance and risk issues, thus helping their organizations achieve success with their strategic, business and financial objectives. This session will be hosted by Fred Schacknies, senior vice president and treasurer, Hilton; Colleen Ostrowski, SVP and treasurer, Visa; Davide di Gennaro, CTP, Director, treasury advisory services, PwC and Jeffrey Williams, CTP, senior director, American Tower.

When: Monday 16th, 4pm

5. AFP MindShift Breakfast
Don Tapscott, the co-author of ‘Blockchain Revolution and Wikinomics’ and author of ‘The Digital Economy’, will host a breakfast on ‘Blockchain Revolution’. He argues that blockchain technology will not only transform financial services, but also the structure of the corporation, while having profound implications for competitiveness, business strategy and leadership.
When: Tuesday 17th, 8am

6. Brexit: What, When, How?
This session is a “must” with respect to business continuity planning in corporate treasury around one of the most complex changes in European pass-porting history. Featuring a State of the Union and segueing into practical considerations for all companies moving and managing funds across Europe, attendees will gain geo-political insights and explore the SEPA membership options under different market access models in this cutting-edge session. It will be led by Google’s treasury manager, Elmer Dispo, CTP and Barclays Bank’s senior product manager Nicola Coyne and head of government relations, Peter Gordon.

When: Monday 16th, 4pm

7. Making Data More Human
Jer Thorp, co-founder of ‘Office for Creative Research’ and former data artists in residence at the New York Times puts abstract data into a human context to address the question, “How can understanding the human side of data lead to effective change?” Thorp’s cutting-edge visualizations use technology and data to help us learn about the way we use digital technologies, become more empathetic in the data age, and ultimately, tell the story of our lives.

When: Tuesday 17th, 12 noon

8. Practical Cybersecurity Advice for the Treasury & Finance World
World famous cybersecurity expert, ethical hacker, author and former US Marine, Bryan Seely shares his insights on how secure our companies really are. From payment systems to email scams he shares strategies treasury and finance professionals can employ to ensure they are protecting their organisations from a potential breach.

When: Wednesday 18th, 9.45am

9. Are Companies More Powerful Than Countries? How the Roles of Business & Government Will Merge in the Future
Rana Foroohar, global business columnist and associate editor of The Financial Times sketches ways that the most creative companies are taking on jobs that used to be part of the public sector and the risks and potential rewards that come with it.

Tuesday 17th, 12 noon

10. The Return of Returns: Transforming your Investment Strategy for a Nonzero Interest-Rate World
The long, cold winter of zero interest rates has begun to thaw. To capitalize on these changes, treasury teams need to: 1) develop a new investment strategy for a shifting interest-rate environment, 2) have a clear picture of the company’s liquidity position, and 3) communicate investment strategies effectively with senior leaders. Hear from the treasurer of The Carlyle Group and eBay’s head of global investments as they discuss developing their post-2008 investment policies and strategies, optimizing the treasury investment function for a non-ZIRP world, and best practices for building world-class treasury investment programs.

When: Tuesday 17th, 10.30am

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