As a discipline, treasury has a critical role to play in helping deliver company success. Their critical role in areas such as M&A and cash management is well known, but a treasurer involved in broader business-strategy can also provide significant value by helping drive business expansion plans as well as launching initiatives and helping deliver strategic change throughout the business. A strong Group Treasurer can make a significant business difference far beyond treasury itself, having an input into direction of the business as well as ensuring this is delivered.

However, being afforded this level of responsibility and being able to exert influence is not a given within most companies. Becoming a “strategic treasurer” requires change and direction from the treasurer themselves, as well as an understanding at board-level of the value they can bring. In this wide-ranging keynote interview, Carlos de la Peña, SVP Treasury at BP, will consider the role Treasury should have at board level and the value this can bring. The conversation will consider:

• How can a treasurer maintain a presence throughout the business and ensure visibility beyond the boundaries of treasury?
• What value can the treasurer give when involved in strategic business decisions, and how can they ensure their voice is heard
• What are the soft skills needed to exert influence at a leadership level of an organisation?
• How can you overcome a more traditional idea of the role of treasurer and change entrenched perceptions?

Carlos De la Peña

Senior Vice President Treasury
BP

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As the political landscape evolves in the U.S. under the new presidency, the ripple effects on treasury operations may be significant, given the critical role of the U.S. market in the global economy. As changing policies emerge from the new administration, the implications for currency fluctuations, trade tariffs and global supply chains are front of mind for businesses worldwide. For treasury leaders, the ability to anticipate and plan against future scenarios will be key to both seizing opportunities and well as maintaining financial stability.

This session will provide:

• A deep-dive into the potential impacts of ‘Trumponomics’ on treasury operations, focussing on the macroeconomic outlook of the U.S. and how shifts in policy could necessitate need for altering of financial forecasting and risk profiles.
• Gain timely takeaways to stay agile and optimise cash flow armed with expert-led insights on economic trends in the U.S.
• Uncover what factors play into global and international macroeconomic trends, in particular the determinants of “equilibrium” real interest rates.

Professor Andrea Ferrero

Professor of Economics
University of Oxford

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As companies’ cash positions take on greater significance in board-level discussions, there is a growing demand for treasury functions to be fully equipped to navigate potential geopolitical risks and their implications. This includes understanding how such risks can affect liquidity, insurance coverage, and supply chain financing, ensuring treasury is prepared to manage these challenges effectively.

With significant consensus that geopolitical and economic volatility is on the rise, treasury groups must be adept at managing risk, as events ranging from political instability, through to trade conflicts and regulatory changes, impact currency markets, interest rates and supply chains. The ability to quickly assess and mitigate these risks is paramount to safeguarding liquidity, protecting against adverse market movements, and ensuring smooth operations across borders. To support strategic growth, event in turbulent times, this panel will discuss:

• In the event of geopolitical disputes: How can treasury pre-plan against conflicts to ensure agility and continuous operations?
• How can treasury do better scenario analysis, to be readily reactive with contingency plans in place?
• In what ways can treasury balance financial risk for company projects with broader financial strategies?
• Reflections: What do our panellists wish they had handled better when reacting to geopolitical instability? Protect against pitfalls. 

Pedro Madeira

Group Treasurer
Impala Terminals

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Erik Hultman

Group Treasurer
Elcowire

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Amar Farooq

Group Treasurer
Westcon-Comstor

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The volatility of global interest rates over the past year has posed a major issue for treasures, and while there are signs these may be going down, the fluctuations and rises have brought interest rates high up the priority list of treasurers, as the necessity to make decisions quickly on debt structures whilst balancing capital needs is creating workload constraints in teams.

As such, better preparedness for future hikes is a must. This panel is designed to pick the brains of industry thought-leaders on current practices mitigating risks and forward thinking approaches:

• What processes & hedging strategies can be put in place to more effectively weigh up interest rates
• Analysis of the varying perspectives on interest rates and strategies businesses can adopt to safeguard themselves against rate hikes
• In what ways can businesses offset interest rates and make the most of rises?

Pedro Madeira

Group Treasurer
Impala Terminals

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Tim Lin

Treasury Director, Debt Capital Markets & Risk Management
JT International

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With the increasing frequency and sophistication of bad actors within businesses, protecting sensitive financial information and ensuring robust internal controls is becoming more critical for treasurers – Yet implementing strong controls and maintaining efficiency is a difficult balance to strike.

This expert-led presentation, will delve into the latest thinking on establishing a culture of vigilance and the hallmarks of effective fraud prevention frameworks, to provide concrete takeaways for stronger defences, earlier threat detection and the design of resilient processes, considering:

• What key internal controls should treasury departments implement to proactively detect and prevent fraud, and how can these controls be effectively integrated into existing processes?
• How can treasury teams use technology and data analytics to identify suspicious activities early and respond before fraud escalates?
• What role does company culture play in preventing internal fraud, and how can treasurers foster a culture of integrity and vigilance across the organisation?

Claire Maillet

Counter Fraud Expert
PhD Researcher of Internal Fraud

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As treasury leaders increasingly transition into strategic partners within their organisations, a primary focus is enhancing data analytics capabilities. Artificial intelligence stands as a crucial enabler in this transformation, offering the potential to drive unprecedented efficiencies and bolster decision-making processes. Now is the time for organisations to seriously explore AI's capacity to revolutionise operations and provide insights in ways previously unattainable.

AI is unquestionably going to become a widespread reality amongst treasury departments today. The question is, how can leadership today equip themselves and their teams with the insights needed to understand AI’s capabilities and risks, to not be left behind when it comes to capitalising on its benefits.

This session is designed to practically prepare leaders to deliver AI integration in treasury operations, including:

• Exploring the intelligence and adaptability of AI and its practical applications, identifying the range of possibilities to achieve improved outcomes based on its capabilities
• Understanding where ‘science fiction’ comes into play, helping treasurers recognise when AI may not be advisable and why, ensuring they avoid unnecessary considerations
• Identifying AI use cases that unlock efficiencies in decision-making, with a particular focus on data validation and policy development
• Identify how AI can help transform your cash flow process, speeding preparation and identifying opportunities for you to work with your business to optimise cash resources available for growth

James Kelly

Co-Founder
Your Treasury

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