Where did the treasury applicants go? | By Pieter de Kiewit

19-09-2022  treasuryXL | Pieter de Kiewit | Treasurer Search  LinkedIn

As treasury recruiters, we should know enough about corporate treasury to do intakes and screen candidates. Also, we should know the latest about what’s happening in the field of recruitment and so we read the publications of Geert-Jan Waasdorp of The Intelligence Group. I would like to share his latest, very interesting article and build the treasury connection.

By Pieter de Kiewit

Labour market pressures are not equally distributed among all employers.

I left a link if you want to read the full article but this is roughly what he says. There is a huge growth in people working since before covid. In parallel, there is a huge decline in active applicants. This pressure in the labour market is not evenly distributed among all employers. The ones that can find new employees can do so because of a strong employer brand and increased investments in own or external recruitment. Also, they are willing to decide quick and offer a better package.

So what does this mean if we project these findings on the corporate treasury labour market? My personal observation is that treasury staff is, on average, less driven by the company brand and more by the job content than candidates from other job types. We learned this working for clients like Tesla and Nike. Employer branding specifically towards treasurers would also be hard, I cannot envision a corporate recruiter promoting his manufacturing company at Eurofinance.

How to adapt?

The obvious low-hanging fruit is that the hiring manager, already at the start of the process, has to organise and choose a mindset in the following: being able to decide quickly, from fewer candidates than before, and offering more than the old standard. Even highly skilled recruiters sometimes underestimate these aspects over time.

The judgement if the internal recruitment team is equipped to tackle the search or whether an external one should do the job – we, Treasurer Search – I will not elaborate on here. What I do want to mention is another obvious source that can be opened. For some of us that are considered a paradigm shift: bringing treasury talent in from abroad, from within the EU or even sponsoring a work permit. I am aware that some of us consider this topic highly political. What I can tell, both from our own organisation, as well as from successful placements with our clients, that this can be a very successful solution. In the Dutch labour market already the majority of candidates placed by us is non-Dutch. This is not a plea to open the borders and not be critical. Regretfully we have examples where this solution did not lead to success as coming to The Netherlands can be hard for the new employee. But also locally found candidates can fail in their new job.

My conclusion is that indeed, the world is different, as is the labour market. And given current demographic developments I do not expect a shift back. Luckily there are solutions but we will have to accept the consequences and cannot lean back. Those that do will shrink and go extinct.

Good luck in your search,

Pieter

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for reading!

Pieter de Kiewit

Embracing the future

15-09-2022 | Cobase | treasuryXL | LinkedIn |

In the final blog in this series by Cobase, we look at how digital transformation impacts skills requirements, how APIs are enabling more accurate and timely decision-making, and key considerations around future bank connectivity.

Treasury teams have had to adjust rapidly to remote working conditions as a result of measures introduced to combat the spread of Covid. To facilitate these new working conditions, treasurers have accelerated their digital transformation efforts through the use of machine learning and artificial intelligence, APIs and cloud technology, and process automation.

Skills such as system integration, business development, data analytics and programming are increasingly valuable, while skills that can be automated are declining in importance.

Treasury teams may not require coding skills, but to maintain relevance they must become a centre of excellence, demonstrate expertise in how new systems work, and integrate with other systems and processes. Treasurers also need to be more proactive in terms of setting their organisation’s strategy and plans for digital transformation.

A simple implementation process that can be completed in days rather than months is seen as vital to the success of digitisation projects, alongside systems that can be implemented and then expand as the business grows.

If treasurers embrace change and build the skills needed to actively participate in digital transformation, they can make the treasury department indispensable and demonstrate why they deserve a seat at the table when digital and technology strategies are being decided.

In terms of specific technologies, the release of application protocol interfaces or APIs that enable connectivity between corporate accounting software, corporate middleware and bank portals has the potential to yield a variety of benefits for corporates, including the availability of balance and transaction information in (near) real-time to enable more accurate and timely decision making and further optimise cash and credit lines.

By allowing the transfer of information specific to the needs of the customer, APIs ensure that only the required data is transferred – meaning limited interface capacity is not wasted on the movement of irrelevant information. In addition, payments can be executed in real-time and connectivity to new banking partners can be achieved more quickly, especially for corporates who work via partners that maintain connections with a wide set of banks.

When it comes to this future connectivity, corporates also need to consider whether their provider will be able to move to the open banking APIs once the banks make them available and will be able to provide APIs to their ERP environment. Determining whether providers can facilitate such a move involves checking on their ability to handle external APIs (from banks, for instance) and whether they have the right licences and capabilities to connect via APIs to these banks’ and corporates’ systems once they are ready.

The potential of blockchain technology to enable banks to design new instruments and new ecosystems to support the great need of securing and financing trade operations – notably for SMEs –  while reducing the constraints and costs of traditional instruments such as letters of credit is also intriguing.

The 7 habits of highly effective treasurers

Why are some treasury teams more adept at managing the financial challenges faced by their enterprises than others? We decided to identify some of the factors that contribute to intelligent treasury management and operational excellence and created an e-book which we would like to share with you. If you follow the habits outlined in this e-book, you will be well on the way to better cash flow and working capital management.

 

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Meet our partners at the EuroFinance next week!

14-09-2022 | treasuryXL | EuroFinanceLinkedIn

 

The EuroFinance will finally open their doors in exactly one week. After two years everyone can meet in person again at the largest and most senior gathering of corporate treasurers worldwide.

For over 30 years, EuroFinance is where best-in-class treasury teams come together with the most innovative fintechs and renowned financial institutions to share experiences, discuss best practices and collaborate to solve the challenges of the day.

Schedule your EuroFinance program in advance

 

Benefit from the extensive expertise of 150 world-class speakers across 3 days of thought-provoking keynotes, lively debates, in-depth case studies and technical discovery labs providing practical insights and key skills to advance your treasury.

With such a great number of high quality sessions it’s wise to schedule your session program in advance.

Click here for the full agenda

Click here for the speakers overview

The line-up of 150 world speakers includes:

  • Kristina Moller, Treasury director, Spotify
  • Wendy Venema, Assistant treasurer, Tata Steel
  • Elise le Clerc Director global treasury Willis Tower Watson
  • Jean-Baptiste Disdet, Treasury technology director, Japan Tobacco International
  • Kristina Moller, Treasury director, Spotify
  • Mack Makode, VP, treasurer, Under Armour
  • Mandana Sadigh, SVP, corporate treasurer, Mattel
  • Victor Pausin, Treasurer – Americas, Nissan Motors
  • Clive Bailey, Treasurer, FCE Bank

Connect with our highly valued partners for a chat and a coffee

 

We are happy to announce that the partners that are highlighted below will host a booth at the expo. Together with them we build the treasuryXL community by delivering daily treasury news, blogs, events and vacancies.

They would love to welcome you at the expo and invite you for a quick chat. You can also book your appointment in advance to secure some extra time. Contact me directly and I will introduce you personally.

Technology sponsors plus

Kyriba

Technology sponsors

TIS

Gold exhibitors

Nomentia

GTreasury

Silver exhibitors

CashAnalytics

Refinitiv

Bronze exhibitors

Kantox

Innovation alley

Cobase

 


 

 

I wish you a great time at the EuroFinance. Safe travels and enjoy!

Kendra Keydeniers

 

 

 

 

 

Quickly refresh your treasury knowledge? Download our eBook: What is Treasury?

08-09-2022 | treasuryXL | LinkedIn |

Hello Treasurers, CFO’s, Cash Managers, Controllers and other Finance addicts, how do you quickly refresh your treasury knowledge? Or how do you explain ‘What Treasury is’ to family and friends? Well, there is a simple solution for it. Download our eBook: What is Treasury? 

This eBook compiled by treasury describers all aspects of the treasury function. This comprehensive book covers relevant topics such as Treasury, Corporate Finance, Cash Management, Risk Management, Working Capital Management.

This eBook was prepared by treasuryXL based on the most useful best practices offered by Treasury professionals throughout the previous years. We compiled the most crucial information for you and wrote clear, concise articles about the key topics in the World of Treasury.

We took a deeper dive into each of the above-mentioned treasury functions and highlight:

  • The purpose of each named Treasury function (What is?)
  • What specialists do
  • Examples of Activities
  • Summary of Frequently Asked Questions and answers
  • Conclusion

How to receive the eBook ‘What is Treasury’ for Free?

We simply giveaway two presents for you! By signing up for our newsletter you will automatically receive the following in your inbox:

  1. On Fridays, our Coffee Break weekly newsletter will land in your inbox. In this weekly newsletter, we will highlight the whole week full of the latest treasury news within our community.
  2. The 41 pages eBook, What is Treasury?

 

Subscribe, Join, Download and Relax.

Welcome to our community and have fun reading!

 

 

Director, Community & Partners at treasuryXL

 

 

 

 

RECAP | Cash and Treasury Management Event Copenhagen | By Pieter de Kiewit

06-09-2022 | cashandtreasury.dk | treasuryXL | Pieter de KiewitLinkedIn

 

Last week, Pieter de Kiewit was Chairman of the Cash & Treasury Management Conference in Copenhagen. Pieter decided to take the effort to share his experience with you.

 

By Pieter de Kiewit, Chairman of the event

Corporate treasury events come in many shapes and sizes. Earlier this year, I reported on my visit to Mannheim, in a few weeks you can expect a blog about Vienna, in this blog more about Copenhagen. I can already tell you that I liked the format and set-up of this event.

Corporate treasury markets will always be very niche. The event organiser, Insight Events, targeted a mainly Danish-Scandinavian audience. The sessions were all in English and the venue was the beautiful Hotel D’Angleterre in the heart of Copenhagen. It was also a conscious choice to keep the audience small, just under 150 and of high calibre: almost all treasurers, most of them quite senior and well informed. The consequence of this choice is also that there were no parallel sessions, all sessions were attended by the entire audience. During the break one could meet the various treasury service and product providers, including treasuryXL partner Nomentia.

Last year, I was asked to present on “how to get hired for your next treasury position” and had some questions during other sessions. Based on the bond we built, I was asked to be moderator/chairman of this year’s event. I thought it was a great gig, if it was appreciated, you just have to ask others.


The programme consisted of presentations and panel discussions led by Nordea. I was impressed by the level of quality offered. There were two macro-economic presentations, one by the Chief Economist of Nordea, a well-known TV personality in Denmark and the other by a senior director of EKF, the Danish export credit agency. Both gentlemen brought very thorough interesting insights but, given the current global developments, also a gloomy and dark future.

Another highlight was the input on ESG financing where treasurers and senior sustainability experts together informed the audience about the reality of this type of funding making in, at least for me, an inspiring way. In a cleverly constructed format, credit rating and Basel IV developments were linked in a session with the most questions from the audience.

In other, more traditional but also essential and informative sessions, building treasury teams, mergers and career development were on the agenda. And the non-treasury topic was brought up in a very entertaining way about a hacked company that does not want to pay a ransom. Relevant not only for treasurers and definitely food for thought.

Looking back, I see a very successful and high quality event. On a personal note, I always enjoy the international in my work. Me as a Dutchman, extrovert, direct and sometimes unintentionally rude, communicating with civilised, reserved Scandinavians who do not ask too many questions hopefully did not result in not being invited for next year. We shall see…..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for reading!

Pieter de Kiewit

All above board

01-09-2022 | Cobase | treasuryXL | LinkedIn |

In this Cobase blog, it is discussed how standardizing practices improve transparency and visibility, why automating manual invoice handling and payment processing procedures improves the speed, quality, and transparency of payments, and how corporates can enhance sanctions checking without degrading user experience.

Before sending a payment to a bank, a check on beneficiary account changes compared to previous payments made to the same beneficiary/vendor can point to invoice fraud. Checking changes in amounts compared to a median amount of past payments – and payment frequency – can also be beneficial.

Internal fraud is usually either committed once with a high value, or regularly for smaller volumes. If treasurers know the usual process they can determine if something is out of the ordinary.

Malicious activity is difficult to detect in a cumbersome and scattered ERP and bank environment. Therefore, harmonised practices increase transparency and visibility, while uniform processes help to track cash outflows.

Eliminating manual handling of payment data removes many opportunities for fraud and also adds to the transparency, quality and speed of payments.

To prevent false invoicing, a limited number of users should have the ability to create new payees, settlement instructions, and cash transfers.

The treasurers who are at the highest risk from fraudulent activity are those with decentralised operating structures, higher transaction volumes, and fragmented/outdated technologies.

Over the last few years, corporates that have accelerated their move to the cloud have benefitted from the massive investment cloud providers have made to secure their platforms. Having systems and processes running on the cloud allows additional security measures to be taken that are very difficult to implement or are not available for deployment on site.

Corporates should establish a social media use policy to ensure fraudsters are not made aware when treasury staff are out of the office. Employees should not use their company email address to register on any social media website for personal use and any social media posting by an employee should be consistent with company policies and reviewed through a central function.

If you rely on a bank connectivity partner for all your bank connections you also need to be sure that they work in a secure and reliable way.

Sanctions have become a high profile topic following the Russian invasion of Ukraine and companies need to embrace the regulatory changes put in place to protect against international money laundering and sanction breaking.

One important tool which will assist with sanctions checking is the introduction of the ISO 20022 file format for payment messages. The richer data facilitated by the new file format will improve cross-checking, increase transparency, and reduce false positives.

Treasurers should put in place a system of fraud detection based on multiple lines of defence including automatic sanction screening as well as black-list verification. Solely relying on banks’ sanction screening is not necessarily sufficient.

Corporates also need to consider that while analysis of both the remitter and beneficiary provides a more detailed basis for screening this may slow the transaction process down, negatively impacting the user experience. It is therefore vital to use tools that flag misconduct or other issues while minimising operational impacts.

In the final blog in this series we will look at how digital transformation impacts skills requirements, the benefits to treasury in terms of becoming more strategically important, how APIs are enabling more accurate and timely decision-making, and key issues around future connectivity.

The 7 habits of highly effective treasurers

Why are some treasury teams more adept at managing the financial challenges faced by their enterprises than others? We decided to identify some of the factors that contribute to intelligent treasury management and operational excellence and created an e-book which we would like to share with you. If you follow the habits outlined in this e-book, you will be well on the way to better cash flow and working capital management.

 

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Making the right connections

18-08-2022 | Cobase | treasuryXL | LinkedIn |

Since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, and more recently the geopolitical disruptions,  treasury teams have been operating in a uniquely demanding environment that has stretched resources and ingenuity to the limit. Never have treasurers had to cope with so many different factors at the same time.

The challenge is exacerbated by the fact that corporates are often composed of multiple subsidiaries working in a number of different currencies with a variety of banks with which they will typically hold numerous accounts.

Multiple cash management banking relationships make managing payments and cash visibility a cumbersome process that involves logging in and out of different bank portals and managing disparate authorisation schemes while trying to ensure that bank data and data in ERP or accounting systems is synchronised.

In some organisations, managing cash positions over multiple banks and accounts remains a manual process, increasing the possibility of human error. When looking to execute sophisticated liquidity forecasting and/or manage foreign currency exposure, this process may become significantly more difficult and risky.

At the heart of these challenges lies the current state of connectivity between banks and ERP/accounting systems. The available integrations can be cumbersome, resulting in ongoing IT projects.

As a result there is scope for significant improvement in this area, which can be achieved through use of specific solutions centred on connectivity.

Optimally managing payments and cash requires seamless, robust and near real-time connectivity between banks and financial systems and the execution of all payment and cash management tasks in the company’s administrative environment or another single user interface dedicated to this task.

Companies who do all their business with a single bank should be able to access an efficient interface and connectivity to their back office functions via a single bank wholesale solution (whether e.g. host-to-host, API or SWIFT).

However, for corporates that have significant business with multiple banks a single bank will not be able to provide a robust solution. In this scenario, corporates are faced with negotiating a vast amount of workarounds, dedicated applications, and interfaces to perform cash management.

It is not hard to envisage the high degree of inefficiency and risk introduced to the process by this way of working. These drawbacks have been highlighted in various research reports where corporate clients are asked about the biggest challenges they faced when integrating with a bank.

Challenges around bank connectivity demonstrate that this is an issue to be taken seriously. This is another area where automation, or working with a dedicated specialised partner, frees up time for the treasurer to focus on the other many strategic challenges at hand.

In the next blog in this series we will look at how harmonised practices increase transparency and visibility, why automating manual processes in invoice handling and payment processing adds to the transparency, quality and speed of payments, and offer guidance to corporates looking to improve sanctions checking without negatively impacting the user experience.

The 7 habits of highly effective treasurers

Why are some treasury teams more adept at managing the financial challenges faced by their enterprises than others? We decided to identify some of the factors that contribute to intelligent treasury management and operational excellence and created an e-book which we would like to share with you. If you follow the habits outlined in this e-book, you will be well on the way to better cash flow and working capital management.

 

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Cash & Treasury Management: Join The World’s Leading Experts in Copenhagen

04-08-2022 | cashandtreasury.dk | treasuryXL | LinkedIn

 

Featuring Chairman of the event, Pieter de Kiewit – Owner of Treasurer Search

 

Be a part of the exclusive Cash & Treasury Management Conference on the 1st of September 2022, which will be held in the extraordinary luxury settings at Hotel d’Angleterre in Copenhagen.

Get updated, expand your network, and get inspiration for optimizing your work within the Cash & Treasury Management community.

 

 

The international program consists of selected and experienced speakers that have proven success within a certain area of Cash & Treasury as e.g., ESG, digitalization and Cash Management. The conference brings together a selected group of high-level senior treasurers from global organizations. Learn from your international peers and join the exclusive network. The event ensures you a full day of new knowledge and inspiration made for high level Treasurers. You get in-depth with the latest trends, valuable content from recognized speakers and extensive networking opportunities.

Among others, these topics have been selected for this year’s conference:

  • Sustainability financing – experiences one year down the road
  • Proprietary data driven cash flow forecasting model
  • How we integrated Nets Group Treasury in to Nexi Group treasury
  • Experiences from a massive hacking attack
  • A career within Novo Nordisk treasury
  • Macroeconomic trends and predictions

 

As part of TreasuryXL’s network we offer treasurers 25 % discount.

Sign up now and join us 1 September – Remember to use the code when signing up: TreasuryXL25

 

 

Read the program and learn more about participation and sponsorship opportunities: cashandtreasury.dk

 

 

 

 

The value of making timely use of data

04-08-2022 | Cobase | treasuryXL | LinkedIn |

Since the start of the pandemic, the unprecedented financial stresses companies have underlined the potential consequences of underestimating risks and the value of building multiple business scenarios and corresponding options.



In the first in a series of blogs, we outline best practice for reviewing key financial data and look at the value of treasury dashboards and why cash forecasting is being undertaken more regularly, as well as exploring trends in payments.

The phrase ‘time is money’ is highly applicable in treasury environments where there are significant fluctuations in working capital availability. Companies that fall into this category benefit from at least daily reviews of key financial data. In companies where capital is constrained, reviewing existing credit facilities on a weekly basis is a sensible approach.

The pace of economic change at national and global level also demands more regular cash forecasting. With market conditions changing regularly, treasurers need to take a shorter-term view and implement monthly or even weekly forecasts.

This is backed up by research, showing that treasurers have increased their focus on cash forecasting in the last few years and intend to commit additional resources to this area, including investing in tools to generate better information about payments, receivables and forecasting, and technology to integrate cash flow forecasting into day-to-day banking flows.

Visual representation of key data is useful for helping senior management understand corporate cash positions. Treasury dashboards that present historic, current and projected financial information via charts and graphs allow for better decision-making.

They also enable the treasurer to produce user-definable reports on financial transaction data such as receivables and payables, cash on hand, currency exposures and days outstanding. These can be used to inform hedging strategies as well as enabling treasury teams to proactively report on their activities and play a more influential role in their organisation.

Reducing bank account complexity is another key treasury objective, which can be achieved through the use of virtual accounts that support automated receivables reconciliation processes and higher invoice matching rates while lowering banking costs.

One of the key cash flow and liquidity levers available to businesses is delayed payments. Every company wants to receive monies owed on time, but very few have never made a late payment to a supplier – particularly larger organisations with greater bargaining power.

Flexible payment terms are a key mechanism to manage and make the best use of cash flow, but this strategy may not be an option for small businesses. In this context, real-time or instant payments could be the answer, allowing businesses to hold on to cash for longer while paying suppliers and staff or reimbursing customers on time.

In the next blog in this series, we will look at how cash positions can be optimised through the use of specific solutions centred on connectivity and explain the pros and cons of connecting back office functions via SWIFT and how automation, frees up time for the treasurer to focus on higher value tasks.

 

The 7 habits of highly effective treasurers

Why are some treasury teams more adept at managing the financial challenges faced by their enterprises than others? We decided to identify some of the factors that contribute to intelligent treasury management and operational excellence and created an e-book which we would like to share with you. If you follow the habits outlined in this e-book, you will be well on the way to better cash flow and working capital management.

 

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The 7 habits of highly effective treasurers

28-07-2022 | Cobase | treasuryXL | LinkedIn |

Why are some treasury teams more adept at managing the financial challenges faced by their enterprises than others? Cobase decided to identify some of the factors that contribute to intelligent treasury management and operational excellence and summarized it all in an e-book.



To this end, Cobase analysed the market and interviewed and observed our clients and the work we do for them.

Having considered the results of this analysis we came to the conclusion that while there are many factors that impact the ability of treasurers to do their job effectively, there are seven key habits that are continuously practiced by successful treasurers.

Download this e-book now and you will be well on the way to better cash flow and working capital management.