The Treasury Career Corner

I’m thrilled to have Peter Russell, the Head of Treasury and Investor Relations at Travelport, joining me on this episode of the Treasury Career Corner podcast. We dive into everything treasury related from his early steps in accounting to his first deputy treasury role, managing and coaching a team and much more!   In case you didn’t know, Travelport is a global technology company that makes the experience of buying and managing travel better for everyone. It operates a travel commerce platform providing distribution, technology, payment and other solutions for the global travel and tourism industry. The company facilitates travel commerce by connecting the world’s leading travel providers with online and offline travel buyers in a proprietary business-to-business (B2B) travel platform.   With a net revenue of over $2.5 billion in 2018, Travelport has over 3,700 employees and is represented in approximately 180 countries and territories. Travel is a $9 trillion industry – and Travelport is at its heart, powering the experiences that the world’s leading travel brands provide. In 2018, their platform processed over $89 billion of travel spend helping their customers maximise the value of every trip.   As Head of Treasury and Investor Relations at Travelport, Peter is responsible for the group's global treasury operations and investor relations management. He reports to the CFO and coaches a treasury team of seven in the UK and two Investor Relations Analysts based in the UK.   On the podcast we discussed…   How Peter went from doing an engineering degree to accounting How the treasury industry has changed and grown in Diageo specifically What Peter learned from his previous positions in Enron, Deloitte and an insight into his first deputy treasury role at Alliance UniChem Transitioning from private equity to public and the impact the process has on treasury Tips for managing and coaching a treasury team Peter shares career advice for aspiring treasurers and reveals the importance of being intellectually curious   If you’d like to get in touch with Peter, you can connect with him via LinkedIn.   Are you interested in pursuing a career within Treasury?   Whether you’ve recently graduated, or you want to search for new job opportunities to help develop your treasury career, The Treasury Recruitment Company can help you in your search for the perfect job. Find out more here. Or, send us your CV and let us help you in your next career move!   If you’re enjoying the show please rate and review us on whatever podcast app you listen to us on, for iTunes click here! 

Do you aspire to lead a team of world-class treasurers? If you see a senior role in your future, you’ll gain a lot from this episode of the Treasury Career Corner podcast, where I’m joined by Adam Boukadida, Senior VP of Finance and Interim Chief Financial Officer at Etihad Airways.   Etihad Airways is the national airline of the United Arab Emirates. The airline was established by Royal (Emiri) Decree in July 2003 and is wholly owned by the Government of Abu Dhabi with a mandate to operate safely, commercially and profitably. As the SVP of Finance, Adam currently manages a multicultural team of around 250 employees based on and offshore.   The Finance division is responsible for the management of all financial matters at Etihad Aviation Group. The division provides financial leadership and oversight of key financial operating and strategic functions and supports the achievement of the Group’s financial goals and strategic initiatives.   The division drives shareholder value creation and improves cash flow and operational performance. Balancing compliance and risk management with the achievement of business performance goals, the Finance team provides rigour, discipline and critical thinking to the company’s strategic planning and decision-making processes. An implementer and drive of change, the Finance division promotes financial literacy and discipline throughout the organisation.   On the podcast we discussed…   Adam talks through his career history and shares how treasury has evolved over the years The challenges of managing a remote multicultural treasury team What it’s like working in banking compared to corporate treasury How Adam climbed the career ladder and moved into more senior roles How to manage a treasury team and the importance of treating people fairly The importance of taking calculated risks if you want to reap the rewards   I hope you enjoyed this interview with Adam Boukadida as much as I did! If you’d like to get in touch with Adam, you can connect with him via LinkedIn.   Are you interested in pursuing a career within Treasury?   Whether you’ve recently graduated, or you want to search for new job opportunities to help develop your treasury career, The Treasury Recruitment Company can help you in your search for the perfect job. Find out more here. Or, send us your CV and let us help you in your next career move!   If you’re enjoying the show please rate and review us on whatever podcast app you listen to us on, for Apple Podcasts click here! 

I’m delighted to be joined by George Sawtell on this episode of the podcast, who has recently been appointed as the new Treasury Director at Survitec, a Global Leader in Safety and Survival Solutions.   George is an experienced Treasurer having held senior positions at Capita plc (outsourcing), UBM plc (B2B events), Inmarsat plc (satellites) and Cable & Wireless plc (telecommunications). He has 25 years’ experience encompassing everything from debt raising and management to derivatives, foreign exchange hedging, forecasting and budgeting and all aspects of material M&A activity.   In addition to being a qualified Treasurer (MCT), he is a Chartered Accountant (Deloitte) and has a Law degree. George has trustee positions at the Architectural Association including Chair of the Finance & Resources Committee, The Independent Cinema Office and a Council Member advisory role at the World Land Trust.   On the podcast we discussed… How George first got started in treasury The importance of the ACT exams for treasurers George talks about the various problems he faced at Cable & Wireless with regards to poor investments What inspired George to move to his current role at Survitec Where George sees the treasury industry going in the future George shares career advice and his recruitment ethos    If you’d like to get in touch with George, you can reach out to him via his LinkedIn profile.   Are you interested in pursuing a career within Treasury?   Whether you’ve recently graduated, or you want to search for new job opportunities to help develop your treasury career, The Treasury Recruitment Company can help you in your search for the perfect job. Find out more here. Or, send us your CV and let us help you in your next career move!   If you’re enjoying the show please rate and review us on whatever podcast app you listen to us on, for Apple Podcasts, click here!

My guest on this episode of the Treasury Career Corner podcast is Craig Jeffery, the Managing Partner at Strategic Treasurer LLC. Craig is familiar with podcasting as he hosts the ‘Treasury Update Podcast,’ where I had the pleasure to speak from the other end of the microphone as the interviewee rather than the host.   In this episode, it’s my turn to take back the mic and interview Craig about how he built his career and where he sees himself and the treasury profession going next.   Craig Jeffery formed Strategic Treasurer in 2004 in Metro Atlanta to provide corporate, educational and government entities direct access to cutting-edge, comprehensive assistance with all treasury and financial process needs. He currently serves as managing partner for the firm, as well as founder and host of The Treasury Update Podcast, a leading industry podcast program that recently celebrated one year on-air with a major benchmark of listeners in more than 85 countries.   Craig’s 25 years of financial and treasury experience as a practitioner and consultant have uniquely qualified him to lead the Strategic Treasurer team in helping organizations craft realistic goals and quickly achieve significant benefits that carry them into the future.   On the podcast we discussed…   What prompted Craig to form the Strategic Treasurer Consulting firm Competing with other consulting firms and how Craig’s firm set themselves apart The importance of developing person to person relationships in the treasury consultancy industry How the Strategic Treasurer Consulting firm is structured for their clients, including their USP Why people reach out to Strategic Treasurer What Craig looks for in a potential candidate both from a resume and during the in-person interview How the treasury landscape has changed over time   If you would like to get in touch with Craig, you can reach out and connect with him via his LinkedIn profile.   Are you interested in pursuing a career within Treasury?   Whether you’ve recently graduated, or you want to search for new job opportunities to help develop your treasury career, The Treasury Recruitment Company can help you in your search for the perfect job. Find out more here. Or, send us your CV and let us help you in your next career move!   If you’re enjoying the show please rate and review us on whatever podcast app you listen to us on, for Apple Podcasts click here!

The Treasury Career Corner Podcast is back for another intriguing episode with a treasury professional. On this episode, I’m joined by Tony Carfang, the Managing Director at The Carfang Group. Tony has a distinguished background in consulting, writing, speaking, thought leadership and advocacy in the area of treasury management, payments, liquidity, and banking.    Tony founded the Treasury Strategies consultancy which later merged with Novantas, Inc. He has consulted extensively with corporate treasurers, corporate and transaction bankers and liquidity experts at securities firms worldwide. He and his teams work with corporate CFOs and Treasurers to optimize their treasury, payments, fintech and risk management strategies. He also helps guide many of the world’s largest banks and securities firms to position their services effectively in the marketplace. In 2011, he was named one of the 100 Most Influential People in Finance by Treasury & Risk Magazine.   He is a vocal advocate of clients’ interests surrounding regulatory issues and liquidity management. Tony presented white papers and consultation commentary on behalf to clients to the US Federal Reserve and US Treasury Dept., the Bank of England, the European Commission and the European Central Bank. He has appeared on several shows including CNBC’s Kudlow Report, Bloomberg News and Fox Morning Business to debate proposed money market fund regulations and valuation of auction-rate securities. Tony has also testified extensively in the U.S. House and Senate on financial issues including Dodd-Frank, money fund regulations, "too big to fail issues" and the impact of regulation on job creation.    Tony received his MBA from Northwestern University and a BS from Duquesne University. He founded the Alpha Phi Delta Foundation, which oversees a scholarship fund and other philanthropic activities. He is also a member of the board at Duquesne University and the board of SurvivingBreastCancer.org. He is a specialist in Italian genealogy and an avid chess player and former coach.   Now leading The Carfang Group, he is transforming years of treasury management innovation into robust strategies for clients.   On the podcast we discussed…   How Tony started his career in treasury and progressed through his career What motivated Tony to start his own consultancy firm and what advice he would give to anyone who’s thinking about setting up their own The importance of communication in the quest for success How the treasury market evolved since Tony launched Treasury Strategies How technology has impacted the role of the treasurer Why you should make time to network and continue to learn to help advance your career   If you would like to get in touch with Tony, you can email him at tony@thecarfanggroup.com with your issues or questions and/or connect with him via his LinkedIn profile.   To read Tony’s white paper which identifies 11 trends that are going to completely remake the financial services market place – “Mega Trends in Treasury, Money, and Banking,” click here.   Read The Carfang Group’s article, “On Success,” to discover the four critical building blocks of personal and career success.   Are you interested in pursuing a career within Treasury?   Whether you’ve recently graduated, or you want to search for new job opportunities to help develop your treasury career, The Treasury Recruitment Company can help you in your search for the perfect job. Find out more

I’m thrilled to be joined by Julien Muet, the Head of Corporate Treasury at TÜV Rheinland Group on this episode of the Treasury Career Corner podcast. It’s an intriguing conversation about his fascinating career in treasury, what it means to be a leader and what he looks for when he recruits new candidates.    If you didn’t know, TÜV Rheinland is a world-leading independent testing service provider with 145 years of tradition. The Group employs over 20,000 people around the world and generates an annual turnover of almost 2 billion euros. Since 2006, TÜV Rheinland has been a member of the United Nations Global Compact for more sustainability and against corruption. The Group’s mission and guiding principle is to achieve sustained development of safety and quality in order to meet the challenges arising from the interaction between man, technology and the environment.    As the Group Treasurer, Julien manages and leads global treasury activities including capital and bank market, cash and liquidity management, risk management and asset management. Prior to working with TÜV Rheinland, Julien worked as Senior Treasury Manager at Johnson Controls and was soon promoted to Director of Corporate Treasury. He has had an impressive career that many treasurers aspire to emulate.    So, if you want to hear more about Julien and how he climbed the treasury career ladder, tune in!    On the podcast we discussed…    An overview of Julien’s treasury career to date  Leadership tips for someone who wants to be a great leader for their team  How to build up a good collaboration with different business partners  Treasury challenges faced by TÜV Rheinland Group in the wake of cultural change within the corporate structure  The future of treasury and how the industry will be impacted by artificial intelligence  What Julien looks for when he recruits new candidates  Career advice for anyone who wants to succeed in treasury    Want to get in touch with Julien? You can connect with him via his LinkedIn profile.    Are you interested in pursuing a career within Treasury?     Whether you’ve recently graduated, or you want to search for new job opportunities to help develop your treasury career, The Treasury Recruitment Company can help you in your search for the perfect job. Find out more here. Or, send us your CV and let us help you in your next career move!    If you’re enjoying the show please rate and review us on whatever podcast app you listen to us on, for iTunes click here!

I’m thrilled to be joined by Heather Nisbet, the Group Treasurer at Global Fashion Group, on this episode of the Treasury Career Corner Podcast. During our discussion, we dive into how she built her incredible career and where she sees herself and the treasury profession going next.    Heather graduated from Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh with a BSc in Mathematics with First Class Honours. She then continued her studies and gained her CIMA qualification in 2014 followed by the AMCT Diploma in Treasury with Distinctions in 2016, where she was also awarded as the best performing student.    Her first exposure to treasury was as a Treasury Dealer/Cash Management for Tesco in 2013. She then moved into an International Accountant role and later a Senior FX and Energy Dealer role with the same company. In 2016, she moved to Informa as their Risk Manager before progressing to the role of Acting Assistant Group Treasurer in 2017.     Heather currently works as a Group Treasurer for the Global Fashion Group, a leading online fashion and lifestyle destination for global growth markets.    On the podcast we discussed…    How Heather went from graduating with a degree in Maths to launching her successful career within treasury  The steps she took to eventually win the 2016 Prize Winner Award for AMCT  Why she decided to move from different companies to new roles throughout her career  What the growing pains have been like for Global Fashion Group as they continue to scale   Heather shares her prediction of where she sees the future of treasury going next  How the rise of Blockchain has impacted the treasury industry  Career advice for anyone looking to emulate Heather’s career    If you would like to get in touch with Heather, you can connect with her via LinkedIn.     Are you interested in pursuing a career within Treasury?     Whether you’ve recently graduated, or you want to search for new job opportunities to help develop your treasury career, The Treasury Recruitment Company can help you in your search for the perfect job. Find out more here. Or, send us your CV and let us help you in your next career move!    If you’re enjoying the show please rate and review us on whatever podcast app you listen to us on, for iTunes click here! 

To celebrate reaching our 50th episode since launching the podcast in October 2018 and its overwhelming success, I wanted to bring you an extra special episode recorded LIVE in Luxembourg where you get 3 Treasurers instead of just one!    Following the exceptional success of the podcast and the response from our first LIVE event held in London, I have been hitting the road again to not only bring the show to life, but to give you the chance to ask the questions!    For more information on the Treasury Career Corner LIVE event please visit this link.    This episode is slightly longer than normal to fit the full show in but hopefully you will agree that it’s worth it!     We will soon be launching the full video of the event too, so don’t forget to look out for that!     In this week’s show I interview the following top Treasury professionals:     Benoit Scholtissen - Head of Group Treasury at Aperam  Winkie Choi - International Treasurer at Amazon   Johan Claudot - Group Treasurer at Blackstone Real Estate    On the podcast we discussed…    How they first got started in treasury  How their treasury careers have progressed over time  Whether it is important to have experience in the industry sector you are working in to be successful in treasury  How big their Treasury teams are and their approach to management   How they have seen treasury evolve over the years  What their recruitment ethos is and what they look for  What advise they would give someone looking to get into treasury    If you’d like to get in touch with Benoit, you can connect with him via his LinkedIn Profile    If you’d like to get in touch with Winkie, you can connect with her via her LinkedIn Profile    If you’d like to get in touch with Johan, you can connect with him via his LinkedIn Profile    Are you interested in pursuing a career within Treasury?     Whether you’ve recently graduated, or you want to search for new job opportunities to help develop your treasury career, The Treasury Recruitment Company can help you in your search for the perfect job. Find out more here. Or, send us your CV and let us help you in your next career move!    If you’re enjoying the show please rate and review us on whatever podcast app you listen to us on, for iTunes click here! 

We’ve got a very special guest on this episode of the Treasury Career Corner podcast, where I’m joined by the incredible Winny Li, the Group Treasurer at PPD.     Winny graduated from the University of Cambridge with an MPhil Distinction in Management Studies. She started her finance career with professional accountancy firms, including Arthur Andersen and Deloitte, where she completed her ACA training. This provided valuable experience, leading Winny to work for the Global Media Enterprise, Viacom, where she travelled extensively, accumulating further expertise whilst working in different business environments and cultural settings.     Almost fourteen years ago, Winny joined the fast-growing pharmaceuticals company PPD, where she contributed to the significant growth of the company. PPD is a leading global contract research organization providing comprehensive, integrated drug development, laboratory and lifecycle management services.     Winny took on further professional training with ACT and helped PPD set up its current Treasury function. PPD is now a leading global contract research organization providing comprehensive, integrated drug development, laboratory and life cycle management services. PPD has 21,500 employees and operates in 100 + countries.      In a recent interview, Winny was described as ‘[having] a willingness to up sticks and move to where the action is, plus a strong commitment to the treasury discipline. Winny Li's career has all the hallmarks of the exemplary 21st-century treasurer.’    On the podcast we discussed…    Winny’s remarkable career path from working for various accountancy firms to Viacom and finally, PPD  The benefits of working for a large accountancy firm in terms of exposure  Tips for treasures who have to travel a lot between different countries for work  How PPD’s decision to delist the company impacted the structure of the treasury department  Why you need to understand and embrace technology if you want to be an effective treasurer  Career advice for anyone who wants to replicate a similar career path as Winny    Would you like to get in touch with Winny? If so, you can connect with her via her LinkedIn profile.    Are you interested in pursuing a career within Treasury?     Whether you’ve recently graduated, or you want to search for new job opportunities to help develop your treasury career, The Treasury Recruitment Company can help you in your search for the perfect job. Find out more here. Or, send us your CV and let us help you in your next career move!    If you’re enjoying the show please rate and review us on whatever podcast app you listen to us on, for iTunes click here! 

My guest on this episode of the Treasury Career Corner is Royston Da Costa, the Assistant Group Treasurer at Ferguson plc. Royston has a proven track record in Treasury Technology, foreign exchange, and cash management. There’s also a good chance you’ll find him gracing the stage as a regular presenter at international treasury conferences.    Royston has enjoyed a successful career with Ferguson plc and has been with the company for over 17 years. He began as a Group Assistant Treasurer and assumed responsibility for the Group’s Treasury Systems and Development in 2010. In 2016, he was promoted to Assistant Group Treasurer and took on new key responsibilities such as acting as the focal point of contact for all our internal subsidiaries in relation to payment connectivity, working capital, and transactional banking.    He is also the focal point for all of the company’s relationships with banks in relation to payment, regulatory, and technology related issues. He has celebrated many achievements over the years including the implementation of an EMIR for the group in 2014 and a new Cloud-based TMS in 2015.     On the podcast we discussed…    How Royston first got started in treasury   How data has helped improve cash flow forecasting in treasury  The role of technology in the treasury industry and how it has helped replace certain processes  A look inside the ACT training course including the “Capabilities of a World-Class Treasury Organization” (see document below)  The importance of having a treasury team with a diverse skill set  Career advice for aspiring treasurers including the ability to work with different cultures, not being afraid to ‘get your hands dirty,’ and trying new things    If you’d like to get in touch with Royston, you can connect with him via his LinkedIn profile.    To view the “Capabilities of a World-Class Treasury Organization” slide issued by the ACT at one of their training courses that Mike and Royston discuss in the podcast, click here.    Are you interested in pursuing a career within Treasury?     Whether you’ve recently graduated, or you want to search for new job opportunities to help develop your treasury career, The Treasury Recruitment Company can help you in your search for the perfect job. Find out more here. Or, send us your CV and let us help you in your next career move!    If you’re enjoying the show please rate and review us on whatever podcast app you listen to us on, for iTunes click here!