Session 4 | Texpo Conference

Do Androids Dream of Electric Spreadsheets? AI-powered Cash forecasting (I) (F)

Nicolas Christiaen, CEO & Co-founder, CashForce
Bart Messing, European Treasury Manager, Dawn Foods

Thursday, September 3rd
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Grand Oaks A

Session Description

Plumbing the depths of the seemingly infinite sea of spreadsheets is still a known task in treasury, although the negative consequences are common knowledge among business departments. The processes involved are manual, time-consuming, and treasury & finance teams frequently struggle to obtain the information they need from other departments. Luckily, the AI revolution comes with a myriad of benefits. Technology doesn’t suffer from some of the dilemmas humans may face in finance which could affect people’s ability to make good decisions: computers do not need vacations or sleep, they are less biased and can do the job more precise. These are obstacles in which AI, in comparison to managing spreadsheets manually, can excel.

By implementing solutions that utilize big data and artificial intelligence technology, companies can effectively gain better insights into their Cash forecasting without having to go through this continuous labor-intensive process. Integrating business data on your cash flows can have the potential to unlock more cash than ever. Moreover, the AI-powered Cash forecasting accumulates its full power and reveals its grander purpose after a certain period of time. By collecting previous data and comparing numerous simulations it continuously improves, creating new simulations and revealing hidden patterns. By looking into more complex patterns, it allows for creating data analysis to a higher degree of quality than ever before. Eventually helping treasury and finance departments quickly obtain and present a single and accurate version of the truth.

Speaker Information

Nicolas Christiaen is a Finance Analytics expert specialized in Cash Management and Cash Forecasting. He is CEO & Co-founder of Cashforce, a new and leading working capital management & forecasting platform. With Cashforce, he has been working on international projects in the distribution & retail, manufacturing, logistics and services industries. He also leads the R&D department within Cashforce, making him the go-to-man for cutting-edge Cash Management technologies and practices. As a technology and cash specialist he is a renowned guest speaker in the FinTech community as well as a frequent panelist at international Treasury Conferences.

Bart Messing is the European Treasury Manager for Dawn Foods, a Family Company that provides high-quality bakery solutions to customers around the globe. For his region, he is responsible for bank relationships, cash management, cash forecasting, and working capital management and reporting. Bart has 25 years of experience in Treasury of which roughly 10 years is in the banking industry and 15 years in several corporate treasury roles. Since he joined Dawn Foods 5 years ago he has guided the European part of the organization through a change process to get the company more Cash-focused.

Leveraging Technology to Achieve Optimal Results (A) (F)

Leveraging NIST to Manage Cyber Risk (X) (F)

Global Trade, Finance and Risk Mitigation (I) (F)

Optimizing Your Operating Cash Amidst Continual Interest-Rate Fluctuations (I) (F)

Real Time Payments: They’re Real, and Magnificent (A)

Protecting Public Funds Held by Financial Institutions – Collateralization and Safekeeping Services (I) (F)

Susan Anderson, CCM, Registered Rep, Valley View Consulting
Lisa Haines, Accounting Manager, City of Round Rock

Thursday, September 3rd
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Sunflower

Session Description

This session reviews the requirements of the Texas Public Funds Collateral Act and certain provisions of Federal law regarding responsibilities for maintaining value and security of public assets held in cash or in investment securities. Experienced public funds investment officers present best practices as well as issues in monitoring compliance with regulatory requirements throughout the term of the deposit or custody of the securities.

Upon completion, participants should be able to understand the legal requirements of state and federal law and evaluate the compliance status of both the public entity owning the assets and the financial institution holding the assets.

Speaker Information

Susan Anderson has extensive public fund experience, beginning in 1971 with her first government position at the City of Austin. She served the City in the Financial Services Division for over twenty-five years. The vast majority of time was specifically dedicated to the management of the investment, debt and cash resources of the City. As Treasurer, she was responsible for the $1.5 billion investment portfolio, the $3.3 billion debt portfolio and all cash management programs, including collections and bank relations. Following her retirement from the City of Austin, she served as Chief Investment Officer for the State of Texas where she was responsible for the management of $35 billion of combined operating, endowment and trust funds. After her public service, she joined the national financial and investment advisory firm, The PFM Group, where she continued to develop her knowledge of public fund investment. In 2008, she joined Valley View Consulting, where she manages portfolios and client relationships across Texas. Susan earned a Bachelor of Science, Business Administration degree in Finance from St. Edward’s University. She is a Certified Cash Manager, a registered investment adviser representative and a staff member of the University of North Texas – Center for Public Management providing PFIA-related continuing education.

Lisa Haines is an Accounting Manager for the City of Round Rock where she oversees accounts payable, payroll, treasury, debt, and economic development. She began her government career in 2006 with the City of Georgetown and joined Round Rock in 2016. Lisa is a Certified Government Finance Officer (CGF0) since 2008. Lisa has an MBA and a Bachelor of Business Administration in finance from Cameron University. She is a member of the Government Finance Officers Association of Texas (GFOAT) since 2007, where she has served as a member and co-chair of the CGFO committee. Lisa is also a member of GTOT and GFOA.

FP&A – Applied Statistical Tools: Risk and Capital Budgeting (I)

CTP – Money and Capital Markets (B)

Tyrone Gant, CTP, Senior Vice President, Director of Treasury Management, Vectra Bank
Dubos Masson, Ph.D, CTP, CertICM, President, The Treasury Academy

Thursday, September 3rd
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Iris

Session Description

ETM5-Ch 05: Money Markets
ETM5-Ch 06: Capital Markets
ETM5-Ch 13: Short-Term Investing and Borrowing
ETM5-Ch 19: Long-Term Investments

This session opens with a discussion of the basics of money and capital markets and how they function. The session continues with coverage of the different money market instruments and techniques used for the short-term working capital needs of the company. These include descriptions of different types of money market securities, as well as how these instruments are priced, yields are calculated and investments managed. Also included is coverage of short-term financing from the borrower’s perspective, including the calculation of the costs on bank lines of credit and commercial paper. The session continues with the coverage of the long-term side of financial and treasury management. The different types of securities discussed include: coupon bonds, convertible bonds, preferred stock and different forms of common stock. The procedures involved in the actual issuance of these securities are covered as well as the role of investment bankers in the process. The session continues with a discussion of the calculations involved the pricing, valuation and yields of long-term securities.

Speaker Information

Tyrone Gant, CTP, is the Director of Treasury Management for Vectra Bank Colorado, a division of Zions Bancorporation. Tyrone is a results oriented financial professional with 25 plus years’ experience in the banking industry including leading and executing growth and sales strategies, new business development and treasury management consulting.

D.J. Masson, Ph.D., is President of The Treasury Academy, a training and consulting firm specializing in treasury management, international finance, business forecasting, and risk management. Over the past 25 years, D.J. has provided business and financial consulting and training services to a wide variety of corporations, financial institutions, and not-for-profit organizations in the U.S., Canada, and abroad. He is currently an Associate Clinical Professor of Finance at Indiana University’s Kelly School of Business and is a trainer and curriculum developer for programs with Association for Financial Professionals (AFP), GT News and Association of Corporate Treasurers (ACT) in the U.K, and Citibank’s Global Transactions Services unit. D.J. has extensive experience in developing curriculum for a wide range of teaching and training environments, both residential and on-line. He has developed classes and taught at all levels of higher education: undergraduate, MBA, Executive MBA, and in-house, custom-designed courses. D.J. has worked with professional associations to develop workshop, training materials, and certification programs in the areas of Treasury Management, Credit Management, Global Cash Management, Financial Forecasting, Commercial Banking, and Risk Management. D. J.’s educational background includes a B.A. in Business from the University of New Orleans and an MBA and Ph.D. in Finance from Indiana University. D.J. earned his Certified Cash Manager (CCM/CTP) credential in 1988. D.J. also earned the Cert ICM, an international cash management certification, from the Association of Corporate Treasurers (ACT) in the UK in 1999.

Managing Operating Cash in A Dynamic Interest Rate Environment (I) (F) (G)

Steven Lamel, Principal Product Manager, Liquidity and Balances Service Group, BNY Mellon
Anish Patel, Head of Cash Management, MoneyGram International

Thursday, September 3rd
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Waterway 8

Session Description

CTP – Money and Capital Markets (B) “• ETM5-Ch 05: Money MarketsETM5-Ch 06 • Capital MarketsETM5-Ch 13 • Short-Term Investing and Borrowing •ETM5-Ch 19: Long-Term Investments
This session opens with a discussion of the basics of money and capital markets and how they function. The session continues with coverage of the different money market instruments and techniques used for the short-term working capital needs of the company. These include descriptions of different types of money market securities, as well as how these instruments are priced, yields are calculated and investments managed. Also included is coverage of short-term financing from the borrower’s perspective, including the calculation of the costs on bank lines of credit and commercial paper. The session continues with the coverage of the long-term side of financial and treasury management. The different types of securities discussed include: coupon bonds, convertible bonds, preferred stock and different forms of common stock. The procedures involved in the actual issuance of these securities are covered as well as the role of investment bankers in the process. The session continues with a discussion of the calculations involved the pricing, valuation and yields of long-term securities. ” Tyrone Gant, CTP, SVP, Director of Treasury Management Vector Bank Please see Sunday 1:00pm

Speaker Information

Steven Lamel is a member of BNY Mellon’s Treasury Services Liquidity and Balances Service group and serves as a principal product manager. In this role, Steven supports a full offering of liquidity solutions to meet client needs for managing excess operating cash and to grow incremental and profitable fee income. Prior to joining the Liquidity and Balance Service group, Steven served as a Senior Product Manager within Global Payments managing several Multicurrency product lines. Before joining BNY Mellon, Steven held several positions with Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs, concentrating on cash management and bank liquidity for both the Asset Servicing and Broker-Dealer aspects of the business. Steven holds a BA in Economics from Stony Brook University and an MBA in Finance from New York University.

Anish Patel is Head of Cash Management at MoneyGram International in Dallas, Texas. Prior to MoneyGram, Anish spent almost seven years at GM Financial and BNY Mellon where he gained extensive cash management experience. At MoneyGram, Anish is responsible for managing global banking structures and optimizing cash operations across 45 currencies and 380 bank accounts while overseeing teams in Dallas, London, Paris, and Singapore. Anish holds a Masters in Financial Economics from Boston University and a Bachelor of Business Administration from De Montfort University (UK).