Session 04

X - Executive, A - Advanced, I - Intermediate, B – Basic, G - GTOT Credit
CTP Preparatory Sessions are not available for CTP or FPAC credit.
*Presentation downloads are only available in the App, due to image copyright.

The Great Exodus of Treasury Talent – Preparing the New Generation (I)

James P. Gilligan, Senior Vice-President - MFR Securities

Monday, April 15th
4:00pm - 5:00pm
Waterway 1

Session Description

Retirements and COVID-19 combined to create a great exodus of treasury talent that few companies predicted. Many firms were caught flat-footed, with technical treasury jobs left empty or filled by rookies with little training or experience, impacting operations and efficiencies. This session will explore the drivers of the current workforce situation, what companies can do to get out of this predicament, and how to prepare a new generation to take over.

This session will explore the drivers of the current workforce situation, what companies can do to get out of this predicament, and how to prepare a new generation to take over

Speaker Information

James P. Gilligan is Senior Vice President for MFR Securities, Inc., a woman owned securities firm based in New York, where he advises the firm and assists on capital market transactions. Prior to MFR, Jim worked for over 38 years at Evergy, Inc., a public utility holding company based in Kansas City, Missouri, where he retired as Assistant Treasurer in 2020. At Evergy, Mr. Gilligan had responsibility for all the cash management and corporate finance functions, including debt and equity financings, rating agencies, investments, cash forecasting, bank relationships, payments and disbursements. He graduated Cum Laude from the University of Missouri with a BS of Business Administration and also an MBA in Finance. Mr. Gilligan holds the professional designations of Certified Treasury Professional (CTP) and Certified Corporate Financial Planning & Analysis Professional (FPAC). He is active in the Association for Financial Professionals (AFP), having previously served 8 years as a member of its Board of Directors, Chair of the Government Relations Committee, associate editor of the Essentials of Treasury Management (the textbook for the CTP credential,) and chair of the AFP PAC Board of Trustees. He has testified twice before Congress on the subject of money market reform. He is also a director and past president of the Kansas City AFP, a retired member of the Board of Directors of the Greater Kansas City Better Business Bureau and a former Regional Director of the National Association of Credit Management. Mr. Gilligan holds the SIE, Series 7, Series 24, and Series 63 FINRA securities license

Getting Hosed by Check Fraud? Stop the Washing, and Shift Liability with Check 21 (I) (G)

Greg Litster, President - SAFEChecks
Kristie Ondracek, Chief Financial Officer/Chief Operating Officer - TXCPA Houston

Monday, April 15th
4:00pm - 5:00pm
Waterway 4

Session Description

Check 21’s little-known Warranties and Indemnity provision can ameliorate the liabilities associated with the surge in check fraud and check washing. Check 21 governs Remote Deposit Capture (RDC) and Mobile Remote Deposit Capture (mRDC), even though neither existed in 2004 when the original rulings were created. Check 21 intertwines significantly with Holder In Due Course (HIDC), and is crucial in thwarting the effects of “double dipping” with mRDC

Understand the depth and breadth of Check 21’s Warranties and Indemnity Provision AND Holder In Due Course, for ameliorating liability for check fraud losses.
Unpack the connection between Check 21 and Holder In Due Course for defending against HIDC claims, including “double dipping” via mRDC.
Review real-life fraud cases, how the fraud happened, and straightforward, effective strategies for preventing it.

Speaker Information

Greg Litster is President of SAFEChecks. Mr. Litster is a former 18-year banker who held various senior-level positions in banking prior to acquiring SAFEChecks from a California business bank in 1996. SAFEChecks manufactures high-security business checks that are designed by Frank Abagnale (Catch Me If You Can), as well as specialized software for printing checks and creating positive pay files. Mr. Litster is Editor of Frank Abagnale’s Fraud Bulletin, and has written numerous articles for publications such as AFP Exchange, American Payroll Association, American Land Title Association, and Sheshunoff’s Corporate Cash Management Manual. He has given fraud prevention seminars to thousands of financial and treasury professionals across America, and has extensive experience serving as an expert witness on several national and international check fraud, wire fraud, and embezzlement cases. Mr. Litster earned a Bachelor of Science in Economics and an MBA in Finance, both from Brigham Young University.

Kristie Ondracek is CFO/COO of TXCPA, a membership association for Houston and surrounding area Certified Public Accountants. She received a Bachelor’s of Science in Business Administration from Midland Lutheran College (now Midland University) in 1998 and an MBA from University of Nebraska-Omaha. In 2013, she became a Certified Public Accountant and is active in the CPA community. Kristie has over twenty-five years of financial reporting experience, including nearly five years at TXCPA Houston. Prior to TXCPA Houston, Kristie served in various financial accounting roles at companies such as Xtreme Drilling Corporation, TransCanada, Northern Border Pipeline Company, and ONEOK. Her duties included being Controller, Accounting Supervisor, and Financial Analyst. Although she moved to Texas in 2010, Kristie is a native Nebraskan and still supports the Nebraska Cornhuskers, with deep roots as a Midwesterner. She has a very supportive partner who encourages all her dreams, and she is a caregiver to her sister, a special needs adult. Along with her love of numbers, in her limited free time, Kristie enjoys scrapbooking, designing, and creating custom greeting cards. She is a dog mom to two rescue dogs. Kristie is an International Bestselling author.

Cash Flow Forecasting (A) (G)

Craig Jeffery, Founder, Managing Partner - Strategic Treasurer
Patrick Moye, Executive Director Receivables - Deluxe

Monday, April 15th
4:00pm - 5:00pm
Waterway 5

Session Description

When the world went into lockdown due to COVID, senior leadership asked treasury for more models and scenarios. They wanted forecasting to be done more frequently, and many organizations had a, dare we say, very manual process for working their forecast. Necessity is the mother of invention, and the need for more and better forecasts has helped many companies improve their prognostication abilities, processes, and technology. · How has cash flow forecasting grown in importance? · What methods of forecasting are being used now? · Technology is being leveraged to support this work. What technologies are being employed and for what use cases?

How cash flow forecasting has grown in importance.
The methods of forecasting that are being used now.
Which forecasting technologies are being employed and for what uses.

Speaker Information

Craig Jeffery formed Strategic Treasurer in 2004 to provide corporate, educational, and government entities direct access to comprehensive and current assistance with their treasury and financial process needs. His 30+ years of financial and treasury experience as a practitioner and as a consultant have uniquely qualified him to help organizations craft realistic goals and achieve significant benefits quickly. He is primarily responsible for relationship management and ensuring total client satisfaction on all projects. Craig was previously a Senior Vice President and Practice Leader for Wachovia Treasury & Financial Consulting from 2000 through 2004. Prior to joining Wachovia, Craig worked with a major regional bank as Vice President and worked in the Information Management, Investment, and Treasury Divisions at The Hartford. Craig’s experience in finance, treasury, consulting, information technology, and process re-design encompasses numerous industry segments. He has extensive cross-functional project management experience and has aided many organizations on a variety of projects, including strategy formulation, financial transparency, and system implementation efforts. His project experience ranges from multi- year, multi-million dollar efforts to rapid assessments. Craig graduated from the University of Connecticut with a B.S. in Accounting. He is a permanent Certified Cash Manager and a Fellow of the Life Management Institute with distinction.

Patrick (Pat) Moye is a Product Leader at Deluxe focused on reimaging that is possible through customer driven insights. He has spent time building new products across several industries and is responsible for the Receivables Automation and Order to Cash product suite at Deluxe. Pat brings an empathy-forward approach to product development, simplifying the complexity in payments and data to get at the heart of what customer really need.

Cybersecurity Education and Risk Mitigation for Financial Services Professionals (B)

Chris Moore, Vice President, Solution Architecture - Thrive

Monday, April 15th
4:00pm - 5:00pm
Waterway 6

Session Description

Financial services institutions require a cybersecurity strategy regardless of size to counteract the growing threat of digital fraud. In the face of increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks, a comprehensive plan is essential to safeguard sensitive financial data, prevent unauthorized access, and maintain transaction integrity. Proactive cybersecurity measures not only shield clients’ assets but also preserve the institution’s reputation. By addressing potential fraud risks, a well-defined plan establishes resilience, fostering customer trust, ensuring regulatory compliance, and sustaining the stability and security of the financial system.

Identify and Understand Cybersecurity Risks: Participants will learn to recognize and comprehend various cybersecurity risks, with a specific focus on digital fraud within the financial sector.
How to Implement Proactive Cybersecurity Measures: Learners will acquire the skills needed to develop and implement a robust cybersecurity plan tailored to the financial industry, emphasizing strategies to safeguard sensitive data and prevent unauthorized access.
Promote a Secure Financial Environment: Participants will gain insights into fostering a culture of cybersecurity awareness, instilling practices that not only protect client assets but also uphold the institution’s reputation, comply with regulations, and ensure the stability of the financial system.

Speaker Information

Chris Moore works with existing and prospective clients to architect the best-in-class compliant Cloud, Cybersecurity, Disaster Recovery and SD-WAN managed solutions. During his more than 20-year career, Chris has assisted companies of all sizes to plan, develop, manage and implement business strategies through technology while building and leading IT teams. He first joined Thrive in 2004 as a Senior Business Strategist and then held IT architecture and operations leadership positions at TriCore Solutions, Navisite, XOS Digital, and HiWired. Chris returned to Thrive in 2016 and now creates the vision and solutions that digitally transform companies securely and efficiently. Chris has a Bachelor’s degree from Colorado State University and also maintains multiple technical certifications including Fortinet, Cisco, Microsoft, and his Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)

Here comes the recession – Has the Fed gone too far? (A) (E) (G)

On Cloud API (I)

Louis Mangiacapra, SVP of Cloud & Data - CG Infinity
Bill Wade, Chief Information Officer/EVP - Independent Financial
Sebastian Labrador, CTO & Co-Founder - IgniteConnex

Monday, April 15th
4:00pm - 5:00pm
Waterway 8

Session Description

The goal is to gain an understanding of what it takes to develop and launch an API Cloud at your bank and how it will benefit your clients while maintaining white glove service.

Benefits for bank customers
High level plan of deploying an API Cloud
Securing your API Cloud

Technology Track Sponsored by HighRadius

Speaker Information

Louis Mangiacapra currently serves as Senior Vice President with CG Infinity., a strategic consulting firm headquartered in Dallas, TX. In this role Louis brings over 17+ years of technology consulting leadership with of focusing on building, managing, and deploying enterprise-class data and analytics platforms. He is hands- on and well-versed in emerging technologies with a strong business acumen and talent for identifying technology gaps that drive business goals and increase revenue. He specializes in helping transform how organizations integrate people and modern technology to drive business outcomes. Louis has a proven track record of delivering results and driving business growth through the use of cutting-edge technologies and data-driven strategies ranging from Fortune 10 companies to startups. With his deep understanding of the industry and his ability to stay ahead of the curve, Louis has a strong passion of helping his clients achieve their business goals through the effective use of technology.

Independent Financial has named Bill Wade as Chief Digital Officer, tapping him to lead the Bank’s digital and key technology initiatives. Wade has more than 35 years in financial and business consulting technology, and 11 years as a Chief Information Officer in multiple industries. He moves to Independent Financial from $20 billion Simmons Bank, where he served as Chief Business Architect. At Independent Financial he will lead a team focusing on digital innovation, data assets, data analytics, workflow automation and system integration. His team will implement new generation IT strategy and solutions to improve efficiencies and support Independent Financials' growth. “Bill Wade is the right candidate to help move Independent Financial forward as we continue to enhance our information technology systems and utilize the latest technology available,” said Jim White, Independent Financials' Chief Operations Officer. “Technology is ever-changing in today’s financial environment for the Bank and customers alike, and Bill Wade’s professional experience and successful track record will be extremely beneficial.” Wade has a broad range of experience in banking and financial software systems, mobile applications, web-based interfaces, and other customer-facing technologies. In addition to his work history in the financial services industry, he has served as a guest lecturer and instructor at numerous universities, organizations, and technology forums. Wade earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Management from the University of Texas at Arlington. He now resides in Plano, Texas.

Sebastian Labrador currently serves as Chief Technology Officer with IgniteConnex Inc., a software product company ventured by consulting firm, CG Infinity. In this role, Sebastian works closely with executive leadership teams and board members to assess opportunities and develop strategic roadmaps for high-value initiatives. Furthermore, he leverages modern development strategies to create real and sustainable value for customers. Before being named CTO, Sebastian led enterprise integration projects for mid-market companies and was responsible for building bridges between systems and people that helped customers meet their business goals. Prior to joining CG Infinity, Sebastian created patented monitoring intelligence technology for Capital One, established cloud infrastructure for Pixegon, and was part of a specialized team managing global escalations for Hewlett Packard. Sebastian earned a Master of Information Systems Management degree from Keller Graduate School and a Bachelor of Science degree from DeVry University, with distinction.

How To Solve the Unsolvable Within Treasury, Accelerating Revenue to the Bottom Line (B)

Zach Brown, EVP, Investment Reporting - ICD
Brook Ballard, Treasurer - Oceaneering

Monday, April 15th
4:00pm - 5:00pm
Montgomery C

Session Description

While the ever-changing economic environment in the past few years has been particularly challenging for most treasury teams, Oceaneering’s treasury team continually finds ways to optimize processes, leveraging technology that enables them to see, compare, access and act upon data they need for effective cash positioning and forecasting, while mitigating risk. This has resulted in treasury becoming a profit center and adding real value to the business.

Strategies to overcome challenges and capture opportunities in cash/investments.
Technologies used for speed, accuracy and real-time reporting.

Speaker Information

Zach Brown joined ICD to create and execute on a unified vision for the investment reporting offering. He is responsible for the product development, operations, and financial performance of the ICD Portfolio Analytics solution. Zach comes with over 12 years of experience in building and successfully bringing to market software products for treasury managers, back-office operations professionals, investment accountants, and portfolio managers. Prior to joining ICD, Zach served as a product and strategy leader for both Ridgeline Apps, a cloud first firm focused on solving the cross functional challenges of investment managers, and Clearwater Analytics, provider of investment accounting and reporting software. Zach is a recognized expert in investment accounting, presenting at multiple industry events on educational topics such as alternative investment operations and accounting guidance updates and interpretations.

Brook Ballard is the Treasurer of Oceaneering International, an engineering and applied technology company operating in over 80 countries around the globe. Oceaneering services Energy companies, government agencies, amusement parks and firms in the aerospace, marine engineering and construction industries. Before joining Oceaneering , he managed the Treasury Operations for Cheniere, where his team won an award for best Treasury Transformation from Treasury Management International. He has a passion for Treasury, Technology and Transformation using these skills to aid AIG in the financial crisis, building out the systems and solutions at Sysco or setting up the Treasury systems for Live Nation. He is a past president for HTMA and chair of TEXPO. He sits on the board of the Alliance of Texas Treasury associations (ATTA), the governing body for TEXPO. Brook graduated from Sam Houston State University with an MBA in Finance and an undergraduate degree in International Business and Economics.

CTP – Session 4 – Mastering CTP (ETM7) Materials (B)

Dubos Masson, Ph.D, CTP, CertICM, President, The Treasury Academy
Raymond Vines, CTP - Part Time Treasurer, Treasury Consultant, Trainer - Turningpoint Communications

Monday, April 15th
4:00pm - 5:00pm
Montgomery A&B

Session Description

Chapter 13: Short-Term Investing/Borrowing
Chapter 17: Financial Risk Management

Speaker Information

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.

Ray Vines brings 30 years of corporate treasury experience (and honesty) to bear for Turningpoint Communications’ treasury management sales trainees, customers, customers’ clients and other key constituents as the “voice of the client” for programs, documentation and high-touch client experiences. Ray is also an instructor for the Association for Financial Professionals’ (AFP) Certified Treasury Professional (CTP), Treasury Learning System instructor-led courses, educating hundreds of prospective CTP candidates each spring and fall for Rice University and the University of Texas. Formerly, Ray served as Director of Treasury for Dean Foods in Dallas for seven years, where he was responsible for leading treasury operations and his team, managing internal and external relationships and continuous process improvement. Prior to Dean Foods, Ray spent 20 years at RadioShack as Director of Treasury Operations. Ray is an active participant in enhancing the role of treasury management as an industry and career through his participation on industry roundtables and his leadership of the Dallas AFP, including his role as past president of the . Ray co-chaired the award-winning TEXPO conference in Dallas in 2018, leading all technological, marketing and communications aspects of the conference and is a key member of the content team for #DallasTEXPO2023. Ray holds a B.S. in Finance and MS in Accounting from the University of Texas and is a Certified Treasury Professional (CTP). Ray is also a WSET Level 3 Advanced (Wine & Spirits Education Trust) Wine and Spirits Certified instructor, and customizes courses in wine/spirits etiquette for financial audiences and executives.

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