Avi Goldfarb is the Rotman Chair in Artificial Intelligence and Healthcare and a Professor of Marketing at the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto. He is also Chief Data Scientist at the Creative Destruction Lab, Senior Editor at Marketing Science, a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research, and President of ...…

Bryan Lapidus, FP&A, is the Director of the FP&A practice at the Association for Financial Professionals (AFP). Lapidus has worked in financial planning and analysis for American Express and Fannie Mae. He’s also worked in risk management which gives him a bit of a unique perspective on forecasting. Also a prolific author and blogger, his work ...…

Libor, the world’s most important number, is going away in 2021. But according to a recent Wall Street Journal article, banks and corporates have been slow to move away from the rate – even as regulators are uncharacteristically ahead of schedule in creating alternatives. So why are finance executives dragging their feet? Laurie Brignac has som ...…

From 2004 to 2008, Fran Townsend served as Assistant to President George W. Bush for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, and she chaired the Homeland Security Council. Townsend spent 13 years at the U.S. Department of Justice under the administrations of President George H. W. Bush, President Bill Clinton and President George W. Bush. Today ...…

Payments fraud reached a new high last year. Again. According to the 2019 AFP Payments Fraud & Control Survey, 82 percent of organizations reported payments fraud incidents in 2018. That beat the previous high of 78 percent set in 2017. As always, the AFP Payments Fraud & Control Survey is underwritten by J.P. Morgan. You can download the entir ...…

Has blockchain lost its mojo? Today's guests on AFP Conversations podcast disagree. Dr. Sean Stein Smith is an assistant professor at the City University of New York, certified public accountant, and a member of the advisory board of the Wall Street Blockchain Alliance. Roberto Cruz Jr., is a certified treasury professional and Treasury Directo ...…

In this AFP Conversations: Leadership Series episode, Joichi Ito, Director of MIT Media Lab, talks to host Jim Kaitz, president and CEO of the Association for Financial Professionals. Ito supports researchers at the Media Lab as they seek to deploy design, science and technology such as AI, blockchain, and synthetic biology to transform society ...…

U.S. companies built their cash reserves at a much slower pace in the first quarter of the year than in the last quarter of 2018, according to the AFP Corporate Cash Indicators®. What does that mean for the domestic economy? Kevin Kane, Managing Director with BMO, joins AFP Conversations host Ira Apfel to give his thoughts on the state of corpo ...…

In part two of a two-part interview executive coach Chip Colbert joins host Jim Kaitz for a special AFP Conversations: Leadership Series podcast. Colbert led an executive coaching series at AFP 2018. He was so well received that he and his executive coaching series will return to AFP 2019 this October in Boston. Read Colbert's top 10 leadership ...…

There is so much going on in the payments space today – mobile, digital, blockchain, and more. But let’s not forget Real Time Payments, which launched a little over a year ago. Developed by The Clearing House and its 25 owner banks, RTP is the first new payments infrastructure in the U.S. in more than 40 years. The first real-time payment occur ...…

In part one of a two-part interview (look for the second half next week), executive coach Chip Colbert joins host Jim Kaitz for a special AFP Conversations: Leadership Series podcast. Working with Starfish Leadership and the Fully Charged Institute, which he co-founded, Chip Colbert has coached hundreds of leaders in numerous organizations to h ...…

Are you an extrovert or an introvert? In the finance world we tend to associate expertise with extroverts. They can command a room and dominate a presentation with their confidences. Introverts? They’re too quiet, and not charismatic enough. They sit in their cubicles and take orders. John Sanchez disagrees. He thinks we’ve got it all backwards ...…

There’s a ton of new technology out there in treasury and finance world, and you only have so much time in the day to read up about them. More important, treasury and finance professionals only have so much money to spend on them. Even more important, customers will only care about a few of them -- if any. So what’s a treasury and finance profe ...…

Today on the podcast: Fighting low-tech payments fraud. With all the focus on fintech these days it’s no surprise that when it comes to payments fraud treasury and finance professionals tend to focus on hi-tech fraud like business email compromise and phishing. But there’s plenty of old-fashioned low-tech fraud that you may have forgotten about ...…

Have you ever wished you could do a better job persuading -- especially at work? Today's guest, Lynne Franklin, is all about helping people do a better job of persuading. Franklin spoke at AFP 2018 in a session titled “Practical Neuroscience: How to Get More People to Agree with You.” Please leave a review of AFP Conversations -- it helps other ...…

Scott Salmirs, CEO of ABM Industries, joins host Jim Kaitz for a special AFP Conversations: Leadership Series podcast. As the CEO of a 110-year-old company with $6.4 billion in annual revenue and 140,000 employees around the world, Salmirs can discuss many things. But this chat focused on digital transformation: How does the CEO of a venerable ...…

With a background in finance and IT, guest Tom Blakeley is uniquely qualified to discuss the impact of robotic process automation on FP&A. A director with Performance Architects, Blakeley helps FP&A teams create RPA for their reporting and forecasting. Blakeley will lead a session at FinNext, March 17 to 19, in Las Vegas. Learn more at www.FinN ...…

What does digital disruption mean for finance and FP&A? And how can finance and FP&A professionals navigate the transformation? Brian Mehr, has some thoughts. Mehr is a vice president at Southern New Hampshire University, where he leads their FP&A department. He's also a speaker at FinNext, March 17-19, in Las Vegas. Mehr spoke to AFP Conversat ...…

Stephen Hogan is Vice President Regional Treasury Asia Pacific for Deutsche Post DHL. He's responsible for all treasury, risk and corporate finance-related activities in the Asia Pacific region for Deutsche Post DHL and leads a team that covers more than 140 entities across 41 countries. Reached at his office in Singapore, Hogan spoke to AFP Co ...…

The right metrics can drive greater profitability. The wrong metrics can lead your organization down the wrong path. Dave Stark and Maik Henkel explain how metrics can mislead, and how they can be updated to become more relevant. They also discuss how to match KPIs with what decision-makers need to know and when they need to know it. Stark is p ...…

Anders Sorman-Nilsson spoke to AFP Conversations host Ira Apfel about digital disruption. Sorman-Nilsson is the author of "Digilogue: How to Win the Digital Minds and Analogue Hearts of Tomorrow’s Customers." He discussed how companies and finance teams can bridge that digital divide. Sorman-Nilsson will keynote FinNext 2019 this March in Las V ...…

It’s no secret that e-commerce is overtaking traditional brick and mortar retail. So what does that mean for finance and FP&A? Frank Chou talks to AFP Conversations host Ira Apfel about the unique challenges finance and FP&A face in supporting companies' e-commerce efforts, and how he addressed them in his previous roles at Amazon and Chewy. Ch ...…

It's a New Year's Resolution for finance executives: They plan to deploy corporate cash in 2019, according to the AFP Corporate Cash Indicators, underwritten by BMO. But saying they will draw down reserves on capex, buybacks, dividends and debt payments is one thing -- doing so is another. Kevin Kane, Managing Director with BMO, joins AFP Conve ...…

It's more important than ever for FP&A and treasury to work together. Unfortunately, it’s never been more difficult. Alex Galitsky is not a marriage counselor but he does help FP&A and treasury resolve their relationship differences. Galitsky is Director of Finance Transformation/Strategy & Operations with the Peloton Group. Learn more about fi ...…

If it’s easier than ever to connect with your co-workers, then why is it so challenging to collaborate at work? Robert “Reb” Rebele calls it the paradox of the connected workforce. Rebele is a researcher for Wharton People Analytics and teaches in the Master of Applied Positive Psychology program at the University of Pennsylvania. He will keyno ...…

Ellen Cooperperson believes that everybody is on a journey -- especially in their career. Managing your career journey takes time and effort. But, if done correctly, it can bring great personal and professional rewards. Cooperperson is CEO of Cooperperson Performance Consultants, where she’s been coaching business leaders for more than 30 years ...…

Why does payments fraud keep growing year after year? It’s not as if treasury and finance professionals aren’t aware of the problem, and they spend plenty of money to fight payments fraud. Here to report from the front lines of the payments fraud war is Regina Ochev, Vice President and Assistant Treasurer with Prologis. Please be sure to rate a ...…

For years finance executives enjoyed steady short-term bond markets, but now interest rates are steadily rising, and the landscape is shifting. So what’s working right now? Jerry Klein, a managing director with Treasury Partners, spoke to AFP Conversations host Ira Apfel about corporate cash and investment strategies. Please be sure to rate and ...…

Francesco Tonin is a FX Market Specialist for Bloomberg. He literally wrote the book on foreign currency options and risk management. In this episode of AFP Conversations Tonin discusses his newest passion: blockchain and FX as well as the key concepts that make bitcoin such a great invention. Be sure to rate and review AFP Conversations -- it ...…

We’ve all experienced stress at work. Sometimes the scenarios are obvious—like presenting to senior management. Sometimes, though, the stressful moments aren’t so obvious. Christine Hollinden returns to AFP Conversations to discuss these hidden stressful moments and how to overcome them. Hollinden is principal with Hollinden Marketers & Strateg ...…

What's it like running a blockchain startup? 9th Gear Technologies is so new that its product – a blockchain service for foreign currency trading and settlement – hasn’t even launched yet. 9th Gear CEO and founder Maryanne Morrow explained to AFP Conversations host Ira Apfel how her company plans to stand out in the increasingly crowded blockch ...…

Claus Madsen and Anders Liu-Lindberg are so passionate about finance business partnering that they wrote a book about it. Lindberg is Head of Global Finance Program Management Office at Maersk and is co-founder of the Business Partnering Institute. Madsen is a partner at Implement Consulting Group. He edited Lindberg's book on finance business ...…

Darrell West of The Brooking Institution returns to AFP Conversations to discuss the ethics of artificial intelligence. In a new paper, West writes of his concern about the ethical values embedded within AI and the extent to which algorithms respect basic human values. West believes companies must develop an AI ethics code, employ ethicists and ...…

Treasury professionals invest their organization’s money. But are they investing in their careers? Mike Richards and Craig Martin have some opinions on this topic. Richards is founder and CEO of The Treasury Recruitment Company. Martin is Director of The Treasury Recruitment Company’s US practice. Richards and Martin spoke to AFP Conversations ...…

Live from AFP 2018 in Chicago: Fearless Girl turns one! Host Ira Apfel spoke to Yeng Butler and Nita Baindur for perspective on one of the most iconic -- and certainly youngest -- characters on Wall Street. Butler is Senior Managing Director and Global Head of Cash Business with State Street Global Advisors, which commissioned the Fearless Girl ...…

Can blockchain fight payments fraud? That’s the question for guest Alex Tapscott, co-author of the best-selling book, Blockchain Revolution, which has been translated into 16 languages. Proponents believe blockchain can speed payments, but not much attention has been paid to blockchain’s potential for fighting payments fraud. Tapscott will disc ...…

The B2B payments directory took a step forward when NACHA recently acquired the Business Payments Directory Association. But how big a step? Guests: George Throckmorton: Managing Director of Strategic Initiatives and Network Development, NACHA Micah Kerr: Head Architect Commercial Payments & Blockchain Guru, Discover Financial Services Larry Bu ...…

Ben Cornforth is a vice president with Trintech, a Texas-based firm that focuses on the record to report process. Cornforth spoke to AFP Conversations host Ira Apfel about robotic process automation, rules-based automation, and predictive machine learning. Cornforth believes RPA could transform the financial close process. You can learn a lot i ...…

The demise of Libor and the deadline for Brexit have created tremendous anxiety for treasury and finance executives -- particularly in the UK. John Grout, a member of the Libor Oversight Committee and a former treasury executive for Cadbury Schweppes, previewed the rocky road ahead. You can learn a lot in just one day at AFP 2018, whether your ...…

Chandu Chilakapati and Devin Rochford were part of a team at Alvarez & Marsal that developed two AI-based products. One is a Sample Credit Rating Estimator, the other is the Alvarez & Marsal Machine Learning Platform (AMMP). Chilakapati and Rochford spoke to AFP Conversations host Ira Apfel about their new products, why they embraced AI and mac ...…

Journalist David Sanger is a three-time Pulitzer Prize winner and author of the new book, The Perfect Weapon: War, Sabotage, and Fear in the Cyber Age. Sanger argues that because cyberwar is inherently secretive by nature the way America will conduct cyberwarfare is more complicated than waging conventional or even nuclear war – and possibly ev ...…

Dan Shapiro, founding director of the Harvard International Negotiation Program and author of the best-selling book, Negotiating the Nonnegotiable, spoke to AFP Conversations host Ira Apfel about negotiating in the business world. He also discussed how he got started as a negotiations expert and how he himself negotiates – particularly with his ...…

Nancy Giordano delves into the new technologies and the critical shifts companies and workers must make to stay relevant. A futurist who helps organizations strategically address technological shifts, Giordano will speak about reinventing leadership for the age of machine intelligence at AFP 2018. Giordano will speak at AFP 2018 this November i ...…

Many people are enthusiastic about blockchain -- but there are skeptics, notably Jimmy Song. A blockchain programming instructor, Song also is a venture partner with Blockchain Capital LLC. At an industry conference he told attendees, "blockchain is not going to solve all your problems for you. You’re a hammer-thrower just looking for nails." L ...…

It's hard to deliver bad news to management. Red Teaming, a method used by the military to stress-test strategies, identify unseen threats, combat group think and overcome complacency, can help. Best-selling author Bryce Hoffman discussed the method in this episode. His 2017 book is called "Red Teaming: How Your Business Can Conquer the Competi ...…

Alexis Glick anchored NBC’s The Today Show and CNBC’s Squawk Box before helping launch the Fox Business Network. She’s interviewed President Obama, Hillary Clinton and Warren Buffett among others. Glick spoke to AFP Conversations host Ira Apfel about her upcoming session at AFP 2018, her favorite interview, and why Washington is the financial c ...…

Ex-lawyer Colin McRoberts teaches treasury and finance professionals business negotiation skills. His upcoming book, The Good Fight, explains how irrational ideas capture rational, intelligent people. He even went on the ConspiraSea Cruise, a seminar-at-sea for conspiracy theorists, as background research for his book. Learn more about McRobert ...…

Treasury doesn't get more fundamental than accounts receivable. Now, artificial intelligence is here to revolutionize accounts receivable -- even predicting delinquencies. Shankar Bellam, an enterprise cloud solution expert with HighRadius, spoke to AFP Conversations about what's new in AP/AR. Learn more about accounts receivable and payable at ...…

Dr. Shawn DuBravac believes we will work more efficiently and stay healthier more easily thanks to digital transformation. However, millennia-old institutions could be completely redefined -- and understanding these changes has only just begun. DuBravac is an economist and New York Times best-selling author. He will be a featured speaker at AFP ...…

How can retailers better manage bank accounts, cash registers, millions of dollars, and more? Tyler Wolf, has some advice. Wolf is a product manager at Balance Innovations, where he’s an expert on retail payments. He spoke to AFP Conversations about payment reconciliation, reporting, deposit tracking, training and more. Discuss retail payments ...…