Letter from the President & CEO: Global Finance Influence
May 10, 2007
James A. Kaitz

This article originally appeared in AFP Exchange magazine. Earn CTP Recert Credits Now you can take the AFP Exchange CTP Quiz online! RECENT NEWS ARTICLES BY TOPIC Bank Relationship Management Corporate Finance Financial Accounting & Reporting Payment Resources for Treasury Risk Management Sarbanes-Oxley Treasury Management Career Services

From the May 2007 edition of Exchange magazine

This month, AFP hosted the third annual Global Corporate Treasurers Forum in Washington, D.C., the inspiration for this issue of Exchange.

Washington is acknowledged to be one of the most influential cities in the world, yet those of us who live here say that it has a small-town feel. On a typical day, you might be walking by a Supreme Court justice, a World Bank official, or any number of well known politicians who are in the news every day.

We created the forum to have that same atmosphere, where influential people might share ideas in an intimate environment. Speakers included an IMF director, the executive secretary to the Group of Thirty, and corporate treasurers of some of the most successful companies. See our cover story, "What Drives Foreign Direct Investment" to learn about an IMF research project based on input from AFP members.

This year’s forum task force designed a program to be similar to the treasurers’ roundtables that we have been hosting across the country. Sessions were designed to allow senior-level corporate practitioners to exchange ideas with peers in a collegial setting.

Washington is also known as the city of "think tanks," with the highest concentration of so-called strategists of anyplace in the world. As soon as I saw the illustrious names on this year’s registration list, I knew that we were in for some lively discussions and strategy sessions of our own, and that is exactly what happened.

This month's magazine (www.afponline.org/exchange) gives you a taste of the content, especially "Managing Global Liquidity, an end-to-end framework," "Short-Termism and the De-Permanent-ization of Equity"and the article about Michael Butchko, our Treasurer of the Year.

Stay tuned for next year's Global CorporateTreasurers Forum, and take advantage of this opportunity to share your ideas with your colleagues at the only event created by corporate treasurers for corporate treasurers.

—Jim Kaitz
President & CEO, AFP

Note: At this year's Global Corporate Treasurers Forum, AFP announced the acquistion of gtnews.

Copyright © 2007 Association for Financial Professionals. All Rights Reserved.