CFOs, Treasurers to Discuss 'New Normal' Financial Environment

Chief financial officers and treasurers will convene in Washington in May to discuss how to operate in the "new normal" financial environment. The Association for Financial Professional's Global Corporate Treasurers Forum, now in its sixth year, will take place at the Four Seasons Hotel Washington, DC, May 16-18, with Bank of America Merrill Lynch as the exclusive sponsor.

The beautiful Georgetown venue is in close proximity to the regulators who typically participate in this event.

"AFP members have played a critical role in maintaining the financial stability of their organizations through the recession," said Jim Kaitz, president and CEO of AFP. "Now they are moving forward based on new economic realities."

A panel including CFOs from McCormick and the Ratner Companies will explain their approaches to managing up and down within their organizations, addressing issues raised by the CEO and the board of directors. A senior editor of the Harvard Business Review will moderate.

By looking at what is driving a company, finance chiefs can formulate expectations for their treasurers and the treasury department they manage. Another panel including treasurers from Yahoo! Inc. and Global Container Terminals will discuss how treasury is re-educating itself to operate efficiently by utilizing resources effectively and increasing productivity. This discussion will help other treasurers understand how to improve operations, bank relationship management, investments, foreign exchange and investor relations.

"Bank of America Merrill Lynch is proud to sponsor this gathering of financial executives, which comes during a pivotal period for the treasury management industry," said Dub Newman, Global Treasury Executive at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. "These discussions should prove invaluable to providing treasurers and executives with a deeper understanding of key issues and meaningful solutions to help businesses optimize their working capital."

Other topics will include financial regulatory reform, implications of derivative accounting, counterparty risk, and the pace of change in capital markets. To underscore the importance of these issues, a parallel Global Corporate Treasurers Forum Europe will take place in London the following month.

For more information on the Global Corporate Treasurers Forum, see www.afponline.org/gctf or download the event brochure