Key figures and findings, plus the latest sound bites

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As bank lending becomes more scarce and expensive, corporates are looking for alternative ways of managing working capital and protecting their supply chain. In France, Volvo has pioneered the use of supply chain finance, leveraging its strength to improve payments terms while ensuring vital suppliers stay in business. Olivier Beyzalon has led the charge, and he explains the mechanics and the benefits of the system.

Managing risk in an uncertain world – what are the key challenges pertaining to cash and liquidity management?

Ian Ladd
Group Treasurer
DSGI

With widespread commodity volatility and fluctuation what are the key challenges that finance departments are currently facing?
Plus, cutting costs and inventory levels: is leaning on your supply chain the answer?

Philippe Perrodin
VP, Group Financial Control
Tetra Pak

What are the benefits of centralising treasury and regionalization versus centralisation? Plus:

• Cash pooling –the respective virtues, benefits and challenges of both physical pooling (cash concentration) or virtual pooling as an alternative route to financing
• Leveraging bank accounts
• Counter party risk – managing banking relationships
• SWIFT connectivity / e-banking

What are the biggest hurdles to overcome in credit ratings and financial reporting?

Justin Besley
Group Treasurer
Compass Group

Organisations are continuously striving to meet customer expectations as effectively and efficiently as possible – a strategic imperative all the more critical in today’s economic climate.  The advent of customer-centred organizations, “everyday” low prices, and expectations that prices will drop not rise is a huge change in the structure of the global economy.

Executive education
Why is a commitment to lifelong learning an essential attribute in a changing business environment? Is leadership is a skill that can be taught, or it is an inherent quality? What is the importance of both lifelong learning and the gaining valuable insight from other business leaders, especially during a recession?

Norman Lyle
IFAC and past President of
CIMA

Corporate reporting
Global Developments in corporate reporting - current tensions in international accounting standard-setting, accounting implications of the financial crisis, three initiatives in corporate reporting and the future of UK GAAP

Nick Topazio
Business & Financial Reporting Specialist
CIMA

M&A and restructuring
Acquisitions in turbulent times – an overview. Given their importance to both future planning and the day to day running of any business the finance team face a wide variety of challenges in any acquisition. These challenges range from big strategic questions about the structure of the combined future business to ensuring day to day controls for cash management and treasury processes remain in place throughout the integration. But as we head deeper into the financial crisis – is now the time to be acquisitive?

Human Capital
The science of superior performance – how can empirical science be applied to leadership? Is it possible to identify what differentiates top performing managers from their less successful peers and can how can leadership development be predicted?

Data management
Handling unstructured data - how can a BPM system help?

Corporate finance
The role and record of ratings and the new measures that credit ratings agencies are adopting in the wake of sub-prime. A candid assessment of how finance directors and issuers view CRAs, specifically addressing one of the issuers’ key concerns that investors no longer have the same faith in ratings agencies as they used to.

Demica
The Royal Bank of Scotland
Asite
Axa Corporate Solutions UK
Genpact
Ricoh UK Ltd
Kent Business School
University of Birmingham Business School
IBM
Echo Research
Coda GB Ltd
Computacenter