The Asia Treasury Leaders’ Forum, 19 September 2018
As Typhoon Manghut blew through East Asia causing all kinds of disruption and damage, the ACT events team flew into Hong Kong for our 10th year of events. More than 220 treasury professionals turned up on a lovely, sunny and very warm day to debate the future of treasury excellence. The format this year was dominated by shorter, punchy sessions on all the issues that a contemporary treasurer has to contend with.
The US$ 500bn question that dominates the region currently is the game being played out between China and the US over trade and its knock-on effects on the Belt and Road strategy, regional security, the Korean peninsula issue and the role of institutional bodies such as WTO. There are no clear answers but a sense of having to work around the politics was pervasive. One treasurer commented to me that,
It’s Hong Kong, it’s what we do!"
Without being as dominant as Sino-US relations, the impact of technology on business, finance and treasury was an equally clear thread. That impact however is both a positive enabler of treasury activities such as information flows or faster liquidity management but also a potential threat to relationship management (who wants to talk to an AI robot?) and even some types of treasury roles. This matters in an Asia where treasury isn’t a recognised role everywhere and where the pace of tech change can be faster than the growth in a local economy. Rich picking potentially in this space for tech first movers but a real challenge to treasurers, regulators and even educators.
With all the big picture talk you might think the day job was being overlooked. Not a bit of it. Having their moments were some tips and hints to more effective FX trading, how to deliver and then manage short term cash and the simple steps to successful M & A and a host of other topics. Nettles were clearly being grasped judging by the chat during the refreshment breaks. After all, where and when better to learn from how others deal with their treasury challenges than over coffee and prawn dumplings?
My sense from meeting so many treasurers in Singapore and Hong Kong in the past month is that treasury is being recognised as a key player in business in Asia. More than that though is that talented and diverse young professionals are making their way into the profession. More power to them.
@PeterMatza
Excellent M&A session at #acthk 2018 with Dan Wong, BAT & Raghu Narain, Natixis. Plan, prepare , communicate is the message for #corporate #treasurers @actupdate
@carolinesSCI
Regional Financial Controller Rolls Royce talks about efficiency and transformation at our Treasury Leaders’ Forum in Hong Kong - we make our work too complex, esp large multi nationals. @actupdate #acthk
@marvspayumo
"Less is always more." My key takeaway from yesterday's conference. #AsiaTreasuryLeadersForum2018 #acthk @ Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre https://bit.ly/2xJAfLq
@carolinesSCI
What do we teach our students? How do I set a curriculum for 4 years’ time? Provocative Qs from the academic to the fintech! Apparently we still need humans...although cognitive tasks being taken over by machines. A great and heated debate @actupdate #acthk #treasurers
@ratala
Modernity is complex - #simplify #standardise and #automate are the three key focus words for your #finance org #acthk @actupdate
@carolinesSCI
Short-term investment challenges? Rising rates environment good for #treasurers.It ’s about liquidity management rather than yield.Panel of Charley Cai, Joy Yang, Keith Yuen touched on trade wars, understanding products, and staying agile @actupdate #acthk
