Speakers and Breakouts

"The Federal Reserve Drama Continues: Focus on the Big Picture"
Session 1 (8:30am-9:30am)
Speaker(s): John Bellows - Western Asset Management

In this session, John will discuss that while most of the Fed's rate rises are likely in the past, the full impact of monetary tightening is likely still ahead. In part this is due to the oft-repeated observation that monetary policy has "long and variable lags." There is another factor, however, that may be just as important to the big picture in the current environment. The Fed plans to hold interest rates above 5% for the coming few quarters, while inflation is expected to continue to decline over the same period. As a consequence, real interest rates are expected to continue increasing even if nominal rates do not. This leads to the conclusion that any future rate rises are likely to be small relative to the rate hikes already done, the full impact of the rate rises has yet to be felt, and the stress caused by elevated funding costs is significant and likely to continue.

John Bellows - Western Asset Management
John Bellows, PhD, is a Portfolio Manager in Western Asset's Pasadena office focusing on US broad market strategies. He is a regular contributor to media outlets such as CNBC news and Bloomberg TV. Since 2018 John has held a senior role in Western Asset's Global Portfolios Team, where he is a leading voice for US and global macro strategies. John is also a member of Western Asset's US Broad Strategy Committee, which formulates domestic investment themes and strategies, as well as the Global Investment Strategy Committee, which is responsible for setting policy and providing strategic investment oversight for the Firm. He joined Western Asset in 2012 as an Investment Management Strategy Analyst before assuming his current role. Prior to joining Western Asset, John served at the US Department of the Treasury, as the Acting Assistant Secretary for Economic Policy. John earned a Ph.D. in economics from the University of California, Berkeley, and a B.A. in economics, magna cum laude, from Dartmouth College.

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"Safety? Liquidity? Yield? Best Practices for Today's Corporate Cash Investor"
Session 2 (9:35am-10:20am)
Speaker(s): Kim Kelly Lippert - American Honda
Susan Davis - Riot Games
Sara Flour - RBC Global Asset Management
Bill Hoppe - ICD

With corporate cash balances reaching all-time highs, short term interest rates continuing to rise, and investment risks impacting portfolios, this session will review and compare short-term investment options available to treasury organizations and best practices on managing the three pillars of investments: safety, liquidity and yield. Learn how treasury teams are developing comprehensive investment policy statements, executing their cash and investment strategy, and determining appropriate Key Performance Indicators.

Kim Kelly Lippert - American Honda
Kim Kelly-Lippert, CTP, has extensive knowledge and experience in Cash Management and Treasury Operations. Kim has been in Treasury Operations for over 30 years. Kim spent the first part of her career at a Subsidiary of Edison International, and has continued her career for the last 9 years with Treasury Management with American Honda Motor, Co., Inc. Her key experience lies in managing the end-to-end process of cash management activity and managing investment portfolios for billion dollar corporations. At American Honda Motor, Co., Inc., Kim currently leads the operational and strategic treasury functions, manages banking relationships and directs the short-term investment portfolio where cash is invested extensively in both Money Market Funds and Direct Investments.


Susan Davis - Riot Games

Sara Flour - RBC Global Asset Management
Sara Flour is Director, Institutional Liquidity Sales for RBC Global Asset Management (U.S.) Inc. In that capacity, she builds relationships and specializes in designing liquidity management investment solutions for institutional investors. Sara joined RBC GAM in 2021, bringing to the organization a deep background across institutional asset management, commercial banking, and treasury management solutions from her prior career at two major European banking groups. She has worked in the financial industry since 1994. She is a Certified Treasury Professional with the Association for Financial Professionals and holds FINRA Series 7, 24, 63, and 79 licenses.

Bill Hoppe - ICD
Bill joined ICD in March 2017 as Vice President, Business Development. He is responsible for relationship management in the South and Southwest. Bill has over 30 years of experience in the financial services industry. Prior to joining ICD he worked with BNYMellon and for an extended time with AIM Mutual Funds (now Invesco). Having started in the financial services industry in 1984, Bill has extensive experience with institutional investors, consultants, pension funds, institutional brokers and investment money managers. Bill was an institutional broker for Citicorp Investment Bank working in New York, Houston and Los Angeles during his tenure. Bill also served as Chairman of the Investment Company Institute (ICI) Money Market Fund Committee from 2007 to 2010.

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"Developing your Strategy for Instant Payments"
Session 3 (10:35am-11:20am)
Speaker(s): John Curtis - Wespay
Brian Stearns - Wespay

We've gone from overnight, to same-day, and now instant payments have arrived. With the implementation of Real-Time Payments (RTP) and the FedNow launch in July, instant payments are taking their place within our transaction processing ecosystems. So, now what? What are some of the things we should be looking at as we move forward into real time transaction processing? In this session, we will discuss your strategy around instant payments, including 24/7/365 processing, fraud and risk, product considerations and the regulatory environment.

John Curtis - Wespay
As SVP, Consulting Business Leader, John Curtis oversees the development, rollout, marketing and sales related to Wespay Advisors' Payments Consulting. Mr. Curtis is responsible for ensuring clients receive quality, timely and relevant program evaluations related to risk & compliance, payments strategy and fraud mitigation techniques, critical for success in today's ever-changing payments landscape.

John came to WesPay with over 30 years of banking and technology experience and has held positions in Retail Banking, Operations, Corporate Training and Development, Information Systems and Treasury Management. He sits on the APRP (Accredited Payments Risk Professional) oversight panel and is a member of Nacha's Risk Management Advisory Group. John is a former member of the ABA Task Force on Payments Law and past Board Chair of Payments Resource One.

John holds the AAP, APRP and NCP accreditations and lectures frequently on payments topics including industry trends, legal issues, emerging technologies, audit considerations, compliance and risk.

Brian Stearns - Wespay
Brian Stearns is a Senior Payments Consultant with Wespay Advisors, in addition to his role as Vice President, Supervisor of Risk Management Services. Brian spent almost 10 years working for credit unions processing and managing electronic payments systems, including over six years at Farmers Insurance Group Federal Credit Union, where he managed the ACH, Share Draft, and Wire Transfer payment channels. He has an extensive background in risk management and leveraging risk mitigation to pursue strategic goals. Brian has consulted with clients on a variety of projects, including developing an E-Banking Risk Review, Remote Deposit Capture risk management, implementing ACH origination and Operations Process Improvements.

Brian served on Wespay's Rules Advisory Council where he acted as a voice for credit unions regarding rule changes in the ACH Network. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Argosy University and is an Accredited ACH Professional (AAP), National Check Professional (NCP) and Certified Internal Auditor (CIA).

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"Embedded Finance: To Maximize Experiences for your Teams and Your Customers"
Session 4 (11:25 AM - 12:10 PM)
Speaker(s): Scott Hogate - PNC

Explore how embedded finance can improve customer experiences and transform an organization's treasury functions.

Scott Hogate - PNC
Scott Hogate joined the Treasury Solutions Group in 2016 after spending time as a PNC Sales Officer and an independent Treasury & Financial Consultant. Prior to joining PNC, Scott had recently completed a consulting engagement at Allied Universal (Security). He was hired to identify, analyze and design a traditional treasury function which included bank, account and service justification, the development of a cash forecast as well as process improvements involving the cash conversion cycle.

Previously, Scott was the Assistant Treasurer at 99¢ Only Stores (Retail), Treasurer at DDI Corp (Manufacturing), Consultant at Guthy-Renker (Sales Marketing), Assistant Treasurer at Johnson & Johnson Medical Optics (Medical Device), Treasury Manager at AmerisourceBergen (Distribution), Apria Healthcare (Home Healthcare), and FHP Healthcare (HMO).

Scott graduated from the University of Redlands with a Master's Degree in Business Administration and an undergraduate degree from Chapman University with majors in Finance and Economics. Scott has more than twenty-five years of practitioner experience in Treasury & Finance including earning his Certified Treasury Professional (CTP) and Certified Order-to-Cash & Procure-to-Pay Specialist designations. He is based in Orange, CA.

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"Keynote Lunch Panel Discussion - Navigating Modern Banking Challenges: Balancing AI, Language Learning Models, and Human Engagement for Client Discussions"
Session 5 (12:20pm-1:35pm)
Speaker(s): Pete Lunenfeld - CurrentWave AI
Ken Kruszka - Fintech Expert and Former Head of Payments at Amazon
Zoya Lieberman - Moderator - Endava

Join us for an illuminating session as we delve into the complexities of modern banking. In an era where artificial intelligence, language learning models, and vast datasets reign supreme, mastering the art of seamless client communication and engaging subject matter experts is paramount.
Amid this technological surge, a pertinent question arises: Are we over-prioritizing machine learning at the cost of vital human interaction and practical wisdom? Is our journey just beginning, or have we ventured further than we realize?

Participate in a dynamic panel discussion featuring industry titans with contrasting viewpoints. This is your opportunity to gain insights from thought leaders who embody divergent strategies. Actively engage in this discourse, gaining invaluable interactive insights that could reshape your perspective.


Pete Lunenfeld - CurrentWave AI
Pete Lunenfeld, the driving force behind CurrentWave AI, brings over 30 years of experience navigating the technology landscape with a blend of leadership and customer-centric wisdom. From igniting innovation in startups to successfully leading large enterprise teams with over 350 engineers, Pete's career is marked by groundbreaking achievements.
Prior to CurrentWave AI, Pete served as CTO of Truckstop, a powerhouse SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) freight services company. While at the helm, he oversaw all aspects of technology, R&D, software development, and service delivery. Moreover, Pete also served as Truckstop's Chief Product Officer, showcasing his exceptional skill in fostering connections, capturing customer loyalty, and understanding markets.
During his tenure at Truckstop, Pete pioneered one of the industry's first generative AI products. This achievement not only highlighted his commitment to build tools that solve customer problems, but also fueled his inspiration to establish CurrentWave AI and bring the transformative power of generative AI to the business world.

Pete has also played a pivotal role in shaping startup companies, including RMIS, an industry-leading (SaaS) provider of logistics compliance services. From inception to acquisition, Pete led the software development, engineering, customer success, and product creation teams, sharpening his ability to create innovative technology and deliver superior product-market fit. As the Chief Technology Officer and Executive Vice President, Pete led the way in creating software and products customers loved.
Pete brings to the table the seamless combination of technical expertise and business insight, all guided by a straightforward yet powerful belief: AI's power is in benefiting people. This principle resonates through our vision and sets our goal of making AI and the customer experience the heart of our innovation.


Ken Kruszka - Fintech Expert and Former Head of Payments at Amazon
Ken is a FinTech and Payments pioneer, who holds the distinction of being the first person to send $1 around the world by mobile transfer. In his career, Ken has launched: the first mobile remittances service in the US, the first global mobile bank account, the first neobank for immigrants in the US, and the first decoupled business payments smart switch.

Ken most recently was the Head of Product for AWS Payments where he drove the global roadmap for the expansion of payment functionality for all AWS customers worldwide. Previously, Ken led SnapCheck in revolutionizing business-to-business payments: eliminating $50 Billion in costs, removing $20 Billion in fraud. Prior to SnapCheck, as co-founder and CEO of m-Via, Ken grew the company into an industry-recognized leader in mobile financial services for the underserved.

Ken is a Founding Member of the Faster Payments Council, as well as a member of the Federal Reserve's Business Payments Coalition and the FedNow Community. Ken has been named a Top Innovator to Watch by Bank Innovation, a Top FinTech Innovator by Aspioneer, a Top 25 FinTech CEO by Technology Innovators, a Top CEO in Mobile Payments by Boardroom Media, and a Leading Corporate Digital Transformation Innovator by Databird.


Zoya Lieberman - Moderator - Endava
Zoya has 20+ years of experience in the business and commercial banking space. Zoya currently functions as a Principal Consultant at Endava and her responsibilities are focused on strategic initiatives and knowledge deepening within payments ecosystems, treasury management, global trade, merchant services, credit & stored value cards, and commercial liquidity space. Zoya has deep subject matter expertise in both traditional and alternative banking solutions, including payables, receivable, digital banking, user experiences and competitive market intelligence. Zoya has dedicated her professional time to public speaking at the industry events, forum & panel discussion moderating and thought leadership.

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"Taken to the Cleaners? Check Washing, Check Fraud, and Check 21"
Session 6 (1:45 PM - 2:30 PM)
Speaker(s): Greg Litster - SafeChecks
TBD

The death of checks and check fraud has been predicted for over 50 years, but instead of dying, check fraud has found new life through various avenues. Old-school techniques such as check washing are surging, as fraudsters cycle through a multitude of fraud strategies. Check 21's Warranties and Indemnity provision offer powerful protections against some check fraud liability. However, few people today, including bankers, know little about them, nor do they fully grasp Check 21's extensive reach. The latest in all-things-check-fraud - both the new, and the tried-and-true - will illuminated and elucidated. This session will include real life examples, how the fraud happened, and straightforward, effective strategies for preventing it.


Greg Litster - SafeChecks
Greg Litster is President of SAFEChecks, a company specializing in fraud prevention. Mr. Litster was in banking for 18 years and held various executive-level positions before acquiring SAFEChecks in 1996.
Mr. Litster is Editor of Frank Abagnale's Fraud Bulletin, and has written numerous fraud articles. He has given hundreds of fraud prevention seminars to financial and professional organizations across the US and has extensive experience as an expert witness, serving on several national and international check fraud and embezzlement cases.


TBD

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"Forecasting 2.0: The Evolution to Liquidity Planning"
Session 7 (2:35PM - 3:20 PM)
Speaker(s): Tom Gavaghan - Kyriba
Valerio Trinchi - Treasury Practice Lead - RSM US LLP

The CFO no longer cares about your cash forecast! They need more. To support the CFO, Treasurers need to evolve beyond visibility into cash by making forecasting actionable and surrounding cash forecasts with data to enable intelligent investing, borrowing and working capital decisions to drive strategic growth and company valuation. In this session, RSM and Kyriba will speak to the evolution of cash forecasting for the CFO, the differences between forecasting and the emerging practice of liquidity planning, and how treasury teams can build a data strategy using APIs, AI and Analytics to deliver a more complete and accurate forecast for the Office of the CFO.

Tom Gavaghan - Kyriba

Valerio Trinchi - Treasury Practice Lead - RSM US LLP
Valerio Trinchi, MBA, CTP is a professional with 20+ years of experience in treasury, finance, and capital markets in the US and overseas. As a practitioner, he covered the spectrum of hands-on treasury activities, and as a consultant, he was instrumental in building a successful treasury technology practice, building a deep knowledge of treasury automation and the landscape at large.

He is now leveraging all his previous experiences at RSM US LLP as a Treasury Practice Lead.

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"Digital Transformation in AP: How technology & risk are reshaping the evolution of the AP landscape "
Session 8 (3:35 PM - 4:20 PM)
Speaker(s): Brian Neilson - Wells Fargo

Digital transformation in Accounts Payable is more than just adopting new technology; reshaping how businesses manage their finances is crucial. In this ever-changing AP landscape, where technology and risk connect, it's not just about staying afloat. It's about riding the wave of digital transformation with confidence, seizing opportunities, and charting the course towards a future where AP becomes a strategic asset, and not just a financial function.

Brian Neilson - Wells Fargo
Brian Neilson has spent over 20 years behind the curtains learning how the financial back office functions at large companies and then helping to design solutions, strategies, and adopt technologies to help companies become more efficient and effective in managing their payables, receivables, and liquidity. His current role at Wells Fargo is to help customers that want to evaluate their payables processes and educate them on innovations in the space.
Brian currently lives in Salt Lake City with his wife and his four children. They love skiing in the winter, going to the lake in the summer, camping, dance, and football/sports.

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"Women in Treasury"
Session 9 (4:25 PM - 5:10 PM)
Speaker(s): Monica Cooper - Moderator - JPMorgan Chase
Sherilyn Kamga - Talend
Shauna Bradford - Bank of America
Trisha Koyanagi - CBRE


Monica Cooper - Moderator - JPMorgan Chase

Sherilyn Kamga - Talend
Sherilyn specializes in finance, management, entrepreneurship and SaaS. She has advised startups and hosted startup competitions in France before moving to the US to work for Talend, a leader in the data integration and data management industry.

Sherilyn spent a few years in the financial planning team and her current role is in Strategic Finance (supporting long-range planning and M&A).
Sherilyn has expertise in systems integrations (HR solutions, financial planning tools, corporate data warehouses, accounting systems, and BI tools).
Sherilyn is an advocate for implementing practices that ensure data accuracy, completeness, and timeliness, while also promoting a data-driven culture within the organization.

Shauna Bradford - Bank of America
Shauna Bradford is a Managing Director and Treasury Sales Manager for Southern California within Global Treasury Services supporting Global Commercial Banking at Bank of America. Global Commercial Banking serves companies with annual revenues of $50 million to $2 billion. Shauna leads a team of Treasury Sales Officers with a focus in General Industries. This also includes expertise in specialty sectors such as Entertainment, Technology, Quick Serve Restaurants and Aerospace and Defense. The teams' primary focus is providing expert advice and ongoing support to help companies optimize their working capital and liquidity, plus maximize the efficiency of their cash and treasury management processes.

Shauna has over 25 years of experience in financial services at Bank of America. She has had a focus in treasury and cash management sales for the past 18 years. She earned a B.S. in biology from University of California, Riverside.

Shauna has a passion for mentorship and diversity and inclusion. She has been a mentor for the Black Professionals Group for several years. In her commitment to D&I she is the Global Treasury Sales D&I Council Co-lead and the Global Treasury Sales representative on the Global Commercial Banking D&I Council. She is also a member of BELC, Black Executive Leadership Council.

Shauna is also active in her community. Together with her 14-year-old daughter, she volunteers with the National Charity League, a national non-profit designed for mothers and their daughters (grades 7-12) that encourages philanthropy, leadership, and culture. Shauna resides in Orange County.


Trisha Koyanagi - CBRE
Trisha Koyanagi is the Global Treasury and Bank Relationship Leader at CBRE. Previously she served as Managing Director of Treasury at Digital Bridge (formerly Colony Capital), where she helped manage a $72B AUM and oversaw $30B in payments processed annually. Her expertise spans the varied and complex landscapes of banking and investment, the entertainment industry, e-commerce, and real estate investment.

Trisha pairs her expertise in finance and payments with deep technological acumen. She specializes in streamlining processes and developing systems to modernize financial operations. At CBRE, she is leading a global effort to remove manual accounts payable, treasury and accounting processes, and implement automated solutions that maximize efficiency, transparency, and accountability.

While at Digital Bridge, Trisha led a similar transformation, co-creating an artificial intelligence based automated invoice capture solution after finding nothing existed on the market. Later she co-founded PredictAP to fill the market gap with a cloud-based product for AI-powered invoice capture that any real estate AP team can use.

Trisha holds a B.A. from UC Santa Barbara.

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