The AFP 2022 Conference Planning Task Force recently met to review all educational session submissions and select the final session lineup for each of the six tracks. Because we’re too excited to wait until this fall to share the information with you, below are some highlights of the sessions that we are most interested in on the topics of risk, capital markets and payments. 

Risk and capital markets sessions

ESG has become top of mind for investors. What does it really take for a company to execute this type of financing? “Emerging from the ESG Embryo,” is going to show attendees how to develop an ESG program and merge it into corporate financing. It will cover primary considerations, the different types of ESG bonds available, and how to tell which one is most suitable for your company.  

“Collaboration is so important when adopting an ESG program,” said Karina Inga-Kamienski, CTP, senior director of Capital Markets, Gilead Sciences, Inc. “You should have an ESG executive committee, public affairs, investor relations and accounting and treasury, as well as key stakeholders involved when executing this financing.” 

It’s also important to create the appropriate framework and reporting processes as there is a lot of it associated with this type of financing. Delivering the right message to investors is also a key touchpoint for the session. “I’m excited to learn more about ESG financing and participate in this session,” said Inga-Kamienski. “Here in the United States, we've seen more and more market activity around ESG financing. In Europe, they're a little further ahead of us. I imagine a lot of companies are still exploring and wanting to understand what those steps are.” 

“When you start the talks within your organization, there are a lot of questions,” said Flavia Salvaterra, CTP, treasury director, Kroll. “You need to figure out what functions each department needs to take on in order to bring it together. This session will bring everything together from beginning to end and not just focus on the end process of it. The guidance will be helpful to have. Even if folks aren't thinking about it, it'll get them thinking about it.” 

“We have attendees from different sized companies and capacities and knowledge. Some of the larger companies may have internal resources where this may have been an easier exercise for them, but we may have some attendees that come from smaller companies with less resources, and this will be a great opportunity of them to pick up this knowledge and take it back to their organization and make changes,” said Sherri Speaks, CTP, assistant treasurer, John Bean Technologies Corporation. 

In “Demystifying Hedge Accounting,” we’ve found a panel of practitioners who not only enjoy talking about accounting — and hedge accounting at that — but can speak to the topic as experts. They’re doing it, and doing it well, and reaping the benefits of hedge accounting.  

“With the rules and landscape of hedge accounting changing often, and we want to make sure that our attendees know what to do and how it can really benefit them,” said Speaks. “If they're looking to implement something like this, this session is a good place to start. A lot of things we learn aren't stagnant, so how do you constantly reinforce that you're properly doing these things? The hedge accounting session is one of those places where attendees can make sure they’re doing this right before they jump in the deep of the pool.” 

“It will be interesting to see how the participants on this panel bring their experience and what they've seen out there to the session,” said Salvaterra of the AFP 2022 session: “What Treasurers Need to Know and Do for the Future of Cyber/Privacy Law, Cyber Security, and Cyber Insurance.”  

“Until you're exposed to it, you're really not giving it the attention you should be,” continued Salvaterra. “Hopefully this will be a wake-up call, having some of these folks, especially those who will be coming from a law firm perspective, share their experiences — what they’ve seen, and how they've helped their clients overcome exposures. Cybersecurity is a big deal out there. And we see it more and more every day.” 

Payments sessions 

The team worked hard to find topics that are forward-looking and highly relevant to today. They also had in mind to choose a mix that addresses some topics relevant to professionals who are just coming into the industry  

“Looking forward to how payments and banking are going to operate, I'm super excited about this year's conference,” said Julie Mingus, senior director of Treasury Operations, Cinemark. “There's so much in this slate of sessions that you can take back and put into real life.” 

“On March 2, 2020, we went live with a payment standardization via the ISO,” said Mingus. “There could not have been any more relevant point in time in my entire career. If we’d had more details upfront, we would've gone live a lot sooner. The session at AFP 2022, ‘ISO 20022: The Road to Reality,’ is going to be incredibly helpful to so many. It’s a right-now topic that is relevant to everyone.”  

In terms of technology, the Payments sessions will also include a number of great sessions on cyberattacks, fraud and fraud mitigation. There will also be a session on mobile wallets, AI applications and QR codes. Specifically, we have scheduled the following:  

• Acquisitions into a Best-in-Class POBO Structure.
• AP Automation at Zurich North America: How People and Robots Work Best Together.
• Subscriptions and Real-Time Payments: A Perfect Pairing for Businesses (and Consumers).

The slate we have scheduled recognizes the advancements in service offerings that are afforded to us as practitioners, with a lens of how to protect the assets of your organization,” said Susan Glass, CTP, treasury accounting manager, Johnson County Government.

We’re in Philadelphia this October for AFP 2022, and we couldn’t be more excited. Won’t you join us? Register by June 3 to save $725. 

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