Sam Knox, CFO Magazine, AribaLIVE 2011.
Panel speaks out of order of slides, apologies for any confusion.
http://exchange.ariba.com/community/events/aribalive
Speaker: Christiaan van der Valk, CEO, TrustWeaver Christiaan co-founded (2001) TrustWeaver, a Sweden-based provider of innovative software-as-a-service IT compliance solutions servicing many of the world’s largest corporations. At ICC’s Paris-based secretariat, Christiaan managed policy and self-regulatory activities relating to e-business, telecom and IT. Christiaan has been closely involved with international and European legal, policy and standards projects in the fields of e-commerce and in particular security, contracting, privacy and e-signatures. He is a core member of the CEN E-Invoicing Workshop, member of a number of European Commission focus groups, and co-chairs the ICC EBITT Commission’s Task Force on Security and Authentication. So we are clearly fortunate to have the time and expertise of our special guest, Christiaan van der Valk. Christiaan.
This Hackett Group survey of top executives across all functions regarding their top strategic priorities for 2010 and beyond found similar themes in terms of the need to improve cash flow and working capital, increase efficiencies, and strategic alignment. We have looked at numerous studies regarding the priorities of top executives…..and most come to similar conclusions….manage cash flow and improve working capital, improve process efficiency and effectiveness, improve agility to have greater visibility and control over revenue and costs, align strategies across the enterprise. These key issues have been identified as being extremely important to the success of many companies.
Moderator: Global commerce and finance are in a tumultuous period. How is this affecting the treasury and cash management operations of companies and the banks that serve them? “ From the corporate perspective, we look at it as the banks’ hoarding. The liquidity is there in the banks, but it is not coming out to the corporates. Banks are not willing to lend to each other, let alone to lend to corporates right now. GE is a big, established name, so we are probably in a better position than most, but the current situation forces us to think about where can we get liquidity—and that is not necessarily from the banks that are providing the best services and the best technological capabilities. The downside to that is, even if we do obtain the credit that we need, we are going to be operating in a less efficient environment. Supply Chain Finance (SCF) technology and bank providers are developing new models for trade finance. New technologies and financing approaches are emerging. The move to a more diverse combination of financing techniques in the supply chain seems to be a longer-term shift. 57% of companies say that such supplier financing techniques will remain a high priority, even when full economic recovery gains momentum. – Demica white paper 2010.
According to Aberdeen’s latest research, Ariba’s solution set maps very nicely against the top strategies for managing cash and optimizing working capital.
Ariba Collaborative Business Commerce offers solutions to Buy, Sell, and Manage Cash Manage Cash is a collaborative finance management process that improves the financial flows between buyers and sellers providing greater visibility and control from order to invoice to payment. The related solutions we sell on the buy-side include Invoice & Payment Management and Working Capital Management. All of these solutions leverage the Ariba Network for supplier enablement, connectivity, and collaboration.
Speaker: Christiaan van der Valk, CEO, TrustWeaver Christiaan co-founded (2001) TrustWeaver, a Sweden-based provider of innovative software-as-a-service IT compliance solutions servicing many of the world’s largest corporations. At ICC’s Paris-based secretariat, Christiaan managed policy and self-regulatory activities relating to e-business, telecom and IT. Christiaan has been closely involved with international and European legal, policy and standards projects in the fields of e-commerce and in particular security, contracting, privacy and e-signatures. He is a core member of the CEN E-Invoicing Workshop, member of a number of European Commission focus groups, and co-chairs the ICC EBITT Commission’s Task Force on Security and Authentication. So we are clearly fortunate to have the time and expertise of our special guest, Christiaan van der Valk. Christiaan.