With the success of Expo in Dubai, and the Qatari World Cup taking place later in 2022, the Middle East is firmly in the spotlight; coupled with its geopolitical balancing act between regional and global players, it’s an exciting and unique time for the region and many of its key players. The question now for treasurers is how to operate in this changing regional and global environment, that is being transformed by technology and a drive towards sustainability. These factors are also driving a changing workforce, and require a new skill set for the treasurer to effectively support their wider business. This year's agenda will focus on best practice and excellence across treasury and financial risk management, whether that be in FX, funding, cash management and beyond.
| 08:30 | Registration, refreshments and exhibition opens | ||
| 10:00 |
Welcome and opening remarks from the ACT Room: Joharah 6+7 Caroline Stockmann, Chief Executive, Association of Corporate Treasurers |
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| 10:15 |
Opening keynote address Room: Joharah 6+7 The opening keynote address will provide an opportunity for a senior member of the finance and treasury community to outline their priorities for the coming years. |
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| 10:45 |
The GCC: A new beginning Room: Joharah 6+7 With the warming of relationships between the members of the GCC, this session looks at what lies ahead for the future of the region in 2040 and beyond, especially as diversification from oil continues. If further integration is inevitable, then exploring what this means for the banking and finance sector is vital. The session will explore if the region is overbanked and whether the flurry of M&A will continue. Redmond Ramsdale, Senior Director, Head of Middle East Banks, Fitch Ratings Scott Livermore, Chief Economist, Oxford Economics, Middle East Facilitated by Kay French |
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| 11:15 | Morning refreshments in the exhibition hall | ||
| 11:55 |
Stage sessions Choose between stages A, B, or C |
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Stage A Managing the balance sheet whilst transforming treasury Flavio Simonutti, Treasurer, Abu Dhabi Power Corporation Gianluca Elmosi, Group Treasury Director, Al Dahra Tariq Hoodbhoy, MD & Head of Treasury Advisory, FAB |
Stage B Working capital and supply chains - benchmarking best practice You will discover the learnings from other regions and sectors on managing working capital effectively, along with how regions beyond the GCC compare. In addition, we will share the real innovation taking place in the supply chain finance space amongst fintechs and established providers, and the new and existing capabilities that are available. Elat Niyas, Treasury Manager, Al Masaood Toby Shore, Senior Director, Group Treasury, Risk & Insurance, EGA Alisagar Rangwala, Senior Manager, Group Treasury & Credit Risk, Ducab Mritunjay Singh, Lead - Trade Product Management, ADCB Facilitated by Mazuba Munyama, Transaction Banking & Sales Relationship Manager, ADCB |
Stage C Treasury in Saudi Arabia Bringing together treasurers working or operating in Saudi Arabia, this session will discuss the country-specific challenges and opportunities for treasurers whose companies have business in KSA. Gurumurthy Palani, Group Head of Global Transaction Banking, Gulf International Bank
Facilitated by Hariraj Subramanian, Group Head of Cash Management, Gulf International Bank |
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In association with FAB |
In association with ADCB |
In association with GiB
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| 12:45 | Lunch in the exhibition hall | ||
| 13:55 |
Stage sessions Choose between stages D, E, or F |
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Stage D The transition from LIBOR – an ongoing process The transition from LIBOR to SOFR and other risk-free reference rates continues. Join this session to learn what the latest developments are in the change, along with how treasurers are managing its challenges, a year into SOFR. Stephen Knight, Partner, Dentons David Johnson, Head of Legal - Markets & Group Funding, FAB Dilip Sanghavi, Head of Corporate and Structured Finance, Etihad Airways Syed Sohaib Moid, Director Risk Advisory, Deloitte Middle East Facilitated by Andrew McMichael, Group Treasurer, Agility
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Stage E ESG: the role corporate treasurers can play in the transition Treasurers play a central role in supporting the transition to net zero, at a time when government and organisational targets are becoming ever-more extensive. By attending this session, you will understand what ESG actually means to you as a treasurer and what the risk of greenwashing is, as well as the differing approaches of global and regional banks. You will also learn how to identify the best KPIs for your treasury department and the wider organisation. Nader Aboushadi, Group Treasurer, Dar Group Rajesh Garg, Chief Financial & Sustainability Officer, Landmark Suhail AlShamsi, Director, Treasury, Risk & Insurance, TAQA Nour Safa, Director, Debt Capital Markets, HSBC Facilitated by Jeremy Carter, Global Group Head for Corporate Ratings, Fitch Ratings |
Stage F Cash management post-pandemic: learnings for today's treasurers The post-pandemic era continues to be one of significant volatility that has impacted economies and businesses alike. With geopolitical events, supply chain disruptions, commodity prices and inflation, interest rates and regulation; the role of a Treasurer in effectively managing an enterprise’s lifeblood, i.e. cash, continues to assume core significance. Over this panel session, we will discuss some of the key learnings for today’s treasurers, best practises and priorities shaping the near term. David Shinkins, Global Head of Cash Management Sales, Barclays John Dineen, Treasury Director - Asia, Middle East & Africa, Metlife Shabbir Ahmad, Head - Treasury, Landmark Facilitated by Alex Elviss, Senior Treasury Manager, Etihad Airways |
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In association with Dentons & FAB
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In association with Barclays
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| 14:45 | Afternoon refreshments in the exhibition hall | ||
| 15:25 |
Stage sessions Choose between stages G, H, or J |
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Stage G How to develop as a treasurer Explore the key skills needed for treasurers to progress in their careers from entering the profession, through to becoming Group Treasurer. This session will cover the fundamentals and what you can do today to help you move forward. Yasin Bhatti, Associate Director - Talent and Knowledge Development, ADGM Academy Vineet Gupta, Group Treasury Manager, Al Dahra David Chatsama, Treasury Manager, Africa Export & Import Bank Facilitated by Caroline Stockmann, Chief Executive, Association of Corporate Treasurers |
Stage H Real-time payments: a necessity or a luxury? Fintechs, established financial institutions and service providers are changing how we look at payments, and the endeavour to reach the utopian vision of real-time payments continues. Hear what solutions are available and how the regulatory landscape in the UAE and the wider region is supporting this. Learn what you need to do to utilise the opportunities of real-time payments. Victor Penna, Co-Head of Global Transaction Banking, Mashreq Onur Ozan, Managing Director, Regional Head - Middle East, North Africa & Turkey, SWIFT Kashyap Anantharaman, Senior Treasury Analyst, Africa & Middle East, General Motors Facilitated by Rahul Daswani Group Manager, Strategy&Programs, Global Treasury & Financial Services, Microsoft |
Stage J Alternatives for financing With continued volatility in the market and available liquidity limited, leading to reduced activity in the GCC bond markets, treasurers are needing to look at alternative strategies for funding, and sukuk issuances are proving more attractive. Learn what alternative strategies for funding you can consider, including if you are in a smaller organisation. Hear what other treasurers are utilising from the options available. Bashar Al-Natoor, Global Head of Islamic Finance, Fitch Ratings Ravi Narayanan, Senior Advisor, Treasury, Omantel Syed Khurrum Zaeem, Head of Trade and Working Capital and Transaction Banking, AME, Standard Chartered Facilitated by Michael Grifferty, President, The Gulf Capital Market Association |
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| 16:15 | Move to next session | ||
| 16:25 |
Stage sessions Choose between stages K or L |
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Stage K A practical overview of bank lending This panel discussion, run by the Future Leaders in Treasury group, will look at bank lending from the perspective of a banker, lawyer and corporate treasurer. The panellists will discuss the considerations for a corporate when they approach a bank, the legal documentation needed (focusing on the Middle East) and will conclude with a discussion on how this works in practice from the treasurers’ perspective. James Adams, Group Treasurer, Chalhoub
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Stage L Managing markets and liquidity risks in a volatile macro-economic environment: the new priorities for CFOs and treasurers Treasury is changing. Geopolitical issues, climate change, the continued impact of covid, rising interest rates, the return of inflation, supply chain disruptions, the raw materials and energy crisis, all have a significant impact on the management of risks by corporates and banks. Since the COVID-19 crisis, the need for centralisation of value-added information has increased. New business models and the digital imperative are driving a need for a treasury reinvention. The “new” treasury will be a highly digital and automated function, tasked with meeting strategic goals and changing remits. Philippe Henry, Executive Board Advisor, Kyriba Bandar Rajab, Treasurer, Nahdi Ahmad Alshubbar, VP, Treasury and Strategy, Rawabi Holding Victor Penna, Head of Transaction Banking, Mashreq Bank, Dubai Facilitated by Imen Tebourbi, Program Director, M.Sc. Financial Management, University of Birmingham Dubai |
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ACT Future Leaders in Treasury
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In association with Kyriba
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| 17:15 | Close of day one and ACT Middle East Treasury Awards | ||
| 08:30 | Breakfast and exhibition opens | ||
| 10:00 |
Welcome to Day Two Room: Joharah 6+7 Caroline, Stockmann, Chief Executive, Association of Corporate Treasurers |
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| 10:30 |
ACT Business of Treasury 2022: the results Room: Joharah 6+7 Join this session to hear the results of the 2022 ACT Business of Treasury Caroline, Stockmann, Chief Executive, Association of Corporate Treasurers |
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| 10:25 |
ACT Business of Treasury 2022: the discussion Room: Joharah 6+7 Join this session to hear the results of the 2022 ACT Business of Treasury Andrew McMichael, Group Treasurer, Agility Princy Royce, Treasury Manager, Khazna Data Centre Facilitated by Caroline, Stockmann, Chief Executive, Association of Corporate Treasurers |
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| 11:00 | Morning refreshments in the exhibition hall | ||
| 11:35 |
Treasury labs Choose between treasury labs 1, 2, and 3 |
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Treasury Lab 1 Know Your Company: not as relevant or evidently essential for a Treasurer? It is often believed that treasury professionals can “easily” move between companies and/or industry sectors, i.e., hop from one job to the other and quickly ‘plug & play’ their expertise within their new companies, but it may in fact often be as important for treasury professionals having or obtaining a thorough understanding of the new companies’ business as it is for professionals working in other areas. This session will cover how three corporations operating in different sectors (biotech, commodities trading, high tech manufacturing) manage three areas of common treasury responsibilities distinctively differently due to the underlying business being distinctively different: (a) currency exposure management, (b) management of the companies’ capital allocation frameworks, and (c) liquidity risk management. Marc Verkuil, Director, Dubai Treasury Centre, Fortive Facilitated by Paul Furminger, Managing Director, Global Transaction Services, Bank of America |
Treasury lab 2 TechTalks In this session, a selection of innovative fintechs will each present a key solution to an important challenge for today’s treasurers. Facilitated by Caroline Stockmann, Chief Executive, Association of Corporate Treasurers A modern treasury management system for enterprises of every size ZenTreasury helps enterprises of every size and industry manage their financial agreements efficiently throughout their life cycle and manage complex derivative accounting – all of this on top of the cash forecasting and liquidity management. Lars Nevalainen, Founder & CEO, Zen Treasury
Supply Chain Finanance - A way to optimize your working capital Invoice Bazaar is a local UAE based start-up that is now part of Triterras Inc post-acquisition in 2021 has been helping treasurers with their Supply Chain Finance efforts. A talk on implementing supply chain finance for your organization as well as learn about the Invoice Bazaar journey. Anand Nagaraj, Executive Vice President, Invoice Bazaar B2B Payments – optimising working capital and protecting cash flows Cracking the conflicting ‘DPO extension – DSO reduction’ dilemma using automation and commercial cards Ashwin Shenoy, VP - Sales, CEMEA, PayMate |
Treasury lab 3 Data: an ever-increasing supply It’s difficult for treasurers to best utilise ever-increasing masses of unstructured data in data lakes and warehouses, resulting from legacy systems. By joining this session, you will understand what other treasurers are doing to manage this, and what you can do to tap into the potential that the data can provide to support treasury activities and create data-driven innovation in processes and systems. Viplav Rathore, Managing Director, Head of Cash Products UAE COE (Africa, Middle East & Pakistan), Standard Chartered Ryan Nadlan, Senior Enterprise Expert, Refinitiv Anish Jain, Chief Treasury Officer, ETG Facilitated by Moussa Soukal, Managing Partner, Treasury Advisory Partners
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In association with Bank of America
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In association with Standard Chartered
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| 12:15 | Move to next session | ||
| 12:20 |
Treasury labs Choose between treasury labs 4, 5, and 6 |
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Treasury lab 4 The latest on trade finance Currency volatility and recent geopolitical movement have posed challenges for lenders, corporates and exporters with a range of steps and initiatives taken in recent years taken advantage of shifting global market conditions. The discussion between two trade finance experts will provide practical views on changing international attitudes when it comes to risk taking, navigating cross border commodity finance trade and how banks and corporates can collaborate and further support the economy in the new normal. Maanish Kuhar, Head – Trade Finance & Banking Relations, Synergy Tradeco Facilitated by Semih Ozkan, Director, Structured & Trade Finance Sales Head, Middle East, SMBC |
Treasury lab 5 Building a forward-looking conntected Treasury The digital transformation of treasury has become a strategic priority for corporations globally, empowering a connected treasury with real-time insights and technology driven decision-making is pivotal in today's context of economic deceleration, market volatility and inflation rate movements. A connected treasury facilitates the achievement of business objectives and delivers tremendous value for the entire ecosystem. Join us in this session to dive deeper into the nuances of digitisation of treasury and lay the foundation for a forward-looking connected treasury. Punit Ajani, Head of Corporate Treasury & Commodities Price Risk Management, KPMG Husam Basaddiq, Sales Director, Emerging Markets, Trading, Refinitiv Facilitated by CM Grover, MD & CEO, IBSFINtech
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Treasury lab 6 Corporation tax in the UAE: the practical impacts With the introduction of corporate tax in the UAE, we will explore the practical consequences for treasurers, as well as the impact on financing. Learn what you need to do now to be prepared for the changes. Wadih Abou Nasr, Tax Partner, Business Tax Services Leader MENA, EY |
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In association with IBSFINtech
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| 13:00 | Lunch in the exhibition hall | ||
| 14:00 |
Digital assets for treasurers: the debate Room: Joharah 6+7 On the one hand, digital assets are expected to revolutionise money at its fundamental level. At the other extreme, they are considered another form of gambling that will never catch on. Opposing views will present their cases as to where they see this revolutionary advancement in financial exchange going – and what it means for treasurers. Feras Abomazen, Senior Treasury Manager, Gulf Drug Cindy Amar, Head of Business Development & Sales MENA, Matrixport Facilitated by Anissa Teemul, Assistant Vice President, Treasury, ALDAR |
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| 14:30 |
Plenary session: Predicting the future Room: Joharah 6+7 Much change is happening across the Middle East, ambition is high from government, business, and people; and much of this is happening in the financial environment and due to technological innovation. This closing discussion will bring interesting and influential organisations together to discuss how technology is changing the financial markets and environments in the region, leading to what life will be like for a treasurer in 2040 and beyond. Matthew Hurn OBE, Chief Financial Officer, Disruptive Investments, Mubadala Dr. V Francis John, Chief Executive Officer, ZtartUpNetwork Muhsin Alrustom, Group Chief Financial Officer, ASYAD Facilitated by Caroline Stockmann, Chief Executive, Association of Corporate Treasurers |
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| 15:40 |
Closing remarks Caroline Stockmann, Chief Executive, Association of Corporate Treasurers Room: Joharah 6+7 |
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| 15:50 | Close of conference | ||
If you are a corporate treasurer trying to book, please contact events@treasurers.org
ACT Middle East Treasury Summit 2022
27-28 September
Dubai, UAE
