Trésorier/Treasurer magazine - N°88 - Jan/Fev/Mar 2015 - (Page 50)

15 MINUTES WITH... USG Finance Professionals - Can you briefly introduce yourself? After having worked in banking for more than 30 years, I launched my own consultancy firm, FDW Consult, specialized in finance and treasury consulting. As an independent consultant, I got in touch with USG Finance Professionals on the opportunity to the set up of a Competence Center Treasury & Finance. Early 2014, I took on the new position of Director of the Competence Centre Treasury and Finance of USG Finance Professionals, which is a part of USG Professionals, a division of USG People. USG People is a specialized provider of employment services in Europe and has more then 40 years of experience. They are the number 2 in the Netherlands & Belgium. The group has a consolidated turnover of 2.3 billion euro and is listed on the NYSE in Amsterdam. LE MAGAZINE DU TRESORIER / TREASURER MAGAZINE - N°88 - JAN / FEB / MAR 2015 - In which areas are you most active? 50 We focus on working capital optimization, cash and liquidity management, financing strategy, bank selection, risk and compliance analysis and support, treasury quick scans, training, recruitment and selection on treasury and finance related topics, project management in treasury, finance and related ICT project. - Which type of clients are you looking for? Although our solutions also meet the upper end of the market, we consider our approach to specifically meet the needs of the smaller to intermediate corporates, who are looking to upgrade their treasury and the related tools in a cost-efficient way. They need consultants who have a transversal view on solutions, consultants who can advise them in their growth and create technical solutions which, whilst being "state of the art" and scalable, remain affordable. Another topic our clients are looking into Director Competence Center concerns TMS solutions. Treasury & Finance We have also developed at USG Finance Professionals close relationships with some selected providers. Finally, we see that risk management is on the radar screen. In particular with groups having a high forex, interest rate or commodity risk exposure. François de Witte When attending the workshops and discussing with other corporates at the Euro Finance Conference in Budapest in October 2014, I experienced similar needs in the market. - In what do you consider your approach to be different from the other consulting firms? We aim for long term partnerships with treasurers. Our approach is not to come up with pre-defined solutions, but to analyze the problem of our clients, to provide the "as is" and identify possible areas of improvements on a "no pay no cure" basis. We define possible 'next steps'. We have developed a "Treasury Quick Scan" methodology, which results in a report assessing the client's treasury, benchmarking them towards peers and providing recommendations for improvements. We provide end to end solutions. When we put clients in contact with technology providers, we aim to ensure that USG Finance and USG ICT cater for the implementation of the project. - Are your solutions easy to implement and to use? USG FINANCE PROFESSIONALS - What are the main needs of your clients? Out of the various discussions we have with clients, over 50 % of their concerns are related to working capital optimization. Within this area, credit management, debt collection, e-invoicing and cash forecasting are really hot topics. We provide advice, and also have privileged relationships with several providers in these areas. We also identify large needs in cash and liquidity management. Several corporates have managed SEPA as a continuity project and only start now to leverage on the opportunities offered by SEPA. Group treasuries - also look at rationalizing the bank connectivity. Swiftnet is a possible solution, but new providers as well are offering multi-bank host to host connections enabling the direct connection to a number of banks. Furthermore treasurers are looking to leverage on the opportunities offered by SEPA to rationalize their account structures and payments. When considering payment and collection factory structures, the integration with the clients ERP is key. Simplicity is key when devising and implementing solutions. Our clients want state of the art but smart solutions. We developed a client-driven approach based upon a partnership. The word of mouth is our best marketing. - What will USG Finance and the CC Treasury & Finance further focus on in the future? Based upon our experience, we wish to further develop our strengths by further broadening our partnerships with our clients, by deepening our relationships with solution providers and by extending our consultancy towards banks. Our focus is to be the reference as well for corporates, banks or other organizations needing treasury and banking experts, as for treasury experts looking for new challenges.

Table des matières de la publication Trésorier/Treasurer magazine - N°88 - Jan/Fev/Mar 2015

Cover
Table of contents
EDITORIAL
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS Luxembourg Tax News
INTERVIEW From Legal Entity Management to Bank Account Management - LVMH case study
FOCUS
Treasurers, do you have any BEPS?
Reguvolution
7 Ways to impress your CFO boss starting now
FORUM
How to do more with less
Repo made easy
Comment combiner rendement, liquidité et gestion des risques pour sa trésorerie : l'exemple français
Les stratégies d'Alpha, à la rescousse d'un environnement de taux faibles
CORPORATE FINANCE
The benefits of collateral for the corporate treasurer
Les états financiers dans le cadre d'EMIR - que réserve l'avenir?
VAT changes as from 2015: new reimbursement procedure of VAT credit
Investissement des entreprises - une nouvelle ère pour la trésorerie
15 MINUTES AVEC USG Finance Professionals
THE RISK OBSERVATORY
NEWS
LIFE BEYOND NUMBERS

Trésorier/Treasurer magazine - N°88 - Jan/Fev/Mar 2015