Strategic Finance Lab

Lam Research treasurer Adam King discusses the company’s global expansion, AI and the lessons from audit that continue to shape his approach to treasury. Treasury leaders often talk about becoming a strategic partner to the business. Mr. King believes the path there is more straightforward than many may realize: focus first on operations, efficiency and controls. In the latest episode of the Strat...

Investment-grade debt issuance fueled by hyperscalers continues at a record pace, and a new wave of AI-related IPOs—including filings and preparations by Anthropic, OpenAI and SpaceX—is cause for cautious optimism among investors and corporates. Despite persistent market volatility and geopolitical uncertainty, strong investor demand is creating opportunities for companies both within and beyond t...

Treasury teams are being asked to move quickly to digitalize, with AI only adding to the pace as the number of tools, use cases and ideas keeps expanding. The challenge for many NeuGroup members is figuring out where to start and what will actually make a difference. In this episode, Dan Morrison, Global Treasury Digital and Performance Manager at SLB, formerly Schlumberger, joins NeuGroup's J...

Moody’s Corp. Chief Treasury Officer Deepali Chawla joins NeuGroup’s Justin Jones on the Strategic Finance Lab to share how agility, curiosity and a willingness to pivot have shaped her career—and helped drive an award-winning AI transformation in treasury. Early in her career, Ms. Chawla found herself navigating both a new country and a different job in corporate finance. The experience shaped he...

Private credit’s rapid rise is reshaping corporate finance. Once a tool for middle-market borrowers, it’s now a mainstream funding option for investment-grade companies seeking customized, long-term capital solutions. That shift—and what it means for treasury—is the focus of our newest episode, featuring Apollo Global Management COO of Global Origination Adam Kostrinsky. Mr. Kostrinsky tells NeuGr...

Artificial intelligence is everywhere in finance conversations, including at NeuGroup meetings, where members are eager to understand how the technology will shape treasury. But as Ed Barrie and Randy DeVita of Treasury4 explain to NeuGroup’s Justin Jones in this episode of the Strategic Finance Lab podcast, AI is only as good as the data behind it. Mr. Barrie, Treasury4’s co-founder and chief pro...

TreasurySpring CEO Kevin Cook joins NeuGroup Insights editor Antony Michels on the Strategic Finance Lab to discuss how his fintech is reshaping cash investing through its innovative fixed-term funds (FTFs). Born from lessons learned in the 2008 financial crisis, TreasurySpring’s platform offers institutional investors safety, diversification and simplified access to repo markets and other high-qu...

Scott Bilter of AtlasFX on FX market volatility, using AI to tackle forecast problems, and what he’s hearing from Europe. Hedging currency risk effectively and the FX exposure forecasting it requires got more complicated for many treasury teams in the first half of 2025 as the U.S. dollar slumped the most in more than 50 years against a basket of other currencies. But it’s not completely clear yet...

Now more than ever, treasurers looking to build stronger teams and advance their own careers need to do far more than master core technical skills. They must be able to communicate their value, embrace change and understand how data and technology are reshaping the function. That’s one of the key messages delivered by Mike Richards, founder of the Treasury Recruitment Company, in the latest episod...

Many executives are drowning in data yet starved for insight. In this episode, risk expert Brian Hagen talks to NeuGroup Insights writer Justin Jones about how narrative framing—paired with AI—can cut through the noise and drive smarter decisions. Mr. Hagen, founder of the Decision Empowerment Institute and an adjunct professor at Cal State Fullerton, explains why even the most quantitative analys...

This special episode of the Strategic Finance Lab features a recording of a recent NeuGroup panel featuring WestCap founder Laurence Tosi and Treasury4 co-founder Ed Barrie, moderated by NeuGroup founder and CEO Joseph Neu. The conversation explores what it means to adopt a “treasury-first mindset,” with insights from seasoned finance leaders on how treasury can evolve from a support function to a...

In this episode, Kyriba SVP of Product Solutions & Strategy Thomas Gavaghan describes the differences between a treasury management system (TMS) and the SaaS-based “liquidity performance platform” Kyriba offers and markets to today’s corporate treasury teams. “Where Kyriba has evolved and is breaking out from the pack is in what we call liquidity performance—and it’s far beyond cash,” he tells...

Anita Mehra, who retired in February as Microsoft’s treasurer after a two-decade career at the company, joins NeuGroup founder and CEO Joseph Neu on the latest episode of NeuGroup’s Strategic Finance Lab podcast. In the conversation, Ms. Mehra reflects on her journey, the role of treasury in driving business strategy and the importance of mentorship and inclusion. Before joining the corporate worl...

This episode of the Strategic Finance Lab podcast shines a light on the Mission Driven Bank Fund—a private investment fund that invests in banks that provide credit and financial services to lower-wealth communities, rural communities, and communities of color across the United States. Its goal is to help close the racial wealth gap. In the episode, NeuGroup's Andy Podolsky speaks to Paul Welch, p...

Insights from Mastercard’s Nima Sepasy on finance use cases for solutions built with emerging tech like generative AI. Finance leaders who may be a tad tired of questions from senior executives or board members on how they plan to put the magic of generative artificial intelligence to work should not let the hype overshadow this reality: Gen AI has “inherent superpowers” they can tap to reach high...

Todd Thorsen, who overhauled the 401(k) plan while at Medtronic, says ‘cognitive empathy’ is key to collaboration. Mr. Thorsen’s 27-year career in corporate finance and investing has not been carefully choreographed. “I’d love to say there was a master plan, but there really isn’t for me,” he says in the in the latest episode of the Strategic Finance Lab podcast. The road he took includes stints a...

Breaking down traditional barriers between finance and technology teams is transforming the way treasury departments tackle digital transformation initiatives. At Bechtel Corporation, assistant treasurer Dan Degagne embraced this approach by recruiting fintech expert Shayly Nguyen from the company’s IT team to join treasury, significantly enhancing efficiency and productivity. In this episode, Neu...

Zac Nesper worked long and hard to become treasurer of HP in 2018 after being, in his words, “passed over five times” for the job. He thrived in the role, has a passion for treasury and has high praise for “great bosses” who gave him opportunities and responsibilities in treasury and other areas within finance. So why did Mr. Nesper decide to leave treasury in 2023 and exit HP this year after more...

In this episode, Bristol Myers Squibb’s Bill Brewer, a member of the company's financial risk management (FRM) team, shares insights with NeuGroup’s Justin Jones on the risk mindset he developed in previous roles within audit, and how that informs his current approach. He also shares about the FRM team, a small group within treasury that focuses on foreign exchange and interest rate hedging, c...

The most sophisticated finance and treasury teams are ahead of the curve in turning heaps of data into actionable insights, often with the aid of visualization tools that tell a story better than just facts and figures. A fintech called Treasury4 wants to make data-driven decision-making more accessible than ever for corporates of any size. In this episode of the Strategic Finance Lab podcast, Neu...

C2FO CEO Sandy Kemper describes how the fintech he founded in 2008 provides fast, flexible access to low-cost working capital to suppliers, some of whom struggle to get bank loans. C2FO’s platform enables large corporations to pay their suppliers early in exchange for a discount set by the supplier. Mr. Kemper says early payments help eliminate “friction” in a banking system he calls antiquated an...

Companies face cooling inflation but elevated wage growth amid a slowing economy with recession unlikely. In this episode, Fitch Ratings’ head of US Regional Economics Olu Sonola paints a relatively positive picture of the economic outlook in 2024, thanks in large part to the strength of the US consumer and declining inflation. “The balance sheet of the US consumer is very, very strong,” he tells...

Citi’s Ron Chakravarti discusses the keys to treasury success on a new episode of the Strategic Finance Lab podcast. Few people in the world of banking know as much about how corporate treasury teams can raise their games and bring more value to companies than  Ron Chakravarti , head of global treasury advisory at Citi Treasury and Trade Solutions. His insights are backed by the experience of advi...

Tadd Fowler wears two big hats at Procter & Gamble, the world’s largest consumer goods company. He’s head of global tax operations—a natural fit for a former PwC tax partner—and also took on the treasurer role in 2021. In the newest episode of The Strategic Finance Lab, he explains how an accountant steeped in the world of tax “got very comfortable very quickly” also running treasury at a mult...

This episode of NeuGroup’s Strategic Finance Lab podcast stars Amol Dhargalkar, the managing partner, board chairman and global head of the corporates sector at Chatham Financial—the risk advisory firm where he has spent more than two decades, his entire working career. You can hear his interview with NeuGroup founder and CEO Joseph Neu now on Apple and Spotify. Chatham helps corporations develop...