The Working Capital Forum

The end of optimisation? Working capital in a crisis

27/5/2022

Our first round table in London since 2019 almost ended before it began. As our diverse group of treasury, corporate finance, and procurement leaders began to describe the supply chain issues they were facing, more than one revealed that their policy for the moment was to, ‘Forget about working capital.’ Not, thankfully, because it was no longer a concern, but because of the vital importance of securing increasingly scarce supplies of everything from grain to microchips, paying what the market demanded, and carrying inventory in far greater quantities than would have been thought wise in the old days of ‘optimisation.’

Five working capital must-haves to weather the economic storms: Stockholm round table report

12/5/2022

As a small group of treasury and procurement leaders gathered in Stockholm’s Grand Hotel for the first ‘in person’ Working Capital Forum round-table for almost three years, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson was also in town. He was there to pledge support to Sweden and, later Finland, as they prepared to apply for NATO membership - a reminder that conditions in Europe are anything but ‘business as usual’.

Why companies with a strong ‘cash culture’ are better prepared for economic turbulence: Round table report

27/1/2022

Today I moderated a virtual round table for corporate treasurers for our Working Capital Forum networking group.

How the global pandemic has changed working capital priorities: Round table report

29/11/2021

The latest meeting of the Working Capital Forum saw treasury leaders from several major retail and FMCG firms gather around our Virtual Round Table.

The future of working capital: reporting from Working Capital Forum London

14/10/2021

The first live Working Capital Forum event for over two years took place at the Waldorf Hotel in London’s West End on 14th October 2021. The event has brought together more than 100 treasurers and working capital experts to discuss the latest themes, challenges, and keys to success in working capital.

Ten steps towards setting up a successful cash pool - Round Table Report

24/9/2021

Cash pooling offers clear advantages to businesses that want to make cash ‘trapped’ in subsidiaries available at the group level.

Webinar report: ‘Don’t get left behind,’ industry warned in race to digitise trade finance

26/5/2021

Banks and corporates must keep an “open mind” and embrace new digitised platforms to secure the future of trade finance.

Round table report: Simplicity is key to supplier onboarding for SCF programmes

21/5/2021

The May round table meeting for the Working Capital Forum saw treasurers from seven multinationals gather to discuss ways of encouraging supplier take-up of supply chain finance programmes, in a meeting sponsored, as usual by American Express.

Round Table Report: Centralise for SCF success, say treasury and procurement leaders

26/4/2021

Bringing disparate entities together in a centralised treasury or shared service centre can be a positive step along the road to better working capital management.

Round Table Report: How internal charging for stock can help boost working capital

4/3/2021

The latest round-table meeting of the Working Capital Forum, supported by American Express saw eight senior treasurers gather online to discuss ways of getting ‘buy-in’ to working capital optimisation programmes.

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