A treasury career isn’t built on technical skills alone - it’s shaped by storytelling, decision-making, and mastering complexity. In this episode, Tony (Phong) Vu, Treasurer of Broward Health, shares how these elements have defined his journey from treasury analyst to leading treasury in a complex healthcare environment.

Tony (Phong) Vu is the Treasurer of Broward Health, with extensive experience across public sector treasury roles, including higher education. From Treasury Analyst to four-time Treasurer, he has built deep expertise in managing cash, investments, and debt while navigating complex stakeholder environments.

In this episode, we explore his career journey from corporate finance to leading treasury in healthcare, highlighting the shift from specialization to broad leadership. The conversation also emphasizes the importance of strong fundamentals, along with how storytelling and data drive better decision-making.

We also examine the differences between corporate and public sector treasury, the complexity of healthcare finance, and why curiosity and decision-making are critical skills in an increasingly AI-driven environment.

What We Cover in This Episode:

• Transitioning from treasury analyst roles into senior leadership positions
• Moving from corporate treasury into public sector and healthcare
• Managing cash, investments, and debt across large, complex organizations
• Building and implementing internal banking and centralized investment structures
• Navigating stakeholder management in decentralized institutions
• The complexity of tax-exempt debt and public finance
• Differences between corporate “margin” focus and public sector “mission” focus
• Using dashboards and data to improve cash visibility and decision-making
• Simplifying treasury processes by returning to first principles
• The evolving role of treasury with technology and AI
• The importance of storytelling in explaining treasury to stakeholders

You can connect with Tony (Phong) Vu on LinkedIn.

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📊 Managing short-term cash and investments - Without the right technology is a huge risk for modern treasurers. Tradeweb changes that!

🎓 Save $150 on CTP & FPAC– Exclusive discounts for treasury professionals – thanks to our trusted partners.

🧠 Leadership Under Pressure – Practical tools and coaching that work – from the team at Gazing Leadership

🧩 What if your whole team had one clear view of your group structure - Fuseable makes it happen

🔐 Managing signatory lists manually? Cygnetise gives treasury teams a smarter, safer way

👉 FIND OUT MORE HERE https://treasuryrecruitment.com/partners/

Building global treasury impact requires more than technical skills - it demands data-driven insight, strong relationships, and the ability to influence across the business.

This week’s guest is Takachida Kuhudzai, Head of Treasury at Avon. With a career spanning banking, corporate treasury, and global leadership roles, he has developed deep expertise in analytics, working capital optimisation, and navigating complex international markets.

In this episode, Takachida Kuhudzai, Head of Treasury at Avon shares his journey from starting in banking to leading global treasury functions. He reflects on how early experience in FX trading shaped his ability to operate in fast-moving environments, and how transitioning into corporate treasury gave him a broader understanding of how businesses operate.

A key highlight is his work in building a global working capital analytics platform, which became a central tool for decision-making and helped unlock significant cash flow across the organisation. He also discusses the importance of stakeholder relationships, tailoring treasury strategies to different markets, and managing complexity in volatile environments.

The episode also explores his current role at Avon, where he has been instrumental in transforming treasury operations and supporting the company’s transition to private equity ownership.

What We Cover in This Episode:

• Career journey from banking into corporate treasury
• Experience in FX trading and fast-paced financial markets
• Transition to corporate treasury and understanding business operations
• Building and scaling a global working capital analytics platform
• Using data to unlock cash flow and drive decision-making
• Stakeholder management and influencing across global teams
• Adapting treasury strategies to local market constraints
• Managing volatility and risk in emerging markets
• Leading treasury transformation during organisational change at Avon
• The role of technology and data in the future of treasury
• Developing leadership, communication, and influence

You can connect with Takachida Kuhudza on LinkedIn.

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🎙️ Subscribe to the Treasury Career Corner podcast - Never miss an episode! Subscribe on your favourite platform:

CLICK HERE for 🎧Spotify Podcasts

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📊 Managing short-term cash and investments - Without the right technology is a huge risk for modern treasurers. Tradeweb changes that!

🎓 Save $150 on CTP & FPAC– Exclusive discounts for treasury professionals – thanks to our trusted partners.

🧠 Leadership Under Pressure – Practical tools and coaching that work – from the team at Gazing Leadership

🧩 What if your whole team had one clear view of your group structure - Fuseable makes it happen

🔐 Managing signatory lists manually? Cygnetise gives treasury teams a smarter, safer way

👉 FIND OUT MORE HERE https://treasuryrecruitment.com/partners/

How do you transform a treasury function from manual processes into an AI-powered, automation-driven strategic partner?

In this episode, we’re joined by Karen Kearney, Treasurer at Stanford University. She leads treasury across one of the world’s most complex and innovative institutions, overseeing areas including capital markets, cash management, and financial strategy within a large, mission-driven environment.

On the episode Karen Kearney, Treasurer at Stanford University shares her unconventional journey into treasury, from starting in audit to exploring a career in the culinary world before returning to finance and ultimately leading treasury at Stanford.

The conversation dives into how treasury can evolve into a strategic function through innovation, automation, and collaboration. Karen explains how her team implemented predictive cash forecasting, automated complex processes, and developed in-house solutions that outperform market offerings.

She also discusses the unique challenges of operating in a nonprofit, consensus-driven environment, the importance of institutional understanding, and how AI will shape the future of treasury.

What We Cover in This Episode:

• Transitioning from audit to treasury through a non-linear career path
• The complexity of managing finances in a large research university
• Differences between corporate and nonprofit treasury environments
• Driving transformation through automation and process optimisation
• Managing a multi-billion-dollar debt portfolio and internal banking structure
• Creating a scalable merchant services solution and winning a major industry award
• The role of innovation and Silicon Valley influence on treasury strategy
• Elevating treasury as a strategic partner within an organisation
• The growing importance of AI, data quality, and upskilling in finance
• Future skills required for treasury professionals
• Career advice: embracing opportunities and continuous learning

You can connect with Karen Kearney on LinkedIn.

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🎙️ Subscribe to the Treasury Career Corner podcast - Never miss an episode! Subscribe on your favourite platform:

CLICK HERE for 🎧Spotify Podcasts

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📊 Managing short-term cash and investments - Without the right technology is a huge risk for modern treasurers. Tradeweb changes that!

🎓 Save $150 on CTP & FPAC– Exclusive discounts for treasury professionals – thanks to our trusted partners.

🧠 Leadership Under Pressure – Practical tools and coaching that work – from the team at Gazing Leadership

🧩 What if your whole team had one clear view of your group structure - Fuseable makes it happen

🔐 Managing signatory lists manually? Cygnetise gives treasury teams a smarter, safer way

👉 FIND OUT MORE HERE https://treasuryrecruitment.com/partners/

Building a treasury function from scratch is only the beginning - turning it into a strategic engine is where the real impact happens.

This week, we welcome back Ben Loper, Senior Vice President & Corporate Treasurer at Hilton Grand Vacations.

A returning guest to the podcast, Ben joins us for an update episode, sharing how his role and treasury itself has evolved since his first appearance, now overseeing a multi-billion-dollar financing business alongside treasury operations.

In this follow-up conversation, Ben Loper, now Senior Vice President & Corporate Treasurer at Hilton Grand Vacations walks through his journey from banking and equity research into corporate treasury, and how he helped build a treasury function from scratch within a newly independent company.

He shares how treasury has evolved from a back-office function into a strategic partner in capital allocation, risk management, and growth, and reflects on the realities of scaling teams, navigating acquisitions, and operating in an increasingly complex global environment.

The discussion also explores the future of treasury, including technology, payments, remote working challenges, and why treasury professionals must think beyond operations to deliver real business value.

Key topics discussed:

• Transitioning from banking and equity research into corporate treasury
• Building a treasury function from scratch in a newly spun-out company
• Scaling treasury through acquisitions and rapid business growth
• The role of treasury in capital allocation and strategic decision-making
• How banking experience translates into corporate treasury success
• The shift from operational treasury to strategic treasury leadership
• Navigating post-pandemic challenges, including inflation and market uncertainty
• The growing importance of payments, customer experience, and technology in treasury
• Remote working challenges and training the next generation of treasury professionals
• The evolving role of certifications and experience in hiring treasury talent

You can connect with Ben Loper on LinkedIn or for more info check out www.benrloper.com.

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🎙️ Subscribe to the Treasury Career Corner podcast - Never miss an episode! Subscribe on your favourite platform:

CLICK HERE for 🎧Spotify Podcasts

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📊 Managing short-term cash and investments - Without the right technology is a huge risk for modern treasurers. Tradeweb changes that!

🎓 Save $150 on CTP & FPAC– Exclusive discounts for treasury professionals – thanks to our trusted partners.

🧠 Leadership Under Pressure – Practical tools and coaching that work – from the team at Gazing Leadership

🧩 What if your whole team had one clear view of your group structure - Fuseable makes it happen

🔐 Managing signatory lists manually? Cygnetise gives treasury teams a smarter, safer way

👉 FIND OUT MORE HERE https://treasuryrecruitment.com/partners/

What does it really take to prepare a company for IPO - and why should treasury be involved far earlier than most expect?

In this episode, Stef Layne, a three-time IPO leader, shares how treasury plays a critical role in shaping IPO readiness, strengthening cash discipline, and building financial resilience.

In this episode, we’re joined by Stef Layne, a finance executive with over 20 years of experience leading high-growth, global technology companies through IPOs, rapid scale, and transformation. A proven partner to CEOs and executive teams, Stef brings deep expertise across capital strategy, liquidity management, FP&A, global operations, and risk management. As a three-time IPO leader, she is known for bringing structure to ambiguity, building high-performing teams, and aligning finance strategy with business outcomes.

This conversation dives into the evolving role of treasury in the IPO journey, highlighting why early involvement is essential for success. The discussion covers how treasury supports liquidity planning, establishes financial discipline across organisations, and manages banking relationships during periods of uncertainty.

We also explores the importance of embedding cash awareness across teams and ensuring that financial decisions align with long-term business objectives - both before and after going public.

What We Cover in This Episode:

• The role of treasury in preparing a company for IPO
• Why treasury should be involved earlier in the IPO process
• Building and maintaining strong liquidity positions
• The importance of free cash flow awareness across the organisation
• Establishing financial discipline before and after going public
• Managing banking relationships and counterparty risk
• Navigating periods of financial uncertainty and cash risk
• Treasury’s role in supporting strategic decision-making
• Aligning treasury operations with broader business goals

You can connect with Stef Layne on LinkedIn.

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Free Guide: Treasury Career Accelerator (Inspired by Stef Layne)

In this episode, Stef Layne shares how she made cash visible across the business, her “yo free cash flow” approach.

We’ve created a short, practical guide to help you do the same, move from reporting cash to influencing decisions.

Download it here: https://treasuryrecruitment.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Treasury-Protection-Guide.pdf

Leading treasury across multiple industries requires more than technical expertise - it demands adaptability, broad experience, and a forward-looking mindset.

In this episode, Garima Thakur, Global Treasurer and Risk Leader at Creative Artists Agency (CAA) shares insights from building a treasury career spanning finance, technology, consumer products, sports, and entertainment.

Garima Thakur is Global Treasurer and Risk Leader at Creative Artists Agency (CAA), where she oversees treasury, liquidity management, and financial risk. She brings extensive treasury leadership experience across multiple industries, including financial services, technology, consumer products, and entertainment.

On the show Garima shares how she discovered treasury during an MBA internship and built a career across several industries and treasury disciplines. She explains why developing broad experience early in a treasury career can create a strong foundation for future leadership roles.

The conversation also explores how treasury functions evolve within growing organizations, the importance of forward-looking liquidity planning, and how technology and AI are beginning to influence areas such as forecasting, data analysis, and decision-making.

What We Cover in This Episode:

1. Discovering treasury during an MBA internship and choosing it as a career path
2. Building early career experience across multiple treasury disciplines
3. The advantages of working in lean treasury teams and learning across functions
4. Leading treasury roles across finance, technology, consumer products, sports, and entertainment
5. Building and evolving treasury capabilities within a fast-moving organization
6. The role treasury plays in supporting both strategic initiatives and daily operations
7. Forward-looking liquidity planning and scenario analysis
8. The growing role of technology and AI in treasury processes
9. Developing strong treasury teams and learning from operational mistakes
10. What treasury leaders value when hiring and developing talent

You can connect with Garima Thakur on LinkedIn.

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🎙️ Subscribe to the Treasury Career Corner podcast - Never miss an episode! Subscribe on your favourite platform:

CLICK HERE for 🎧Spotify Podcasts

CLICK HERE for 🍏Apple Podcasts

📊 Managing short-term cash and investments - Without the right technology is a huge risk for modern treasurers. Tradeweb changes that!

🎓 Save $150 on CTP & FPAC– Exclusive discounts for treasury professionals – thanks to our trusted partners.

🧠 Leadership Under Pressure – Practical tools and coaching that work – from the team at Gazing Leadership

🧩 What if your whole team had one clear view of your group structure - Fuseable makes it happen

🔐 Managing signatory lists manually? Cygnetise gives treasury teams a smarter, safer way

👉 FIND OUT MORE HERE https://treasuryrecruitment.com/partners/