
How Does Treasury Earn a Place in Business Decisions?
In this episode of the Treasury Leaders podcast, hosts Jan-Willem Attevelt and Philip Costa Hibberd , Co-founders of Automation Boutique , speak with Frank Muusse , Head of Treasury, Insurance and Pensions at C&A , about the evolving role of treasury, cash flow forecasting, liquidity management, technology, AI, and how treasury teams can become stronger strategic partners to the business. Drawing on his experience supporting the IPO preparation for Philips Lighting and his current work at C&A, Frank explains how treasury can move beyond cash management to support working capital, funding, foreign exchange risk, supply chain finance, insurance, and strategic business decisions. He also discusses cash flow forecasting across different time horizons, building liquidity buffers, working closely with FP&A, and responding to external factors such as consumer behaviour, weather, and geopolitical disruption. What You'll Learn in This Episode How treasury priorities change across listed, private equity-backed, and family-owned businesses while the core fundamentals remain the same. Why cash, liquidity, funding, and financial risk should form the foundation of every treasury function before investing in sophisticated technology. How treasury can support the wider business through financing structures, FX management, working capital, supply chain finance, and insurance. Why cash flow forecasts should be designed around the decisions they need to support, from daily liquidity management to multi-year strategic planning. How treasury and FP&A can work together to connect direct and indirect cash flow forecasts and better understand forecast-versus-actual variances. Why liquidity planning should include multiple layers, including core cash reserves, seasonal buffers, committed facilities, and contingency planning. How geopolitical disruption, changing shipping routes, consumer behaviour, weather, and inventory decisions can affect liquidity and cash flow forecasts. Why treasury technology should improve a well-designed process rather than become a solution in search of a problem. How AI can help treasury analyse less-structured data, identify anomalies, and improve explanations while still requiring human understanding, accountability, and control. Why the treasurer of the future needs communication, curiosity, business understanding, and change-management skills alongside technical treasury expertise. Episode Breakdown with Timestamps [00:00] – AFP Partner Message & Episode Teaser [01:37] – Introduction to Frank Muusse and His Treasury Career [05:19] – How Treasury Evolves Beyond the Basics [08:27] – Core Treasury Fundamentals: Cash, Risk, Liquidity & Funding [12:05] – How Treasury Creates Value for the Business [19:26] – Cash Flow Forecasting Across Different Time Horizons [24:44] – Connecting Treasury and FP&A Forecasting [31:02] – Liquidity Planning and Risk Management [37:49] – AI in Treasury: Opportunities, Risks & Accountability [51:59] – One Thing: Stay Close to the Business [52:57] – Closing Remarks & How to Connect with Frank Follow Our Guest, Frank Muusse: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/frankmuusse/ C&A LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/c&a/ C&A Website: https://www.c-and-a.com/ Follow Treasury Leaders: Website: https://corporate-treasury-101.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/treasury-leaders/ Follow Our Hosts: Hussam Ali on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hussam-r-ali/ Guillaume Jouvencel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/guillaume-jouvencel/ Jan-Willem Attevelt on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/attevelt/ Philip Costa Hibberd on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philip-costa-hibberd/ GHA Marketing Website: https://ghapodcast.com/ Automation Boutique Website: https://automationboutique.com/ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Get $100 off any AFP product, including their CTP Exam Prep Platform, using our discount code! Find this and More on our partner's page: https://corporate-treasury-101.com/partners-page/

