Citigroup Conference Helps Clients in the Philippines Create Competitive Advantage
May 22, 2003, The Philippines -- Financial services giant Citigroup recently reinforced its commitment to be more than just bankers to its clients through a unique Cash, Trade and Treasury Conference held at the EDSA Shangri-La Hotel on May 15, 2003. The conference, entitled "Creating Competitive Advantage", was designed to provide finance managers with additional tools and fresh insights to enable them to function effectively in an increasingly demanding business environment.
"As business partners, we seek to add value to our clients' businesses by providing them with excellent training opportunities such as this," says Citigroup Country Officer James F. Hunt. "Being the global leader in financial services, we have access to the latest state-of-the art products and techniques which we make available in more than 100 markets. This is what we seek to share with our clients."
Citigroup strengthened its partnership with senior mangers of its corporate client base by offering them a comprehensive choice of sessions. The topics ranged from managing change in today's market place, doing business in China, and effective payables and receivables management.
A new dimension added to the conference was the session on e-treasury solutions. Hunt points out that "Increasingly, the lines between traditional finance and treasury are blurring. We wanted to bring these varied topics together for benefit of the participants. Now, more than ever, the finance manager has a real opportunity to help their companies achieve greater competitiveness."
One of the components of the conference was a high-level panel discussion moderated by Makati Business Club President Guillermo Luz. Distinguished panelists were Texas Instruments Finance Director Alan Boyd, Caltex Shared Services Center General Manager William Pfluger, PLDT Director and Chief Financial Advisor Christopher Young, and Jollibee Foods Corporation Vice President for Shared Services Paul Zaldarriaga. The panelists shared their personal views on the key trends, challenges and opportunities facing today's finance manager.
"In today's challenging environment, virtually every finance manager is tasked to do more with less. All face expanding mandates, shorter cycle times, and goals that include using less working capital and even less human capital.," says Remo Vignali, Citigroup Global Transaction Services Head. "The conference was an effective way for Citigroup to share best practices with our clients, and to give them an insight into the latest industry trends and technology. It not only reinforced Citigroup's commitment to providing our clients with the best products and services suited to their needs, it also strengthened our position as our clients strategic partners in creating competitive advantage for their businesses."
About Citigroup
Citigroup (NYSE: C), the preeminent global financial services company
with some 200 million customer accounts in more than 100 countries,
provides consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with
a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer
banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, insurance,
securities brokerage, and asset management. Major brand names under
Citigroup's trademark red umbrella include Citibank, CitiFinancial,
Primerica, Smith Barney, Banamex, and Travelers Life and Annuity.
Additional information may be found at:
www.citigroup.com.
