Yan Liu, CTP

CTP Profile: Guiding Clients Along the Treasury Digital Transformation Roadmap

The career trajectory for Yan Liu, CTP, was pretty clear. As an SAP Finance Consultant, her Treasury experience started with corporate banking, such as corporate payments and electronic bank statements transactions, cash management like cash positioning and liquidity forecast, then actively involved in a finance digital transformation project where treasury (money market and capital market management) played a crucial role as one of the pillars within the comprehensive portfolio of finance. She now has more than a decade of implementation experience in Finance and Treasury Digital Transformation projects for various clients across the globe and for different industries.

During the project engagement, Yan's responsibilities included conducting workshops aimed at comprehending the existing treasury processes, gathering business requirements, identifying pain points, pinpointing opportunities for enhancing the business, and designing the future state accordingly. “Based on the envisioned future state, I undertook the task of architecting the ERP system to facilitate process automation, perform the configuration, testing, training, data conversion, cut-over, hypercare and other relevant activities,” she said.

Yan is most proud of her ability to help different clients deploy the treasury digital transformation roadmap, streamline the business process and provide the most suitable options that would yield long-term benefits, while also delivering an immediate return on investment (ROI).

Today in the client-based ERP consulting industry

In her current position as Senior Manager of Technology Consulting – Finance & Treasury for EY, Yan has observed the increasingly critical challenge clients face in selecting the right treasury application. “The market offers several robust ERP applications, each with its own set of advantages and disadvantages, catering to specific business requirements but not necessarily all of them. Therefore, the assessment of functionalities and careful selection of the most appropriate application hold significant importance,” said Yan.

How does she handle this? First, she focuses on gaining a thorough understanding of the client’s existing processes and business requirements. “This allows me to grasp their specific needs and challenges,” she said.

Next, she introduces them to the functionalities of various applications, providing clear explanations of their purposes. “I highlight how each application can address specific business requirements or automate certain processes and present a comprehensive overview of the corresponding pros and cons associated with each option,” she said.

Finally, she conducts demonstrations tailored to the client’s chosen processes within the system, showcasing key functionalities that align with their needs, allowing the client to envision how the chosen application would shape their future operations.

Yan credits the training she received through the CTP program for helping her succeed in her role. “The knowledge I gained has significantly improved my ability to facilitate effective business communication,” she said. She said the understanding she has of treasury terminology and concepts, as a result of the CTP program, also creates an unspoken trust between herself and other treasury professionals, which has increased the success rate of her interactions. 

With an eye to the future

Like any savvy treasury professional, Yan plans to keep a close eye on treasury market trends. She also intends to be proactive in staying updated on all the latest technological advancements so she can keep herself and her organization at the forefront of industry innovations.

Additionally, Yan plans to master “the intricacies of treasury business operations including optimizing business processes and adopting best practices.” This should help in her pursuit of a career in business and technology consulting. 

How the CTP has shaped her career

Yan feels that the evidence of the CTP’s impact on her career is significant. “The CTP designation significantly enhances the persuasiveness of my client proposals,” she said. She said that including the designation in her proposals has increased the trust her clients feel in her abilities, which in turn strengthens the business relationship, leading to greater acceptance of her recommendations.

“I believe that the acquired knowledge is highly practical and can be immediately applied to daily work,” she said. “The return on investment (ROI) in terms of its immediate impact is undeniable.”

For others preparing for the CTP exam, Yan recommends her method of preparation, in which she focused heavily on studying the course book, “Essentials of Treasury Management.” And she applied what she learned to her own experience in treasury, thereby reinforcing the concepts. “Establishing a strong connection between the book’s content and my practical experiences was a key factor in my successfully passing the exam,” said Yan. 

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