All Speakers
Can I Have Your Attention? Leading in the Age of Distraction
In today's hyper connected workplace, distraction has become more than a productivity issue—it's a strategic liability that prevents teams from focusing on what matters most. Learn how to reclaim attention as a leadership priority with bestselling author Curt Steinhorst, who combines personal experience overcoming ADHD with a decade researching the economics of attention in modern organizations. You'll discover practical approaches to help your team focus without micromanaging, build rhythms that protect attention across roles, and use clarity as a force multiplier for execution. The result? Teams that can break free from constant interruption and zero in on work that creates real value—transforming attention from your scarcest resource into your strongest competitive advantage.
Watch the video below for a preview of Curt Steinhorst's keynote.
The Serious Business of Humor, Humanity & Resilience
There is a misconception in today’s corporate world: that treasury and finance professionals must suppress their sense of humor in the work environment to be taken seriously. On the contrary, research tells a different story. Building on her bestselling book, Humor, Seriously, Jennifer Aaker delves into the behavioral science of humor, and why it fuels creativity, fosters resilience, and strengthens teams and organizations. Aaker shares stories from inspiring leaders and tactics that can be deployed to bridge the trust gap, cultivate cultures of levity, unlock agility in the face of change; including concrete tools for embracing humor with a purpose in your personal and professional life.
Why the Merchant’s Voice is Critical in Payments Innovation
The Business to Consumer landscape has seen a rapid shift in payment transactions from the use of checks and magnetic strip cards, with most taking place at a physical location, to technology-enabled, faster payments, same day ACH, cryptocurrency, tap transactions, digital wallets and PayFacs, to name a few. In the face of these developments, it’s critical for merchants to also have a voice in the development of this evolving payment ecosystem. CEO of the Merchant Advisory Group, John Drechny discusses the current payment landscape and how merchant collaboration is leading to better outcomes.
Charisma and Leadership: The Science of Trust, Influence and Rapport
You only get one chance to make the right first impression. Within a few seconds, people judge your level of intelligence and trustworthiness. For the first time, science and technology have taken charisma apart, figured it out and turned it into an applied science: In controlled laboratory experiments, researchers could raise or lower people's level of charisma as if they were turning a dial. This talk covers the science of charisma; the keys to making fantastic first impressions, and the secrets to having that "Wow effect", that "boardroom presence" to quickly establish credibility, trust, and rapport.
Reimagination in a Time of Change
The circumstances of the last 3 years accelerated many previously developing trends at an exponential pace (e.g., distributed and hybridized work; increased use of AI, etc.). It also magnified existing issues such as the limits of short-term thinking, changes in trade, evolving technology and the impact of various supply chain disruptions. It is imperative that treasury and finance professionals successfully analyze such anticipated changes to better invest in capabilities that won't be out of date by the time they are in-place. In the face of an ever-evolving technological landscape, Erica Orange shares strategies for challenging core thinking to better identify and translate trends into actionable strategies, while creating new future-proofed opportunities for your organization.
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In Conversation with John Cena: Be A Work in Progress
John Cena attributes his success to remaining completely authentic and his never give up attitude, but his path to becoming who he is today was far from easy. From being bullied as a kid to having to sleep in his car, Cena never let his challenges define him. Achieving blockbuster success across multiple industries, Cena shares inspiring stories from his unique journey and how authenticity, positivity, hope and the drive to continually challenge himself has shaped his career.
John will be available for photos in the exhibit hall for a limited time after his keynote!