Thomas A. Kittel

Treasury & Finance Executive I Global Cash, FX, Liquidity & Funding Strategy I Digital Treasury Transformation I Carve Outs | Change Leader I Strategic Stakeholder Management

Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

About

Strategic Treasury Leader with 20+ years of experience, building and transforming global cash management, liqudity steering and leading Front Office infrastructures across multinational corporations (chemicals, pharma, steel, elevators, agriculture). Combining strategic Cash, FX & Money Market management with team leadership and digital transformation. Led globally teams of Treasury professionals. Currently managing global banking and cash processes across 68 countries, 33 currencies and > 400 bank accounts. Key achievements: - Optimization of Global Financial Structures with innovative cash pools and real-time cash concentration models, reducing financial needs and optimizing capital allocation - Introduction of virtual account structures (US & EU) to reduce KYC, pooling costs, signer management and reduce fraud risks - Building a future-oriented Treasury Architecture for major carve-outs (e.g., Steel & EUR 30bn Elevator carve-out) - Strong negotiator of global bank fees in double-digit million EUR amounts - Lead Treasury system transformations (SAP S/4 HANA, FIS, Coupa, Technosis, SWIFT) - Foreign Exchange and Money Market Assets strategy

Experience

  • Senior Manager Treasury I Cash Management | Risk | Liquidity at Bayer AG
    Jan 2021 - Present · 5 yrs 6 mos

    - Restructured Cash Pools worldwide with major banks (Citi, JPM, Banamex, WellsFargo, BNY Mellon, HSBC, Bank of America, BNP, Coba, etc.) - Responsible for global Cash & Banking operating model and functional leadership of project teams across Shared Service Centers in Manila, Costa Rica, Barcelona and Leverkusen. - Developed a central IT system for electronic banking management, reducing bank authorizations across 68 countries and enhancing operational control. - Vision and lead implementation of virtual accounts. This initiative decreased cash pooling needs, lowered KYC requirements, reduced bank charges, and enabled real-time cash concentration. - Lead financial integration for M&A projects, ensuring seamless transitions for new companies joining or leaving the group.

  • thyssenkrupp (Essen und Umgebung, Deutschland · On-site)
    • Manager Corporate Finance, Treasury I Cash Management | Foreign Exchange I Money Market and Debt
      Apr 2012 - Dec 2020 · 8 yrs 9 mos

      Co-led the global Cash & FX-Front Office and provided functional leadership of Treasury professionals managing >EUR 50bn annual FX and liquidity flows. Selected achievements: - Led worldwide requests for proposals (RfPs) for cash pools in regions including Australia, the US, Canada, and Brazil, collaborating with major banks. - Developed a comprehensive bank fee analysis tool for monitoring all 34 relationship banks, resulting in significant bank fee reductions totaling EUR 15 million. - Led the restructuring of treasury activities in the US, including the successful setup of a cash pool with Citi, improving liquidity management. (Short-term assignments in Chicago and Australia) - Structured a payment factory for the group in collaboration with SAP/S4 HANA and Serrala, streamlining payment processes and increasing efficiency. - Built a dedicated and future proof treasury department for the €17 billion carve-out of thyssenkrupp Steel and thyssenkrupp Elevator. - Led the transition from Coupa to FIS Sungard for treasury IT projects, integrating FX hedging solutions to optimize risk management.

    • Referent Liquidity Management
      Apr 2010 - Apr 2012 · 2 yrs 1 mo

      Selected achievements: - Restructured group-wide net financial debt planning in collaboration with Schwabe, Ley & Grainer, improving financial forecasting and management. - Led cash management initiatives in Switzerland and the Netherlands, implementing cross-border cash pooling and electronic banking solutions to enhance cash flow management. - Accountable for short- and mid-term financial planning, providing critical insights and forecasts to the CFO. - Successfully implemented a cross-border cash pool between China and Germany, improving liquidity management. - Led the transition of the Treasury Management System from Omikron to Bellin tm5 (Coupa), enhancing operational capabilities and reporting accuracy.

    • Management Trainee Corporate Finance
      Apr 2007 - Apr 2010 · 3 yrs 1 mo

      Responsible for driving the group's liquidity position, managing payments, and overseeing investments in money market and foreign exchange operations. - Actively managed and optimized the group's liquidity position, ensuring sufficient cash flow for operational needs and strategic initiatives.

  • Management Assistant in wholesale and foreign trade at thyssenkrupp Materials
    Sep 1999 - Sep 2001 · 2 yrs 1 mo