Essential Speaking Topics from Trent Fleming

Essential Speaking Topics from Trent Fleming

Spring 2019

CEO/Director Topics

A Vision for Your Bank
While the day to day pressures of managing balance sheets and regulatory requirements seem overwhelming, smart banks sense that the weight of competitive pressures make it even more important to develop and execute on strategies that will ensure their banks’ success going forward. this session will look at emerging trends in banking products and services, and provide keen insight into developing the infrastructure, tools, and staff needed to deliver them successfully.

Directors in a Digital Age

Increasingly, bank customers, both business and consumer, are choosing electronic delivery channels over traditional branch banking. To support these demands, banks are investing in sophisticated delivery systems to provide real time access for customers. Payment methods ranging from wire transfer, to ACH, to debit cards create the potential for significant fraud loss, and must also be managed to mitigate risk. For businesses, corporate account takeover is a major threat. On the consumer side, card data breaches, and identify theft loom large as sources of loss for banks. This session will help you to understand the risk and exposure presented by today’s on-line environment, and provide guidance in addressing and managing such risks.

Integrating Technology Into Your Enterprise Strategy

Historically, banks have had two strategic plans: an enterprise, or business plan, and a separate technology plan.  This is no long a tenable position, as technology now becomes the driving force behind most strategic initiatives.  This session discusses methods of integrating technology planning into your enterprise planning efforts, providing insight to senior managers and executives as to the increasingly visible and important role technology plays in the banking environment.  Topics include selected new technologies, negotiating and managing vendor relationships, merger and acquisition planning, managing operations and technology staff, and engaging with customers to maintain strong relationships via electronic channels. (this session can be tailored for CEO/Director audiences, or Senior Operations staff.  I can also provide this as a Director Education or Planning Session, privately for individual banks)

CyberSecurity Takes a Seat in the Boardroom

For two reasons: proper management and regulatory expectations, CyberSecurity and related technology issues must be in front of the board more than ever.  This session takes a look at how to address building the right flow of information to your board from the technical areas of the bank.  A more informed board makes better decisions, and better decisions result in a safer, more secure banking environment.

Operations and General Topics

Key Technology Mistakes to Avoid

The banking trade publications are full of articles today about how banks should change everything, work to innovate alongside “fintech” firms, and otherwise change their business models to focus more on technology and less on banking.  Yet you are still in the banking business.  This session provides a common sense approach for embracing the technology of the future in a structured, strategic way that ensures that your core banking competencies shine through.

Managing Your Core Vendor Relationships

Your contract for services with your primary banking software provider defines a very important third party relationship with your bank.  Issues of exposure, liability, service levels, and yes, cost, are all in play. Many banks have signed contracts with dozens of pages, without a careful review.  In some instances, the bank’s attorney has been asked to review and comment on the contract, but absent specific software expertise, such a review may be cursory at best.  This session is not a legal review, but an operational one, of the implications of committing to selected aspects of the contract.  Participants will leave with insight into how to evaluate contract terms, and what areas to ask the bank’s attorney to look into in further detail. These skills can then be extended to other third party contracts, further enhancing the benefits.   Today’s focus on reducing expenses, and controlling costs, makes this session especially timely. Ideal for Operations audiences and CFO Conferences.

Operational Efficiency Self-Assessment

Whether recognized or not, productivity – or the lack thereof – continues to impact bank operations.  This session is designed to address key ways that managers can assess and improve the operations of their departments, using techniques that industry experts apply when performing operational efficiency studies.  Key areas to be addressed include staffing, technology utilization, planning efforts, and measurement/reporting issues.  Participants will leave with the tools to evaluate and improve productivity. 

Introduction to Technology for Lenders

Technology continues to transform banking.  Traditionally, lending has remained paper intensive, and in some ways has lagged behind other areas of the bank in implementing technology.  Yet, solutions are available to provide a productivity and customer service boost to lending activities.  This session will look at ways that lenders can leverage technology to improve service, reduce costs, and compete effectively at both the consumer and commercial levels.  Participants will leave with solid ideas for selecting, implementing, and managing such technology.

Alternate Branching Strategies: Leveraging Technology to Efficiently Serve Existing and New Markets

While community banks offer a wide range of electronic delivery channels, branch footprint remains a key component of service delivery. This session will look at smarter ways to branch, including limiting physical plant investment, and utilizing a wide range of technologies to provide outstanding service across all of your markets.

Please remember that other topics, including ones that I develop for your group’s needs, are available!