How Big Companies Are Supporting Trading Partners During Covid

2020 was a year like no other, as markets and industries around the world faced disruption due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Companies of all sizes suffered shifts in customer demand, supply-chain availability, funding options, or all three, but the challenges were largest for small businesses. While many multinational organizations were able to survive the pandemic (if not thrive) through their broad diversification of market exposures, many of the small to midsize companies in their supply chains were vulnerable to local, pandemic-driven challenges that arose.

Some of these challenges revolved around staffing shortages when employees were sick or quarantined. Others involved logistics issues when shipments were delayed or even prohibited for a time. The pandemic fueled many supplier problems for which even the largest, most stable customers had no solution.

However, some large companies discovered a way in which their treasury group could relieve pandemic pain within their supply chain. These businesses provided timely access to capital, typically through faster payment to suppliers, at a time when bank financing was difficult to come by.

This year, the judges of the Alexander Hamilton Awards from Treasury & Risk decided to recognize two companies that leveraged supply-chain finance to support small to midsize suppliers during this difficult time. We created a new category, Working Capital Management: Partner Impact, as a one-off recognition of Intel and Walmart for leveraging their size and balance sheets to support the small businesses they depend on.

Treasury & Risk is hosting a live webcast on May 5, 2021, to recognize both companies. Through a roundtable discussion (a departure from the format of our typical Alexander Hamilton Award event), we will explore how the winning companies identified the need in their supply chain, what options they considered, how they decided to utilize early-pay discounts to help suppliers that needed it, and how they built a program that benefits organizations throughout the supply chain.

Our panel discussion will include:

• Brandy Newhof, senior director in Walmart Global Treasury
• Alejandro Saenger, senior director in Walmart Global Treasury
• Antoine Hamelin, director of treasury for Intel
• Gero Zimmermann, treasury manager for Intel

In addition to an interesting conversation that has ramifications for companies of all sizes, the webcast will provide recertification credits from the Association for Financial Professionals (AFP). Register today!