Episode 288: The Truth About RPA in Treasury for CFOs to Avoid Bad Automation with Philip Costa and Jan-Willem

In this episode of Corporate Treasury 101, we sit down with Philip Costa Hibberd and Jan-Willem Attevelt from Automation Boutique to explore how Robotic Process Automation (RPA) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are transforming treasury and finance teams. From eliminating manual workflows to building scalable automation ecosystems, Philip and Jan-Willem explain how modern tech can unlock efficiency and empower treasury teams to focus on value-driving activities. Whether you're new to automation or considering a rollout in your organization, this is a treasury-forward deep dive worth tuning into.Philip Costa Hibberd is the founder of Automation Boutique and a seasoned automation manager specializing in finance and treasury. Jan-Willem Attevelt is a technical expert in RPA, APIs, and AI, and brings extensive treasury experience to his work. Together, they help global organizations streamline operations through practical, no-nonsense automation strategies.What You’ll Learn in This EpisodeWhat RPA is and how it fits into broader treasury automation effortsWhy attended vs unattended bots matter—and where AI fits into the mixPractical use cases: from FX rate retrieval to multi-bank PDF parsingWhy RPA is “macros on steroids”—and what it can do that Excel can’tThe risks of automating broken processes and why simplicity winsEpisode Breakdown & Timestamps [00:00] – Introduction and AFP partnership ($100 off CTP certification) [01:29] – Meet Philip and Jan-Willem from Automation Boutique [03:02] – What is automation in Treasury, and why does it matter [06:02] – What is RPA and how it works in a Treasury context [08:04] – Security, attended vs unattended bots, and credential handling [11:25] – How RPA and AI can work together in automation flows [15:23] – Simple RPA use case: extracting data from PDF confirmations [19:52] – Why RPA isn’t always the best solution – when to say no [24:17] – RPA vs Excel macros: key differences and advantages [30:22] – How bots interact with applications and system UIs [36:05] – Is RPA suitable for small businesses? Cost and scalability [39:40] – Using Excel and Power Query as a starting point for automation [43:48] – Skills needed to start with RPA (free training and tools) [46:53] – How to maintain RPA implementations without deep tech skills [51:19] – Drawbacks of RPA: automating messy processes creates bigger problems [54:41] – Common Treasury RPA use cases: reporting & master data uploads [56:51] – Real success story: automating bank deal confirmation processing [01:09:13] – Future of Treasury: combining RPA with AI for decision-making [01:10:51] – Where to learn more: UiPath, Microsoft, and Automation BoutiqueFollow Philip Costa Hibberd & Jan-Willem AtteveltWebsite: https://www.automationboutique.com/Philip Costa Hibberd on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philip-costa-hibberd/ Jan-Willem Attevelt on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/attevelt/ Follow Corporate Treasury 101:Website: https://corporate-treasury-101.com/ LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/86645197/admin/dashboard/  Follow Hussam & Guillaume:Hussam on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hussam-ali-6bb69186/ Guillaume on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/guillaume-jouvencel/ Gha Marketing Website: https://ghapodcast.com/ #CorporateTreasury #RPA #TreasuryAutomation #FinanceTransformation #DigitalTreasury #AIinFinance #AutomationBoutique #ExcelAutomation #LowCodeTools----------------------------------------------------------------------------------Get $100 off any AFP product, including their CTP Exam Prep Platform, using our discount code! Find this and More on our partner's pagehttps://www.corporate-treasury-101.com/partners-page