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The Accounts Payable Network (TAPN) is the complete resource for accounts payable, helping more than 36,000 accounting and finance executives at organizations worldwide meet their commitments to accounts payable business process performance.
As the premier resource for executives and managers who oversee accounts payable, TAPN gives you convenient access to an exclusive accounts payable knowledge-base to help you:
- Drive down costs
- Increase productivity
- Keep up with AP methods and technologies
- Maintain necessary internal controls
- Avoid compliance-related penalties
- Insure policies are current
- Get answers to important questions
- Get buy-in from other executives
- Do more with less!
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Focus areas include best practices for every AP function; AP metrics and benchmarking data; tax and regulatory compliance; solutions to real world problems; AP automation case studies; member Q&A networking forums and more than 250 downloadable, customizable AP policies, flowcharts, templates and internal control checklists.
TAPN’s highly regarded training and certification programs provide AP education and credentialing for accounts payable managers and their staffs.
Learn more
What Members Are Saying
"You have become the best resource for information on any topic concerning Accounts Payable. Without your site, this information would be so time consuming to obtain, and, if we could find what we needed ourselves, we would probably need an attorney to understand it! With your website, everything is simple, easy to understand and very useful. You are an invaluable tool for any company wanting to comply with all local, state and federal guidelines. TAPN has helped me and my staff grown and learn."
- Joan Heilig, AP Supervisor, Liberty Hardware Manufacturing Corp
“TAPN membership is the most cost-effective change management tool I’ve ever seen.”
– Larry Brang, Director of Shared Services, Merck & Co., Inc.
“I have used TAPN services on and off over the last 4 years and have found the ongoing practical recommendations for strong internal controls and problem avoidance to be excellent. I specialize in small business turnaround and frequently come into situations where the accounts payable function needs professionalizing. The TAPN AP certification program is a great way to move an organization towards this goal. TAPN can take the AP function out of reactive transaction processing into proactive, risk-seeking mode which meets both internal customer needs and executive management business goals.”
– Liz Meisler, CFO, Trailer Park, the leading entertainment marketing firm
"It is just so good!"
- Marlene Brandstetter, Supervisor, Finance and General Accounting, USA, Lufthansa German Airlines.
"I use the Accounts Payable Network as an everyday reference for routine AP operations but it becomes indispensable when there is a problem to be solved. I don’t have to search the internet; I simply open my bookmark to the Accounts Payable Network homepage. I can usually solve the problem using the information on the website. When I can’t, I rely on “Ask-the Expert” for prompt, reliable information. It’s not unusual for my boss to request that I use TAPN to research a question for him."
– George Moore, Manager, University of Georgia Accounts Payable
"The Accounts Payable Network serves its members very well ... There is an enormous amount of content here, creating an invaluable resource. It's hard to imagine an AP professional not wanting to join this member site."
– Mequoda Library
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About The Accounts Payable Network
The Accounts Payable Network (TAPN) offers the most comprehensive, specialized resource available for accounts payable professionals by providing –in one convenient, online location –integrated solutions for AP strategy, technology, people and processes.
With TAPN's robust database of original AP content, calculators, AP business tools, white papers, case studies and current Accounts Payable News from around the world, you'll have unrestricted access to critical information guaranteed to help you make smart business decisions.
As a member, you can tap into the best practices and benchmarking data you need to measure and improve accounts payable processes for optimum efficiency and cost-savings. You'll find management strategies, technological solutions and helpful tools to save you and your organization time and money and make you a more effective leader. Current Accounts Payable News and relevant articles bring a host of topics right to your fingertips, providing new insights and analyses, and keeping you on top of the latest AP developments.
The Accounts Payable Network will help you avoid costly mistakes when selecting or implementing new technologies and suppliers. TAPN's tools help you compare vendor data. Find new ways to streamline your operations. Take advantage of educational opportunities. And best of all, gain an unparalleled opportunity to share problems and solutions with your peers "in the trenches" by joining the public and private forums and discussion groups.
The Accounts Payable Network is completely independent and is not owned by or affiliated with any industry supplier.
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Leadership Team
Phil Binkow, CEO
Phil Binkow is founder and CEO of Financial Operations Networks. Financial Operations Networks is an Atlanta-based specialized business-to-business publishing company that creates and operates Web-based business process management communities for executives and managers in finance, accounting and administration. Community members gain access to mission critical best practices, benchmarking studies, downloadable tools and interactive networking forums. Members include Johnson & Johnson, the Federal Reserve Bank, Novartis, Target, American Express, Starbucks, the University of Georgia, Harvard and other large, well-known firms and organizations.
The company's first Web-based business process community, The Accounts Payable Network (TAPN) has become the leading resource for individuals with management and oversight responsibility for accounts payable operations. More than 3,000 members use TAPN's best-practices libraries, case studies, research, analysis, technology evaluations, practical tips, discussion forums, continuing education programs and customizable tools for AP planning and problem-solving.
Prior to starting Financial Operations Networks, Phil founded and served as CEO of PayTECH, an electronic payables processing, disbursements and information services provider serving companies such as Oracle, Cisco, the Gap, Charles Schwab, Turner Broadcasting, NCR, Viacom and Wachovia. Under Phil, PayTECH grew to eighty-five employees processing over $2 billion and 100 million invoices annually. PayTECH was acquired by Profit Recovery Group [PRGX] in 1999.
Phil holds a B.A. in economics from Stetson University and an MBA in operations research from the University of Florida. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Specialized Information Publishers Association, the SIPA Foundation and as president of the Board of Trustees of Friends of North Springs High School, a non-profit 501(c)(3) foundation.
Mike Iverson, Chief Financial Officer
Mike brings to Financial Operations Networks over 15 years of accounting and financial management experience with privately and publicly held companies including M&A activity, treasury management and SEC reporting. From 2000 to 2002, Mike was Vice President of Finance at ecHub, Inc., a business-to-business e-commerce company. From 1997 to 1999, Mike was PayTECH's Chief Financial Officer. Prior to PayTECH, he held senior financial management positions at Pediatric Services of America, Inc. and American Family Restaurants. Mike holds a BA in Economics from Furman University and an MBA in Finance from Emory University.
Rob Rogers, Vice President and Managing Editor
Rob has been with Financial Operations Networks since the inception of TAPN, planning and guiding content development. He joined FON with more than 20 years experience in business-to-business publishing. From 1990 to 2001, he was involved in design, development, writing, editing and publishing for Construction Market Data (CMD). He developed new products, including two magazines for which he served as editorial director; published a national directory, and developed content for an online resource. Prior to CMD, Rob held various roles at Nuclear Assurance Corporation, serving information needs of the commercial nuclear power industry. Rob holds a BA in Communications from the University of Delaware.
Richard Burke, Vice President Technology
From 1992 to 1999, Richard was CTO of PayTECH and was instrumental in designing and building the operating platform, Web site and IT infrastructure that handled over 60 million transactions annually. After the acquisition of PayTECH by PRG in 1999, Rich became Director of IT for PRG's Logistics Management Division. Prior to PayTECH, Richard held technical and technical support positions at Texas Instruments, NCR and C&S National Bank, now Bank of America. Richard graduated with a degree in Business from State University of New York at Geneseo, where he minored in computer science and accounting.
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The Accounts Payable Network
Advisory Board
Vivian Baker, APM
Accounts Payable Director, Financial Shared Services
The Coca-Cola Company
Vivian joined The Coca-Cola Company in 2006 as the Accounts Payable Director within the Financial Shared Service organization where her responsibilities include invoice processing, purchase order administration, payment disbursement, and master file management.
Prior to joining The Coca-Cola Company, Vivian was director of accounts payable for HMSHost, Inc., located in Bethesda, MD. HMSHost is a 2.6 billion dollar food & beverage and retail concessionaire in the travel industry. Her areas of responsibility included Merchandise Payable, Expense Payable, P-Card, Travel & Entertainment, Vendor Master File, Document Management, Vendor Relations, Debit Balance, EDI, Imaging, and 1099 processing. There she was instrumental in initiating many processes that increased overall productivity by 40%.
Her more than 25 years of experience in the Procure-to-Pay space includes an eight-year stint at The Home Depot where her responsibilities included managing 15 supervisors and more than 140 associates. There her span of control included managing annual payables of more than 37 billion dollars and more than 25 million invoices. She was instrumental in implementing process changes that led to managed end-to-end processing thereby eliminating many manual and redundant activities.
Vivian began her career at Macy's where she spent more than 14 years in Merchandising, Distribution Center Operations and Finance. There she was instrumental in setting up one of the first shared service center models at Macy's in Atlanta and Phoenix.
Judy Bicking, APM
Consultant
A 27-year Johnson & Johnson veteran, Judy Bicking led the U.S. Shared Services Center for 16 years. She helped design the center by benchmarking best practices across industries and matching those practices to a very decentralized environment. Her understanding of people, process and metrics were integral to the success of J&J's Shared Services Center, which supports 99+ businesses in the United States and Puerto Rico. In 2003 the Center processed 1.2 million invoices with 57 FTE's. Judy more recently served as Global Director to J&J's European operations in its design and implementation of an AP Shared Services Center in Europe.
Debbie Vander Bogart
Senior Director, Finance General Manager, Shared Service Center
Levi Strauss & Company
Debbie joined Levi Strauss & Co. as Senior Director and Finance General Manager of the Shared Services Center. She was formerly Director of Payables and Cash Processes, Gap Inc. Debbie began her career at Gap as a finance manager, soon handling merchandise procure- to-payment responsibilities. Prior to joining Levi Strauss & Co., at Gap Inc. she had responsibility for all payables processes including real estate, travel accounting, and trade finance, where she implemented Web-based travel settlement and p-cards. In addition, she had responsibility of the Cash Processes organization, allowing process oversight for revenue through disbursement for all Gap Inc. brands.
From the procure-to-pay perspective Debbie has been a driving force for adoption of best practices and scaling technology to grow with the company. Through Gap's ERP implementation and adoption of additional best practices, Debbie guided Payables and Cash Processes toward eliminating paper documents, using advancing technology solutions to scale with Gap's continued growth to provide additional competitive advantage for the company.
In addition to her board position with The Accounts Payable Network, Debbie is active in the IOMA, IAPP, NAPP, and the Shared Services Network. She enjoys networking with her peers in other companies, identifying and sharing best practices and continuing to bring her organization to a higher level.
Larry Brang, CPA, APM
Director, Commercial Services - Americas
Merck & Company, Inc.
Larry Brang leads the Charlotte Commercial Services Team, with responsibility for providing centralized transactional processing services in the areas of Procure-to-Pay, Record-to-Report, and the Billing and Accounts Receivable components of Order-to-Cash. The countries serviced are the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico and Mexico. The Procure-to-Pay team located in Mexico, also reports to Larry.
Previously, Larry led the legacy Schering-Plough Financial Shared Services Center in Memphis. Larry was responsible for providing back-office financial services support (procure-to-pay and close-to-report) in a cost-effective and compliant manner. Major initiatives in this role included: Leveraging the U.S. shared service capability to effectively and efficiently integrate recent acquisitions; implementing an e-invoicing strategy to eliminate 60% of paper invoices in a six-month period; leading a multi-year initiative to transform the procure-to-pay process in the U.S., with the objective of achieving significant cost savings through procurement strategies, policy changes and process efficiencies; and participating as a subject matter expert on a global process harmonization effort to standardize and streamline procure-to-pay processes across functions and geographies, resulting in a preliminary design to be used for blueprinting a global ERP initiative. Prior to this role, Larry was director, North American Shared Services, for Pfizer.
Larry holds a B.S. degree in business administration from LaSalle University in Pennsylvania.
Tom Brewer, CPA
Vice President, Shared Services
Michaels Stores Inc.
Tom joined Michaels in 2008 as Vice President Shared Services with responsibility for Accounts Payable, Payroll and the Non-Merchandise Procurement Team. Since joining Michaels Tom has been instrumental in the outsource review and selection of Tata Consulting Services as the BPO outsourcing partner in India. Michaels is early into the transition of activities to the outsource partner with Accounts Payable being the first area to be transitioned.
Tom began his career with Sears where he worked for 27 years, during which time he held numerous positions of increasing responsibility within the accounting and finance organization. During his tenure, he was influential in centralizing the field accounting operation into a shared services environment. Tom also led the redesign of accounts payable to fully automate it into a paperless operation.
Prior to joining Michaels, Tom was VP of Process Improvement and Card Production at Comdata Stored Value Systems where he led Six Sigma process improvement efforts in the card production area.
Tom is a Certified Public Accountant.
Carlos Flecha, CPA, APM
Director-Finance Shared Services
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
Carlos joined Wal-Mart in 2002 in Puerto Rico, and currently has responsibility over the External Disbursements (AP) area at the U.S. Financial Shared Services (FSS) division, while managing 300 associates who serve U.S. and Puerto Rico. Prior to joining the FSS division, Carlos had different positions and responsibilities within the Finance organization that included significant exposure to international operations, business integration, tax and payroll tax.
Carlos has recently been engaged in efforts related to centralizing accounting functions into the FSS environment to support alignment with the company's strategic direction and long-term vision, as well as adopting new initiatives in the accounts payable area.
Prior to joining Wal-Mart, Carlos spent 13 years in the audit and tax fields at the Puerto Rico offices of KPMG Peat Marwick and Arthur Andersen where he was Senior Manager prior to joining Wal-Mart. He also has relevant experience in Trust operations and government revenues administration.
Lynda Foertschbeck
Executive V.P.
IRSCompliance, Inc.
Lynda Foertschbeck has more than 25 years' experience as a tax compliance professional in the development of compliance solutions of regulatory consulting services and tax software applications. Prior to joining IRSCompliance Lynda served as Manager in the Tax Controversy Unit at Deloitte Tax, as Vice President and Compliance Product Manager at DISC, Incorporated (now CheckFree) and Director of Compliance Services for Moore, BCS.
Ms. Foertschbeck's experience includes the development and enhancement of many proven tax software and service solutions for 1099, W-2, 1042-S processing and reporting to the IRS, SSA and state agencies. This includes products from: 1099PRO, Convey, FASTTAX, ATSG Inc., MOORE BCS and CheckFree. Specific areas of contribution have included the direction and development of information reporting products and service lines, regulatory compliance support services and strategic business needs analysis.
David W. Hay
Consultant
David retired from a 40-year career spanning International Banking, Finance and Computer Services and Outsourcing.
Most recently, David served as the Director of Shared Services Business Services Outsourcing, for Hewlett-Packard. He was formerly marketing manager for e-payments and financial services for Global eXchange Services (GXS), where he was responsible for the strategic direction and development of GXS's online invoicing and payment solutions for B2B e-commerce on a worldwide basis and has served on GE Capital's initiative to create a GE Center of Excellence for e-billing.
David has worked with GE Capital, GE Medical Systems and GE Industrial Systems. As a member of key focus groups and task forces, he helped the GE businesses with their EDI and e-commerce initiatives. In his 24 years of GE experience, he has held several key management positions in financial services, e-commerce and sales & marketing. A former international banker, David has more than 35 years of experience in the financial and e-commerce industries.
David is a regular speaker at accounts payable and payment conferences and served on the NACHA planning committee for the 2002-2003 conferences.
Loette King, APM
Senior Director, Procurement & Payment Services
Emory University
Loette began her career at Emory University in 2000 where she managed the Accounts Payable/Travel Accounting Organization. In 2005 Loette successfully merged the Accounts Payable department with the Purchasing department thereby creating a true "procure-to-pay" organization now referred to as the Procurement and Payment Services department at Emory. Loette's responsibility also includes Emory's Supplier Diversity Program and Credit Card Administration.
Prior to her career at Emory University, Loette worked for Allegiance Healthcare Corporation for more than 10 years in manager positions in Data Entry, Corporate Accounts Payable, and Supplier Relations.
Loette's most recent accomplishment at Emory University completely changed the purchasing processes and purchasing behavior of the Emory campus. Her drive to move beyond a paper-driven, inefficient system and to achieve cost savings led to her successful implementation of an eprocurement solution within Emory Purchasing.
In addition to her board position with The Accounts Payable Network, Loette serves on the advisory board for The Accounts Payable Certification Program. She also holds memberships in NAEP and ISM and is often asked to speak at Accounts Payable, Payment Services, and Procurement conferences.
Julie Lord
Senior Director, Global Process Owner Procure-to-Pay & Travel Expense
Pfizer, Inc.
Julie joined Pfizer in 2005 in Global Financial Shared Services, where she currently has global responsibility for the accounts payable and travel expense processes. Pfizer's Global Financial Shared Services network includes offices in Memphis, Tenn. supporting North and South America, along with European support based in Dublin, Ireland and Asia-Pacific support in Dalian, China. Additionally, Pfizer partners with Genpact for outsourced services in India, Eastern Europe and China to ensure cost-effective services throughout the company.
Prior to Pfizer, Julie worked for International Paper Company for twenty years, with much of that time spent in Shared Services. She was engaged in numerous efforts related to centralizing accounting functions into a shared services environment, as well as re-engineering and automating financial processes in order to achieve world-class processes from a cost and benchmarking standpoint.
Julie began her career in bank audit and public accounting. She is a Certified Public Accountant and also serves on the advisory board for the Mississippi State University - School of Accountancy.
Thomas F. Nichols
President
Process Management Improvement, Inc.
Tom is past president and charter board member of the International Accounts Payable Professionals Inc. (IAPP). Tom is former director of financial operations for AT&T's corporate accounts payable and payroll management. Tom was with AT&T for 35 years and is highly experienced in financial operations, procurement, information technology, manufacturing and materials management. He pioneered the introduction of electronic invoicing and ordering for accounts payable and purchasing within AT&T.
In 2001 Tom received the Sandia National Laboratories Excellence Award for his efforts in assisting in developing standards for electronic billing, utilizing the Internet. He served on the board of directors of the Electronic Data Interchange Association, developing national standards for document exchanges.
Currently, as president of Process Management Improvement Inc., Tom provides research, AP process improvement consulting, and seminars to large companies and financial associations.
Tom is also at the heart of the TAPN/IOMA Accounts Payable Certification Programs team that has developed a three-part open program for the accreditation of accounts payable specialists, managers, and departments in order to bring recognition to and foster continuing education in accounts payable practice.
Susan Tinkler-Muller
Senior Director, Accounting Services
MTV Networks
Sue is Director of Accounting Services for MTV Networks which is part of the cable segment of Viacom, Inc., one of the world's largest entertainment and media companies. MTV Networks owns and operates the following television programming services -- MTV: Music Television, MTV2, VH1, mtvU, Nickelodeon, Nick At Nite, Comedy Central, TV Land, Spike TV, CMT, Noggin, Logo, MTVN International and The Digital Suite From MTV Networks. In 2006 the group also became responsible for Viacom payables.
Sue joined the company in 1993 and has held various positions within the New York Accounts Payable department. Accounts Payable is comprised of Travel Accounting, Audit and Accounting Services. The Audit department is decentralized with more than 120 people processing invoices daily. There are currently three domestic Accounts Payable offices located in New York, Santa Monica and Miami, which provide support to regional offices and Latin America.
Departmental accomplishments include implementation of online expense reporting and purchasing cards. Recently staff was realigned to ensure the best possible implementation of MTVN's strategic direction as well as to support individual employee development.
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