Podcast Episode
From the Trading Desk to Treasury: Alex Doane on Leading with Curiosity
What happens when a curious kid glued to CNBC grows up to run treasury strategy at one of the nation’s top insurance companies? In this episode, Alex Doane of Lincoln Financial shares how a career that began on a trading desk evolved into leading cash management and bank partnerships across a highly complex financial ecosystem. From navigating leadership transitions to simplifying cash stories across dozens of legal entities, Alex opens up about how curiosity, storytelling, and strategic communication shape his day-to-day—and why empowering his team to struggle through tough questions is one of his favorite parts of the job.
Episode Highlights
Curiosity is the real power skill: Whether you’re managing $50 or $50 million, intellectual curiosity—paired with the drive to find answers—is what sets standout finance professionals apart.
Managing up and across is just as strategic as managing down: Building internal credibility and strong banking relationships both require empathy, clear communication, and understanding what motivates your stakeholders.
Don’t just report the cash—tell the story: Simplifying complex, cross-entity cash operations into a compelling narrative builds trust, boosts decision-making, and positions treasury as a strategic partner.
Leadership begins with listening: Moving from IC to people leader requires humility, patience, and resisting the urge to make sweeping changes before fully understanding the team and the work.
Subscribe
Never be out of the loop on what's going on in finance, tech, and business.
Show Notes / Resources
Read the full transcript.
Learn more about Trovata at https://trovata.io.
About Fintech Corner
A podcast for fintech lovers that starts conversations between bankers, financial technology innovators, and their clients to evolve finance and treasury for the 21st century. For decades, there has been a gap between the technology that banks can offer and what corporate clients need for modern cash flow management and analysis. We’ll cover emerging trends to help bridge this gap, technologies that can reshape the roles of treasury & finance, and the in’s and out’s of API bank connections & open banking.
Hosts / Guest Speakers
Alex Doane
AVP, Cash and Bank Relationship Management, Lincoln Financial
Rida Khan
Head of Marketing, Trovata
Recommended for you