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.

• 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.

This episode is brought to you by Trovata.io.

Trovata.io empowers everyone to analyze, report, forecast, move – manage cash like a pro – no matter who your business banks with. Save time, ensure data accuracy, and drive smarter decisions with access to your data across multiple banks and accounts. Learn more about Trovata at https://bit.ly/3JXHbcC. 

About guest, Alex Doane:

Alexander Doane is AVP, Cash and Bank Relationship Management at Lincoln Financial, where he leads strategy for managing cash across the company’s complex bank account and legal entity structure, and oversees enterprise relationships and operations with financial institution partners. Previously, he spent 2 years in Lincoln’s Treasury team focused on debt and equity capital markets, and 7 years at PNC Bank in interest rate derivative sales. He holds a BS in Business Administration with specializations in Finance, Accounting, and Business Economics from The Ohio State University, and an MBA from Temple University’s Fox School of Business. He is a CFA Charterholder and member of the CFA Institute. Alex lives in Malvern, PA with his wife Catherine and their two young daughters.

Connect with Alex on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-doane-bb75b842/ 

About host, Rida Khan:

Rida leads the Marketing team at Trovata, driving demand and brand awareness in the US. Previously at Rybbon (acquired by Blackhawk Network) and Geospark Analytics (now Seerist), she has focused her career on delivering data-driven results at high-growth start-ups. Rida holds a B.S. in Economics and a B.A. in International Relations from Virginia Commonwealth University. Currently residing in Washington, DC, she enjoys experimenting with new recipes and walking her dog through the nation's capital.

Connect with Rida on LinkedIn: htt