What’s currently front of mind for you in your role?

My focus is on scaling treasury through digitalisation, enhancing compliance frameworks and advising senior leadership on strategic financial decisions. This includes implementing best in class technology and aligning treasury with ASML’s rapid global expansion.

Tell me about a moment that stands out as an important progression in your career

A pivotal moment was leading the setup of SABIC’s cash management in the Middle East, followed by global oversight across Asia, Europe and the Americas. This transition marked my evolution from regional to global leadership, working directly with the CFO on strategic challenges. I needed to switch from being solely a treasury professional and become a much broader finance professional – a task that included developing my network within the company around cross-departmental projects.

What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced to date professionally?

Taking on the people management responsibility for a large team across several continents, and managing this culturally diverse team across time zones, required me to adapt my leadership style and foster inclusive collaboration. This experience deepened my cultural intelligence and strengthened my ability to lead through complexity.

Do you have a piece of career advice you’d like to share?

Growth happens outside your comfort zone. I encourage professionals – especially women – to voice their ambitions early, seek mentorship and take on cross-functional projects that build visibility and influence.

What is your motto in life, or your greatest inspiration?

Empathy and integrity are at the core of my leadership. Whether under pressure or in calm, I believe in treating others with respect and creating environments where people feel seen and supported. My motto is, “Treat other people the way you would like to be treated yourself.”

“I needed to switch from being solely a treasury professional and become a much broader finance professional.”

Forging a career in treasury

A seasoned treasury professional, Daria Severina currently leads the global corporate cash and financial risk management (CC & FRM) treasury team for ASML, a global supplier of semiconductor manufacturing equipment. However, at the beginning of her career she originally had her sights set on the world of banking. “I was studying finance at university, and in my last year I was invited by a large bank to join their early talent pipeline programme,” she recalls.

After working in banking for five years, Daria decided to move from Russia to the Netherlands, where she took up her first role in corporate treasury. Since then, she has worked in a variety of back, middle and front office roles, and notably played a key role in treasury integration between the Middle East and rest of the world for chemical manufacturing company SABIC. Daria was subsequently given responsibility for the company’s global cash management across Asia, the Middle East, Europe and the Americas.

“From there, I thought I would love to experience working for a Dutch corporate,” she says. “I moved to Royal FrieslandCampina, where my responsibilities were very similar to those I had at SABIC. But I was also more involved with treasury technology and guiding the setup of the treasury back office in our shared service centre.”

Daria was subsequently invited to join ASML, where she now oversees a team of 11 people, and is responsible for everything related to corporate cash and financial risk management for all the countries in which the company is present.

Looking back at her career, Daria reflects that one of the biggest differences between working for a bank and a corporation lies in the fact that the core business of a bank is financial services, while finance in a corporate environment is usually a supporting function. However, this allows employees of a corporate to develop an affinity with a concrete end product.

“For example, Royal FrieslandCampina is in the dairy business, and you see their products on supermarket shelves. And ASML sells machines that are used in the production of chips that we all use in our daily appliances, such as phones, cars etc.

“From my personal experience I also believe the corporate side allows you to explore broader roles than you can when working for a bank – in the corporate world, you might be dealing with 20 different topics. If you’re looking for that kind of dynamic experience, you’re probably better suited to a corporate role.”

Seeking new challenges

When it comes to developing a career, Daria believes it is crucial not to be afraid of new challenges. “It can be tempting to stay in the safety of your current environment, but development happens when we step outside of our comfort zones,” she says. “If you’re ambitious, it’s important to seek new challenges and projects, even if they’re not directly related to your role.”

For women in particular, Daria emphasises the importance of making their ambitions clear at an early stage. “Something I’ve noticed is that men are often very open about discussing their career growth and ambitions, but that kind of conversation is a lot less common with female direct reports. While women are usually ambitious, they can be more reluctant to share what they see as their next development step.

“The downside is that if your ambition is not expressed, your manager may not be aware of it. If you make your ambition clear, and develop a plan with your manager, you can prevent the frustration that can arise later on if you’re not progressing as fast as you would like.”

On another note, Daria highlights the value of seeking out mentors, sponsors and/or allies within the organisation, and having open conversations with those people about what you want to achieve. “In my experience, people will often be very happy to support you, but they do need to know what to support, so it’s important to be prepared for this conversation,” she advises.

Likewise, Daria says it can be valuable to join existing networks within the organisation. “And take on new challenges, because when you do that, you are also working on your visibility. Then, when you speak to your allies within the organisation, you can refer back to the challenge as evidence of how you’re progressing your career.”