Announcement from Caroline Stockmann

Embarking on a new phase in my life

After six years with the ACT – years that I have thoroughly enjoyed – it is time that I move on to focus on other things, including some personal projects as well as my NED portfolio. Recruitment is underway for my successor, and I am sure they will be delighted with the strong team they inherit. The ACT is known not only in its external-facing role of being ‘by treasurers, for treasurers’, but also for going the extra mile and really caring about our members.

Nothing could have made me prouder during COVID than when the whole team was absolutely unanimous in joining me to take a 20% pay cut, showing their loyalty to the ACT and its members as well as their amazing sense of team. We’re talking here about people on not-for-profit salaries too.

There are many other things that have made me proud over the last six years of course: 

• our financial turnaround from a loss-making organisation in 2016 to one with surplus well beyond breakeven budget in 2019
• our turnaround in the Middle East, which is most definitely a core market for us today
• our governance improvements around Learning and Assessment, as well as many enhancements such as a new LMS, on-demand assessment, digital badging etc
• our development of our qualifications, and recent innovation such as launching in China and on the FutureLearn platform
• membership renewal rates at an all-time high in 2019, and almost matching that over the last two difficult years
• amazing event successes, including our many times award-winning ‘NOT the Annual Dinner!’ and our award-winning virtual Annual Conference, as well as our live events which have grown and grown pre- and post-COVID
• and, of course, our 40th anniversary year when we acknowledged so many of our treasury community with honorary awards, had a lovely ‘ruby’ logo developed by marketing, and I even performed in a Quarter Peal of bells with a new composition written especially for the occasion!

There have been so many amazing memories around the world, with events in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore, Switzerland, Scotland, the US, Lagos, Nairobi, Shanghai, Frankfurt, Brussels, Romania, etc…I have been blessed and privileged to meet so many interesting people, whether members, supporters, collaborators (such as IGTA, EACT and IFAC PAIB members) as well as all the other bodies we exchange views and ideas with, and even sometimes hold events with.

I was delighted in the Spring of this year to be awarded the Hon FCT designation myself, and hope to remain closely involved with the ACT going forwards – without of course breathing down my successor’s neck! I will miss my team, and I’m told they will miss me, but we all know that there are times when it is right to move on personally, and I am so grateful that my team is supportive of my decision.

I’d like to thank all our members for the personal support they have given me, which has made my job easier and which makes it such a pleasure to carry out. As mentioned, the recruitment process is underway, with a working group under the auspices of our Appointments, Remuneration and Audit Committee currently selecting a recruiter to support them. I will of course be working out my notice period with as full a commitment as ever, and will finally step down as Chief Executive April/May time.

I hope to see many of you personally before I leave, and perhaps share a glass or an anecdote together.