The recent ACTME Annual conference was a tremendous success, not just in terms of the more than 400 delegates who attended but in terms of what it says about the growth of professional treasury management in the region.
Treasurers were clear that it's our job to set and manage financial strategy connecting with the overall business strategy. This also more obviously identifies the treasury as a value add partner to the business not a risk averse overhead. Business as a whole carries uncertainty and risk and is not a series of discrete projects. The treasury should sit at the centre of this integrated approach.
More progressively, the treasurers in the audience understood the need to set standards for business behaviour and financial management. Having clear policies and operating practices are key for all business irrespective of the geographic dimensions many have.
One thing that is certain is how busy treasurers will be over the next months and years. The delegates said that their main problems over the next years will be risk management followed closely by getting to grips with treasury technology and cash and liquidity issues. The good news is that more than 70% were more than confident about regional business prospects.
May I take this opportunity to wish all the members of the ACT Middle East network a successful and prosperous 2015!
