So, the first day. What did we learn? Well, interestingly enough we heard quite a lot about relationships, shared interests and working together.
An interview with Ronan Dunne, CEO, Telefonica UK kicked us off with a wealth of challenging ideas and views on how business can develop its human capital. Treasurers of course can play their role both in terms of their own personal career development and also in terms of where their role between financial and business strategy can drive organisational growth. A great and thought provoking start
Of course in the modern financial world, at least in the EU and US, we as treasurers are not in complete control of our environment. Having said that, our job is to make sense of that environment, whether for individual development or the benefit of our organisations and by extension, society as a whole.
In simple terms treasury management could be defined as two sets of ideas, one representing service users and one service providers - both concerned with delivering value - working together for mutual benefit. There's the rub though: who defines the benefit and who measures the value? That's the treasurers' challenge!
At a big conference like this delegates take time to settle into the rhythms of the event. The ebb and flow of working sessions, the catching up with colleagues and friends and the serious business of working out what's new that can help them do their jobs better. In that sense of course we're all looking for that edge, the nugget I mentioned before. Sometimes that comes from a new technology, sometimes in a chat over coffee.
I especially enjoyed one of the late afternoon workshops. Not a large audience but a really engaged one working out some real issues. Best of all a couple of the audience were new to the topic. Will they have learned that nugget to their advantage? You bet they did!
Thursday brings us into the heart of the conference and the gala evening. Your correspondent promises to keep his hat on!
