Roshun Tulkens, Group Treasurer of Mantrac Group, provides an update on the Future Leaders in Treasury event on treasury recruitment in the Middle East.
As part of the ACT Middle East event: Treasury, Technology, Together, the ACT Future Leaders in Treasury Group conducted a pre-conference event on treasury recruitment in the Middle East. We were joined by several attendees, with many new faces taking the opportunity to see first-hand what the ACT Future Leaders Group offers in the region. It was certainly refreshing to meet face to face and enjoy some socially distanced networking over breakfast. The event was hosted by James Westerby-Jones, CFO of TACCT Global and one of the Future Leaders in Treasury working group members and we were delighted to hear from our guest speakers, Caroline Stockman, chief executive of the ACT and Luke Correll, co-founder of Carter Knight recruitment agency.
Luke gave a comprehensive overview of the job market in the UAE, which was of great interest to those both seeking new roles or actively hiring for roles in the region. It was clear to see that the treasury market is in demand at the moment with 75% of companies looking to expand headcount, driven in particular by consulting firms and financial services. The types of candidates particularly in demand are those with either regional experience in GCC and North Africa, or those who possess “aspirational experience” by working for larger MNC’s and market leaders. The latter includes candidates from the UK and Europe looking for opportunities in the region.
From a candidate perspective, those of high regard, can expect to have multiple offers to consider, which is pushing the UAE to a candidate led market. The key factor for moving roles is an improved work life balance and remote working, with 70% of candidates citing this as a reason to move.
Caroline then took us through some really useful insights into interviewing successfully and landing our dream roles. Preparation is key and the main takeaway for me was that you need to treat an interview like a project. Imagine we are given a project to do, for example build a cashflow forecast, we would research the business, list questions to gather information we require from each department and have in your mind the output you need. An interview is the same, you research the company, the role, the manager, the team. You are also interviewing them, so have questions on hand to understand the role and culture. Once the interview is over, you will then also have an idea if this is the right position for you.
Other useful tips to take on board are that you should tailor your CV to the role and use similar language to that within the job description. In an interview first impressions count, both verbal and non-verbal, and body language is key.
Finally, get a good night’s sleep and good luck!
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Thank you to our speakers, Caroline Stockmann and Luke Correll. To find our more about the Future Leaders in Treasury group visit www.treasurers.org/futureleaders
