The Autumn conference season for the ACT has been in full swing around our network from the UK to Hong Kong and today we opened in Dubai for our 8th year, this time billed as the ACT Middle East Annual Summit.
Fashions in conference names seem to go in cycles from forums (should that be fora?), summits and exchanges, to roundtables, seminars and retreats all the way back to, well, conferences! I am sure there is research somewhere that tells us what delegates think of the name but in truth, it’s the experience that counts and today has been one of the best our 380+ delegates have had at this event
Although the various sessions and workshops covered a diversity of topics, one element shone through: treasurers who fail to manage their relationships with their stakeholders (banks, executive, investors, regulators, service providers and so on) will not get the outcomes they want from their effort and diligence. This applies to risk management (what’s the Board’s appetite, do we have credit capacity) through trade finance (do we know who we’re doing business with, is the treasurer talking to the sales team) all the way to career development (who are my mentors, who can I learn from).
Interestingly the impact of technology as an enabler as well as its functional value was a key theme in driving relationships in trade finance, B2C interfaces and B2B developments including (or, some might say, even) in distributed ledger technology. Or blockchain if you prefer! One sage corporate treasurer when discussing technology in his operations put it to me like this, ‘whilst it’s important to know what you can do, it’s critical to know what you must do because execution and delivery are where you will be judged.’
Plenty of geo-political issues were talked through (the return of Russia to Mid East politics for one) and Brexit seemed to be on many agendas yet the outcome of the US presidential election barely raised a murmur.
Career development was also a feature especially at the student awards presentations during the after conference drinks reception outdoors on a warm October evening.
Honestly it’s all work and no play…but we’ll be ready for day two tomorrow!
ACT qualifications address the increasing demand for treasury management expertise around the world. At the Middle East Awards we recognise the dedication, hard work and commitment of students in the region and we're delighted to share these ACT prizewinners with you. These professionals have all achieved outstanding results and are ones to watch in the industry.
Kata Pasztor, Treasury Finance Officer, Etihad Airways
Certificate in Treasury Fundamentals (CertTF): Awrad Alenezi, Treasury Executive, Agility Public Warehousing Company
Certificate in Financial Maths and Modelling (CertFMM): Manoj Agarwala, Group Treasury Manager, Petrofac
Certificate in Corporate Finance and Funding (CertCFF): Farhad Poacha, Business Analyst, HSBC
Certificate in Risk Management (CertRM): Geoffrey Khoury, Analyst, Agility Logistics
Certificate in International Cash Management (CertICM): Vineet Gupta, Senior Treasury Manager, Majid Al Futtaim
Certificate in International Treasury Management (CertITM): Stephanie Arnold, Cash Manager, Nestle Middle East
Manoj Agarwala, Group Treasury Manager, Petrofac
Adam Boukadida, Deputy Treasurer, Etihad Airways
Benjamin Hughes, Executive Director, The National Bank Of Abu Dhabi
Farhad Poacha, Business Analyst, HSBC
Anuj Rohtagi, Senior Manager, Kuwait Projects Company (KIPCO)
Anissa Teemul, Treasury Analyst, National Central Cooling Co - Tabreed
Congratulations to all - we wish you all the best in your future careers!
[su_box title="ACT qualifications and training in the Middle East" box_color="#51284F" radius="1"]Through our strategic partners, Vector Consultants, ACT is now able to offer a wider range of treasury learning solutions to organisations and individuals in more locations across the Middle East.
To find out more or book a consultation visit to discuss learning needs for your organisation, please contact us at enquiries@vector-consultants.com
