It has been a busy few weeks with work travel, and I wanted to share with you a few of the key insights that I have gained from the many conversations I have been having.
Mid-March saw me participate in the European ACT’s Treasury Summit in Brussels – which brought together corporate treasurers from across Europe. A great event, and thanks in particular to those ACT members who participated in the sessions. A key focus was FinTech, and we also talked about Brexit, leadership/development, innovation and diversity, and. sustainable finance.
Key insight: treasurers are going to have to innovate in the challenging environment in which we find ourselves, and in order to do that effectively research tells us they will need more diversity in their teams in future.
I was very pleased to be asked to stand for, and be voted in as Deputy Chair of the EACT.
Key insight: especially in these challenging times we need to work together effectively as a global community, and leverage our relationships and partnerships.
In Dubai I met with many of our treasurers and our sponsors – getting prepared for our Middle East Treasury Summit in October, which will be bigger and better than ever before as we celebrate our 10 years in region.
Key insight: relationships are as important as ever, and whilst a lot can be done virtually, it is important to have some face time now and again.
National Grid hosted a member event in New York where I talked about our vision and mission and sought views about our educational offering.
Key insight: ACT qualifications are highly regarded by our US members, and the breadth of choice of treasury certification and qualification is something only offered by the ACT (globally).
Attending the IFAC PAIB (Public Accountants in Business) conference (ACT is an associate member) I met a range of interesting people and heard more about technology and robotics, as well as innovation such as blockchain, and how they will impact our future ways of working. There were other very interesting sessions and speakers, and I made new connections – it was again recognised that the ACT has something special to offer those interested in treasury, wherever they are in the globe.
Key insight: the ACT’s vision and mission which are absolutely focused on treasury, going back to our roots in 1979, are filling a need and our purpose is as valid today as it was almost 40 years ago – if not more so.
