Editor’s letter
Welcome to the new normal, the next normal, the great reset or pandemic age. However we characterise or label them, our current circumstances continue to present unfamiliar challenges and new tests on our stamina – ours and that of our organisations, colleagues, households and governments.
Ten months to a year in (depending on where you are in the world) and many of us continue to work from home, sheltering in place from a virus that still confounds efforts to contain its spread. A partial return to the workplace beckons, likely based on a part-working-from-home, part-office hybrid – but at a point in time we are unable to identify.
In this collision of our professional and personal lives, technology has rescued many operations by facilitating working from home. Accelerated adoption of technology solutions has streamlined operations and positioned them well for the future. The survivor businesses have found their footing resoundingly well in a heartening number of cases. We have adapted – but that doesn’t mean the risks have gone away. Future availability of funding, liquidity and the fragility of international agreements and trade lines remain front of mind, as our columnists point out from page 6.
In this issue of The Treasurer, we home in on the world of work. It has pushed us all to consider much wider questions and concerns than our very closely defined day-to-day existence might suggest. Are we addressing racial bias and workplace discrimination within our organisations? (Page 21.) Do we know what to do about continued isolation or prolonged uncertainty? (Page 28.) How can we best support our mental wellbeing and that of our colleagues? (Page 16.) We also ask senior treasurers about these concerns and examine questions of leadership and sustaining relationships.
In 2021, The Treasurer will be published quarterly. Our new and improved version has an extended opinion section along with a greater number of longer reads on topical subjects with the treasurer perspective and lived experience firmly embedded. We will be providing practical guides on technical subjects and we want to ensure we address the challenges you face within our coverage. Our new timetable gives us an opportunity to poll readers ahead of each issue and reflect your opinions, so look out for our new regular surveys and be sure to take part. Now more than ever, I’d urge you to get in contact and tell us about your views and challenges.
Keep in touch and stay safe.
thetreasurer@thinkpublishing.co.uk
Follow us on Twitter @thetreasurermag
THIS ISSUE'S CONTRIBUTORS
Paul Wilde is treasurer at challenger bank Shawbrook, a past president of the ACT and a visiting professor for the London Institute of Banking & Finance. He offers views on credit conditions, liquidity and the challenges ahead for treasurers and their banking partners on page 9
Helena Boschi is a psychologist and author with a focus on applied neuroscience in the workplace. She is particularly interested in how the brain impacts behaviour and how we can improve our cognitive abilities to get the best out of our brainpower. Her feature on how we adapt to uncertainty is on page 28
Matthew Giannotti is a transaction services specialist at NatWest with expertise in payments and cash management, open banking, automation and digitisation of banking. He looks at banking and finance innovations driven to the forefront by the pandemic. His article can be found on page 42
