I know this will come as a surprise to many of you, but we journalists tend to be quite nosey. Hence the best part of my job is getting to meet so many interesting people and finding out about the work they do.
This month I had the great pleasure of interviewing Catherine Porter, the head of treasury at Cancer Research UK, who explained what it’s like to work for an organisation that is motivated not by profits, but by the potential to change the world for the better (see page 24). Cancer will affect more than one in three of us in our lifetimes, but the pioneering work of Cancer Research UK and other charities around the world has helped to transform the outcomes for people who have been diagnosed with the disease. Whereas once cancer was regarded as a death sentence, now many people recover from it and cancer patients’ survival rates have doubled over the past 40 years.
What is inspiring about Porter’s story is that it shows the breadth of organisations where treasurers can – and do – make a difference. By qualifying as a corporate treasurer, you are not necessarily committing yourself to a lifetime in the finance departments of FTSE 100 companies – unless, of course, that is what you want. There are many other types of organisations that will value your skills and experience.
But whichever direction you want your career to take, you must always remember that you are your own greatest asset. Hence I believe that treasurers have a lot to learn from our career development article on managing your personal reputation, which starts on page 42. It is one of the most powerful pieces I have ever read on a leadership-related theme and it certainly prompted me to reflect on my own ‘reputation capital’.
Finally, it would be remiss of me to sign off without mentioning our in-depth analysis of supply chain finance (SCF). SCF is one of the hottest topics in treasury at present – and for good reason.
It enables companies to simultaneously improve their working capital and their relationships with suppliers with the potential to secure other benefits such as early payment discounts. If you think that sounds too good to be true, try turning to page 18 to find out more. And if you’re interested in SCF, you’ll also want to take a look at our article on e-invoicing, on page 40.
I hope you enjoy the issue.
