Time to test your skills

The current economic and financial conditions have put the spotlight onto those dealing with the funding and cash, and we find the media – particularly the Financial Times – seeking our views and probing on how the ACT’s members are responding. We were particularly pleased that the FT gave considerable coverage to our note on Contingency Planning for a Downturn.

Whilst the impact of market conditions varies widely between sectors, we do of course know that in testing times the professional treasurer’s skills set is tested much more profoundly than when conditions are easier. Now more than ever I encourage all practitioners to consider our MCT Advanced Diploma, the qualification that truly equips treasury, risk and corporate finance professionals to operate at the strategic level.

The next MCT enrolment deadline is at the end of July. It is worth remembering that the option of direct entry into the Advanced Diploma programme (bypassing the requirement to have taken the AMCT Diploma) is available to candidates who can demonstrate an appropriate background.

You will have noticed that a key element of our strategy over the last couple of years has been to increase significantly the way in which we work internationally. Our qualifications will always be the bridgehead for this but we are also focusing on how we can bring other activities, such as talkingtreasury, to treasurers outside the UK. We are very confident that the new Certificate in International Treasury Management will serve as an excellent foundation for this international commitment.

We have two more talkingtreasury events in September, first in Düsseldorf and then in Stockholm. There are further such events in the planning stage and we hope that these will reinforce the ACT’s thought-leadership reputation. All of this international activity, whilst strategically central to our plans, should also help us mitigate some of any adverse impact from current conditions in the UK.

Next week we will be launching our new website and I am confident that members and all other users of the site will be enormously excited by the radical rebuild that we have undertaken.

The latest ACT/JPMorgan Global Cash Management Survey is also being launched next week. From my perspective this survey has two great selling points. It has been in existence now for ten years and this continuity provides a valuable insight into how treasurers approach cash management and how this has evolved over the years. The survey is truly international and our own relationships with treasury associations both in Europe and Asia Pacific have helped to reinforce this for JPMorgan.

For those that may be starting summer vacations during July I wish you the best; the rest of us will enjoy a less crowded and more peaceful city life and commuting!

By richard.j.raeburn@gmail.com