“The financial crisis has heightened the profile of treasury, increasing its influence and perceived value within organisations,” said Philip Turnbull, AIA Chief Executive. “The exemption from Stage 1 of the AMCT qualification will offer our members a progressive approach to treasury and see it not as a discrete finance function, or just another link in the management chain, but as an end-to-end activity that is fully embedded in the business.” The ACT sets the benchmark for international treasury excellence. As the only Chartered body for treasury, the ACT leads the profession through an internationally recognised suite of treasury qualifications, by defining standards and championing continuing professional development. The ACT is the authentic voice of the treasury profession representing the interests of the “real economy” and educating, supporting and leading the treasurers of today and tomorrow. “The ACT is delighted that members of AIA can now take advantage of an automatic exemption from Stage 1 of AMCT, enabling them to extend a finance career further and faster, and giving an additional dimension to their AIA membership,” said James Lockyer, ACT Development Director. Some 50% of the ACT’s members are qualified accountants, and it has a longstanding and collaborative relationship with many of the accountancy bodies in the UK. Most promote the ACT qualifications as CPD for their members and recognise that the corporate treasury profession is a specialised and advanced form of finance, complementing their own space and providing an additional opportunity for ‘T-shaped’ professional development. The ACT provides fast-track education routes for qualified accountants in association with their qualifying body, and the automatic exemption from Stage 1 of the AMCT Diploma in Treasury is worth up to about a quarter of the full study requirement. This enables members of such bodies to achieve AMCT in as little as a year’s study, giving them an efficient route to develop their accounting expertise into broader finance issues. ENDS ---------- Ends ---------------- NOTES TO EDITORS If you require any further information, please contact: Sharon Jandu: 07970 148 925, sharon@globalpr.co.uk Nicola Perry: 0191 493 0280, nicola.perry@aiaworldwide.com Professional qualifications Further information about automatic exemption from ACT’s AMCT stage one – Certificate in Financial Fundamentals (CertFin) can be found at: www.treasurers.org/qualifications/amct/exemptions.