In this edition of The Middle East Treasurer we look back at our hugely successful Gala Awards Dinner and Annual Conference last November and forward to what 2012 will bring to the treasury community. The dinner and conference offered excellent opportunities for celebrating the achievements of treasurers and their teams in the region in 2011 and for networking. There was more than enough serious thinking and hard talking about business, treasury and societal developments to keep more than 380 delegates and dinner guests fully occupied. Our thanks therefore are due to all the delegates, guests, contributors and sponsors for their participation and support.
Economic development both regional and global remains the key issue for treasurers everywhere. The troubles in the euro zone, a slowdown in China and India, volatility in hydrocarbon prices – all will have an impact on regional business. Now more than ever treasurers need to stay connected and up to date with their peers. To that end the ACT Middle East runs an active LinkedIn group (it’s at http://tinyurl.com/7sg34gq) and I would encourage all readers to join and participate in it – we welcome your views and comments.
2012 promises to be a year of further growth for the ACTME. We hope to run events in Jordan and Egypt alongside our existing portfolio in the GCC and will be working towards the next Awards Dinner and third Annual Conference, which will be in Dubai on 8 and 9 October 2012. We have big plans to grow the network, so if anyone wants to contribute as a speaker, panellist or magazine contributor, please get in touch via LinkedIn or pmatza@treasurers.org
PETER MATZA
HEAD OF PUBLISHING, ACT