Celebrating the success of students achieving a qualification is definitely a perk of my job, and on Wednesday 23 May 2018, I attended the bi-annual CertBALM® prizegiving ceremony, held at the Virgin Money Lounge in the Haymarket.
The Certificate of Banking Asset and Liability Management (CertBALM®) qualification was launched in 2016 by the UK’s Asset and Liability Management Association Limited (ALMA). From the very start, the ACT has worked with ALMA to develop and build their qualification, and subsequently we now accredit the qualification. The CertBALM® equips students with the fundamental techniques by which to be able to recognise, interpret and solve the practical problems arising on a day to day basis from the risks that occur when running a bank balance sheet. In addition, they will also be able to understand the regulatory context of bank balance sheet management and the governance process that sits alongside this management. It is intended to identify and promote best practice and technical knowledge. The CertBALM® students utilise the ACT systems for learning and assessment, and we support them throughout their learning lifecycle. We have supported three cohorts of students through their learning and assessment so far, with another two cohorts in place for the remainder of this year.
21 students successfully passed the qualification this time, with their certificates presented by John Rowan FCT, Group Treasurer for Virgin Money. John commented that “the prize-giving was a great evening celebrating the success of the CertBALM® students in this important area of treasury. It is encouraging to see the fruits of the collaboration between the ACT and ALMA in this endeavour”.
Paul Moreno-Blosseville from HSBC, was presented with a trophy for Outstanding Academic Achievement. He thanked the experienced treasury managers who put the training together and who gave a comprehensive and accelerated transfer of knowledge, and said "I really am convinced this is putting us in a position to better manage our banks to support the economy - while avoiding another global financial crisis hopefully!”
The goodwill flowed as the students, tutors, ACT and ALMA staff celebrated their achievement in the Virgin Money Lounge, a great venue with all the elements of being in first class! ACT Chief Executive, Caroline Stockmann made a fantastic speech supporting our accreditation and ongoing support of CertBALM®, commenting how professional standards are so vital in this sector and for the economy in general. Both Caroline and I look forward to our continuing relationship with ALMA.
To be able to come together with the students and celebrate their achievement in gaining this qualification is a wonderful moment, of which I look forward to many more!
