In the past, the ACT has sometimes been shy when talking about its achievements. Whether this has related to our international expansion, our collaboration with the European Association of Corporate Treasurers in the face of proposals from regulators and the various EU legislative bodies, or our fabulous range of live events, we sometimes don’t ‘shout from the rooftops’ as the saying goes. Well, not this time. I am delighted to say that your magazine, The Treasurer, received an award of excellence in the Redesign category of the annual awards from the UK’s Institute of Internal Communication. See www.ioic.org.uk/news/64/september/ioic-awards-2013-winners-announced.html
Not only that, the magazine has also been shortlisted in the Launch/Relaunch/Innovations of the Year category at the PPA Independent Publisher Awards 2013. This is a tremendous vote of confidence in our commitment to helping the profession establish itself as a significant voice in business and finance.
What you may not know is that the ACT has a YouTube platform where it posts webinars
The magazine is obviously one medium where we have to think carefully about how we talk with people both inside and outside the treasury community. We recognised that in our recent reader survey, of course. But we have other communication methods as well. I mentioned last month the tremendous success of our 2013 webinar programme and we have recently revamped our website to give greater visibility to those we have broadcast over the past two years. See www.treasurers.org/events/webinars
What you may not know is that the ACT has a YouTube platform, www.youtube.com/user/treasurersorg, where it posts webinars and video content. And The Treasurer has its own site, www.treasurers.org/thetreasurer, which also features video content. So what does this use of communication technology mean?
Well, it means that when the International Group of Treasury Associations (see www.igta.org) hosts an important speech from Gary S Gensler, the chairman of the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (the leading corporate derivatives regulator in the US), as it did on 27 September, it is streamed live globally and is then available for treasury professionals worldwide to watch on our YouTube channel. In fact, treasurers in the US, UK, continental Europe, Australia, Hong Kong and Singapore all watched the broadcast. I feel this could be a ‘line in the sand’ for the way in which the treasury profession and its associations are perceived internationally.
More importantly, it means that the global treasury community is beginning to recognise the increasing benefits and value that can be derived by working together. The relative ease in communicating the principles and standards of corporate treasury is enhancing that process.
Later this month we will be bringing that message to the ACT Middle East Annual Conference (see www.treasurers.org/actmiddleeast/annualconference), which is being held in Dubai. As a vibrant, but developing, business hub, the region has world-class treasury operations, but also operates on a traditional relationship business model. This presents a variety of challenges for treasurers to face in terms of trade finance, cash management and capital funding, whether conventional or Islamic.
The ACT Middle East celebrates its sixth anniversary this autumn and I am sure the conference will be a tremendous event that helps treasurers and finance managers from across the region. In addition, we will be celebrating the Middle East version of our hugely successful Deals of the Year Awards (see www.treasurers.org/actmiddleeast/awards/2013), and the conference edition of the Middle East Treasurer (see www.treasurers.org/thetreasurer/middleeast) will profile all the winners.
Colin Tyler is chief executive of the ACT. Follow him on Twitter @ColinTyl