The year 2019 will be very special for the ACT and our members: we are looking forward to celebrating our organisation’s 40th anniversary.
It’s difficult to believe it’s actually been 40 years since the ACT was founded by a small group of forward-thinking treasurers who recognised that the growing significance of treasury management made the need for a professional association paramount.
A book that sets out the first 15 years of the ACT says of the 1970s: “The tasks of interfacing with financial markets and the banking system became the job of the corporate treasurer, although most people could not have said in 1970 what a treasurer was.”
ACT members and volunteers help us make a lot of great things possible
The book also states: “There was no professional body offering [treasurers] a chance to get together and share their knowledge, which at that time was state of the art, but not reported in any useful way in publications read by accountants, and certainly not to be learned from any textbook.”
We’ve come a long way.
Without those founders and their foresight, the ACT wouldn’t have achieved all it has over the past four decades. There would be a serious gap in terms of our mission, which embeds the highest standards of professionalism and integrity in the treasury world, at the same time as we act as its leading advocate.
In the past decade, this has been further acknowledged by the granting of our Royal Charter.
And without our members, we wouldn’t be able to continue evolving the work that we carry out in so many different areas.
At the ACT we are tasked with setting the global benchmark for treasury excellence and leading the profession through our internationally recognised qualifications, by defining standards and by championing continuing professional development.
And we welcome your help!
We have a small team of hard-working staff, which looks after our events, training, qualifications, and policy and technical guidance, and they would love to hear from you if you can lend your time and expertise.
ACT members and volunteers help us make a lot of great things possible – this year, more than 500 members have been actively involved in all sorts of areas, from reviewing technical treasury articles to acting as ambassadors for our treasury networks, and advising on policy to speaking at ACT events.
We would welcome even more involvement, so please get in touch. You can find out more here.
There is nothing as certain as change, and the ACT’s policy and technical team is working on some of the biggest issues facing treasurers to ensure that you have all the information and tools that you need. The ACT supports the development of professional standards and best practice in treasury.
We do this through our Competency Framework, which defines the skills and competencies needed by treasury professionals to operate successfully in today’s challenging business climate, and underpins our professional qualifications and accredited programmes.
We are committed to continuing professional development, and to helping treasurers and those with treasury responsibilities be more effective in their jobs and perform the vital role they play in business today.
As part of our own continuing development, we regularly review and revise our qualifications in line with the Competency Framework, and in February 2019 we will introduce the Advanced Diploma in Treasury Management, which replaces the MCT Advanced Diploma and will equip a new generation of treasurers at the highest level of the profession.
At ACT events, members can not only get up to speed on the latest industry developments, but also network with other treasurers.
From our flagship UK Annual Conference in May and sellout dinner in November to international conferences in the Middle East, Asia and Africa, as well as smaller local events across the globe and our newest series, our Diversity and Inclusion Calendar, we have your interests at heart.
As we look forward to supporting treasurers through the next 40 years, the ACT will continue to strive to be 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.
Caroline Stockmann is chief executive at the ACT
This article was taken from the December 2018/January 2019 issue of The Treasurer magazine. For more great insights, log in to view the full issue or sign up for eAffiliate membership