This issue is dedicated to the winners and runners-up in the ACT Middle East (ACTME) Deals of the Year Awards – now in their seventh year.
The winners will be toasting their success at a gala dinner at the Four Seasons hotel in Dubai. The occasion, which coincides with the ACTME’s annual dinner, provides an important opportunity for treasury and corporate finance professionals in the Middle East to connect with each other and applaud the achievements of treasury professionals at the top of their game.
Just as businesses in the region face increasing liquidity, cost and economic challenges, so treasury in the Middle East is evolving, and our winners and runners-up demonstrate that evolution in progress. Corporates of all sizes are increasingly committing to developing treasury functions that are fit for purpose and capable of addressing the complexities of today’s business climate. Where they have invested in talented treasury professionals, they are reaping the rewards In some organisations, automating cash management or introducing commodity hedging represents a significant step forward – a departure from the way family businesses have been run traditionally. At the other end of the scale, we see complex cutting-edge deals that would be the envy of corporates anywhere in the world.
Elsewhere in this issue, we look at the role the Middle East plays in the growing prosperity of
the south-south corridor, the trade axis between Asia, the Middle East and Africa.
We look at how the Chalhoub Group in Dubai responded to rapid business growth by setting up a centralised treasury function, a two-year project that brought increased visibility and cash management control. And staying with that theme, we look at how centralising currency risk management also helps treasurers address their risk management challenges.
I hope that our awards coverage will inspire you to consider putting your own treasury team
or funding achievement forward for next year’s awards. Nominations open in December.
Enjoy the issue.