A Happy New Year to all our readers. You will all, I hope, have enjoyed a good Christmas break, with much relaxation and merriment. Alas, it is now back to the daily grind, which in the current environment is going to be a hard slog (and regrets to those of you for whom the daily grind never stopped, working on year-end etc).
To keep the clichés intact, I thought I would give you some of my New Year’s resolutions: plan ahead, well ahead; encourage readers to get involved, whether through articles, letters or involvement with the ACT’s technical team; don’t get upset when they don’t; make contributors stick to their deadlines; remove all spelling errors; and, no more cliché-ridden editorials from the Managing Editor. I have deliberately left out winning the lottery, Arsenal winning the Champions League and Ireland winning the Grand Slam, as they are all equally unlikely. Come to think of it, so are some of my professional resolutions.
The Treasurer team is still in planning mode for the year ahead but here are some of the highlights we intend to bring you.
Special Feature for UK Treasurers’ conference – The conference takes place from 16-18 April, and the March and April editions of The Treasurer will feature a number of the issues being addressed.
The euro – It will take a while for many of the issues and problems to come to light, and we may get a clearer picture of where the UK Government stands on joining euroland, so we will be running a major spotlight in the early Autumn.
Deals of the Year – This is proving more popular than ever and we are keen to get members, particularly from corporates, more involved in the selection process. We are getting feedback throughout the year but the real activity starts in July, peaking in mid-September when we chose the shortlist, and late October when we make the final selection. Volunteers should give me a call on 020 7213 0723.
This month’s issue is full of interesting articles, both in the Spotlight and in Treasury Practice, where we cover a wider range of topics than usual: financial crime, pensions fund management and disaster recovery, among others. As ever, your views and comments are appreciated.
MIKE HENIGAN
Managing Editor