Many years ago, I came to the conclusion that if I was working in a job where I didn’t want to get to the top, then I was in the wrong career. Soon after realising this, I decided to leave the job I was in and become a journalist. And while I wouldn’t necessarily claim to have made it to the top of my profession – I am up against Jeremy Paxman, Robert Peston and Kirsty Wark, after all – I still feel that I have come a lot further in my career than I would have done if I had stayed where I was. The reason? I really enjoy what I do now. I didn’t enjoy what I did then.
While not every treasury professional has ambitions of holding the group treasurer job, most will probably have contemplated it at some point during their career. Treasury is a profession that a lot of people find themselves in by accident; then they discover they actually like it so much that they want to progress in it as far as they can. Many treasurers will therefore see the pinnacle of career success as being group treasurer of a FTSE 100 company. And why shouldn’t they? It’s a good job to have.
In this issue, we take a look at what makes a group treasurer, particularly focusing on the skills, experience and behaviours that you will need to get to the top of the treasury tree. Several group treasurers were interviewed for the article, along with a recruiter and a banker.
To find out what they had to say, please see our cover feature, starting on page 18. Sticking with a career theme, the ACT unveils its new Competency Framework this month.
The framework is the culmination of 12 months’ work by the ACT education team and treasury practitioners from all over the world. Its aim is to set new global treasury standards and support best practice internationally. To find out more about the framework, please turn to page 43.
Finally, we all have to start our career somewhere. And there’s no reason why someone shouldn’t be able to start their career in treasury while they are still at university. Go to page 40 for an inspiring case study on how the treasury team of thread manufacturer Coats launched its own sandwich-year placement scheme.
I hope you enjoy the issue.