Moving from accounting to treasury

A role in treasury offers finance professionals the opportunity to play a pivotal role in clarifying an organisation’s financial strategy and financial policies.

The job also entails advising on what investments should be made and arranges the appropriate or required funding for this while managing risk factors in the organisation.

Is this a career path for you?

Treasury departments are central to a firm’s operations and provide a busy and exciting environment to work in. 

“Treasury vacancies have climbed by over 10% as employers look to boost specialist expertise in house”, comments Niamh Hourican, Treasury recruitment consultant at Robert Walters. Now could be a great time to pursue opportunities working in treasury.

Treasury management involves handling large sums of money and the banking requirements for the organisation, along with the funding for the business and management of financial risk.

As a qualified accountant, it is straightforward to specialise in Treasury but training and qualifying is necessary through the ACT – the Associate of Corporate Treasurers.

Treasury vacancies have climbed by over 10% as employers look to boost specialist expertise in house. Now could be a great time to pursue opportunities working in treasury.

Once completed, it is important that you develop:

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, for liaising with senior management, operational staff, and company bankers and investors
• Analytical and IT skills
• A comprehensive knowledge of the financial markets and how they operate
• Excellent attention to detail and accuracy for dealing with company funds and managing substantial contracts and capital projects
   

What salary can I expect from a treasury role?

Treasury can be an extremely rewarding career path, paying handsome salaries for those who advance to senior level.

It depends on the field you work in, whether it's in house within commerce or in the banking sector, but working in a Treasury department can help you make an impression on a firm. It's a visible role and has the capacity for you to make an impact on key financial decisions.