Essence of corporate treasury: it takes two to tango

PwC’s 2019 Global Treasury Benchmarking Survey, see, contained several important insights into what is corporate treasury is all about:

• Treasury’s mandate is to “optimise financial assets and liabilities, drive cash flow improvements, process cash transactions, and manage financial risk is on the precipice of profound change”
• the Treasury function’s role is to be a strategic advisor to the broader organisation, and is now focused on value-adding activities outside the traditional mandate like working capital management and M&A support
• corporate treasury needs a digital treasury ecosystem “where the CFO or treasurer makes real-time financial decisions utilising interfaces and customisable technology”
• three attributes most sought after in treasurers and their teams today, beyond functional treasury expertise, are:
  • strategic thinking: reflecting a shift from financial management to providing strategic guidance
  • business partnering capabilities: highlighting the need to capitalise on cross-functional relationships
  • technological affinity: affirming Treasury’s role in guiding the organisation into a digital future
• treasury is moving to a workforce of the future, defined by its ability to drive transformation, minimise manual efforts, and maximise business insight
• treasury teams are evolving in mindset and capability to become a combination of man and machine.

CTMfile take: Clear insight is never obvious. This study is essential reading for all corporate treasury departments.