IF MANAGING your own finances rewards you with nothing but sleepless nights and angry letters from the bank, corporate treasury is not for you. The most numerate graduate can blanch at the figures, says Matthew Hurn, 34, the group treasurer at DSG International, the European electrical retailer. “Some of the sums involved are quite large,” he says. “Some people would struggle to have the confidence to deal with the complexity and size of transactions.”

Treasurers manage the company cash flow and work to identify and manage the operational risks involved in running a large corporation. Working in treasury can be a stepping stone to a role as finance director or chief executive.

Victoria Coombes, 30, a treasury manager at DSG International, fell into the role. “I don’t believe anybody leaves school saying: ‘I want to be a corporate treasurer’.” After graduating in maths and business management she spent four years in retail banking. “I was looking to get further professional qualifications and I wanted to use the analytical skills from my degree.” She joined a UK water company as a treasury analyst, where she studied for her AMCT qualification from the Association of Corporate Treasurers (ACT). An ACT spokesperson says that it is common for corporate treasurers to join larger international companies to gain experience.

“Communication skills are key,” Coombes says. “You have to deal with the company’s many subsidiaries and understand what they need. You also need an eye for detail and analytical skills.” Her boss, Hurn, agrees: “Academic and professional qualifications are important, but people also need . . . to fit into a team.” External relationships are also a vital part of the job. “We’re an externally-facing role and deal with lawyers, bankers and City analysts,” he says.

Salaries start at about £30,000 and can climb to £130,000-plus at a FTSE 100 company.

www.treasurers.org

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