Recruiting people with the right skillsets is a challenge for companies everywhere – and in the world of treasury, one particular stumbling block is the lack of treasury specialisation in higher education institutions. The new talent development project spearheaded by BNP Paribas Cash Management, The Treasury Talent Place, will bring an answer to the challenge.

To address this resource shortfall, BNP Paribas Cash Management has launched a collective project including the European Association of Corporate Treasurers (EACT), treasury professionals, universities and schools. The goal: to raise awareness of the treasury profession among students and promote treasury as a career path.

“The initiative was born from discussions with corporate treasurers who told us about the need for operational resources to support their projects,” explains Carole Djen-Ullmo. “It can be difficult to recruit because cash management is not very well known in the market, and students aren’t familiar with this business. To build our new training path, we collaborated with the Advisory department, a key internal stakeholder, to ensure that the programme delivers the cash management fundamentals while precisely matching corporate requirements”, adds Djen-Ullmo.

Building on this programme, the bank began working with some of its corporate clients to co-create The Treasury Talent Place. Launched in 2024, this unique programme provides an immersive experience for a group of Master’s students, who spend six months working for the Bank, followed by six months in a corporate treasury team – meaning that students can learn the fundamentals of bank and corporate experiences, while supporting real projects.

“This initiative is unique, because treasury teams gain operational resources who are already familiar with the Bank, and ready to provide treasury support from day one,” says Djen-Ullmo. “The students, meanwhile, can develop their skills, build their own networks, and enhance their employability. And we gain access to a pool of talent while strengthening relationships with our clients – it really is a win-win arrangement.”

Furthermore, participating students may be able to access recruitment opportunities as a result of the initiative. “After being immersed in both environments, students will have a comprehensive background in banking and corporate treasury, which will open up the possibility of finding a treasury role more readily,” Djen-Ullmo explains. “Likewise, if they prefer the banking route and we have an open position, we may be able to offer the possibility of joining BNP Paribas.”

The way forward

Significantly, the new initiative isn’t just about learning a traditional treasury skillset. “Our clients aren’t just looking for students who know about cash management – they want people who are familiar with IT systems, have an appetite for technology and digitalisation, and above all, are curious, eager to learn, with strong interpersonal skills.”

The first cohort of trainees will begin working for BNP Paribas in September, followed by placements at a number of the Bank’s corporate clients all major players in their field. The initiative has already generated considerable enthusiasm with treasurers, and several corporates have already joined the programme.

“The topic of younger generations is a key topic for us,” Djen-Ullmo concludes. “Our ultimate goal is to encourage new vocations, promote our professions in all geographies and more broadly, prepare for the future.”