Treasury maintains the financial health of the business and the importance of maintaining a high-functioning treasury team is increasingly on companies’ agenda. Leading employers and recruiters all over the world are reevaluating their approach to human capital and talent management. Degrees and job titles are becoming secondary to a focus on the skills a job requires. According to LinkedIn data, 73% of recruiting professionals say hiring based on skills is a priority. That’s why the Certified Treasury Professional (CTP) is increasingly sought-after by employers, viewed as a credential that gives their treasury the edge.
Do you have the skills employers need?
Corporate treasury has wide-ranging responsibilities, including cash management, liquidity management, foreign exchange, risk management and regulatory compliance. In addition to assuming a strategic role within the organisation, treasury departments are increasingly supporting other functions, including business continuity planning and financial planning and analysis.
One way to assure employers that you have the knowledge and skills needed to be a high-value member of the treasury team is through a professional certification. Data attained by Statista indicates that many employers in Asia consider professional certifications valuable when making hiring decisions.
A professional certification validates your skills and expertise, serving as tangible evidence of your competency, which can boost your credibility and marketability in a tough job market. Whether you are in your first job as a treasury analyst, seeking a promotion or looking for a career change, you will want a credential that sets the global standard for corporate treasury.
The CTP opens doors for APAC treasury professionals
The Certified Treasury Professional (CTP) designation, sponsored by the Association of Financial Professionals (AFP), serves as a benchmark of competency in the finance profession. It signifies that you have demonstrated the knowledge and skills required to execute critical functions related to corporate liquidity, capital and risk management effectively.
Kevin Ng, CTP, Head of Finance and HR, APAC for BI Worldwide, earned the CTP credential to fill a knowledge gap in cash management, as his MBA programme and CPA training only skimmed the surface of treasury. After completing the CTP programme, he became more confident in his cash management execution and gained a comprehensive view of how the treasury function should work.
“Having a CTP, on top of adding to one’s personal credibility, helps you to understand various treasury options and gives you additional confidence in decision-making and treasury execution,” said Ng.
More than 35,000 professionals in 54 countries have earned the CTP, and nearly 2,500 people sit for the exam every year. It is recognised worldwide as the must-have certification for finance professionals working in treasury management.
For Lionel Lee, CTP, the credential helped open the door to his role as a treasury manager for WeLab Bank in Hong Kong because his manager valued the credential’s relevance to treasury.
“Earning the CTP provided me with a great foundation of practical industry knowledge; I highly recommend the CTP to any finance professional who is seeking a career in treasury,” said Lee. “No other certification will better prepare you for the job than this.”
CTP credential holders are in demand. In fact, 80% of Fortune 500 companies employ treasury professionals with the CTP credential.
Chiver Tham, CTP, Manager of the Global Treasury Center for Zoetis, a Fortune 500 company, earned the CTP to better understand the scope of treasury. Early in his career, he had encountered a problem that many treasury professionals know all too well — the lack of a formal treasury education in the undergraduate curriculum.
“There isn’t really a specific course of what I studied in college and university that specifically caters to treasury,” said Tham. “[The CTP] fit what I was looking for, and it helps a lot in terms of getting the specific knowledge, especially in cash management and even in foreign exchange.”
Earning the CTP also presented Tham with networking opportunities he didn’t have before. “I can network with a lot of the fellow treasury professionals, sharing tips and what they do and what I do,” he said.
The demand is high for skilled treasury professionals
The outlook for a career in treasury is strong. According to Bloomberg, Singapore, the Asian financial hub, is projected to add 4,000 finance jobs a year in 2024 and 2025.
There is great demand for skilled treasury professionals, and yet 57% of treasury professionals say they find it challenging to fill treasury positions, according to the 2022 AFP Strategic Role of Treasury Survey. A limited talent pool was cited as the number one challenge, and a lack of candidates with the necessary skills and expertise was ranked the third-biggest challenge.
Earning the CTP tells employers and colleagues that you do, in fact, have the necessary skills and expertise to excel in treasury.
Learn more about Certified Treasury Professional credential, the industry standard for excellence in treasury.
