IStock / Eoneren If youve got good people, and you dont want to lose them, then offering interesting treasury functions, such as those that overlap with many other areas of business, are more likely to attract and keep them. This could be having an influence in areas such as accounts payable, accounts receivable, accounting, and sometimes even in commercial areas, as well as banking and finance, says Evans. The problem is that organisations often dont recognise the value that treasury functions and individual members of the treasury team bring to the business, he adds. I think leadership in some corporates equate treasury staff with accountancy people of similar experience and qualifications. Whereas accountancy can be very mechanical, structured and task-orientated, the nature of treasury YOU CAN ATTRACT AND KEEP STAFF FOR A WHILE IF THE WORK IS STIMULATING AND THEY ARE LEARNING NEW SKILLS work attracts people who want to become more independent and, ultimately, help lead decisionmaking in the business, says Evans, who worked in financial services firms including HSBC, NatWest and London Scottish Bank. He feels that treasury leaders should recognise that, often, what attracts staff to the treasury function, as opposed to other areas of finance, is the opportunity to build a skill set for leaping forward, career-wise, with an unconventional CV. If someone from an accountancy background were to follow the vertical route through the accountancy profession, theyd find there are thousands of people like them, so its really competitive and hard to stand out, says Evans. However, in treasury, you will learn a wide range of new skills and can take on a lot more responsibility; you are not just churning out task-orientated deliverables in a large finance function. In treasury, youre presented with everyday, real-life challenges around managing the business and youre much closer to having a commercial impact on the business than may be the case in a traditional finance role. Therefore, you can attract and keep staff for a while if the work is stimulating and they are learning new skills. 18 ISSUE 1 2023 treasurers.org/thetreasurer TT ISSUE 1 23 pp16-19 Talent.indd 18 23/02/2023 09:10