Charlotte Thorogood AwardICM, Treasury Sales Associate at the Bank of America, signed up for the Award in International Cash Management to amass as much knowledge as possible to support her clients and her career in banking. Passing her exams has given her the foundation to develop those key relationships as well as a qualification recognised by her peers and employer.
May 2021
"MY AWARDICM HAS GIVEN ME GREATER CONFIDENCE WHEN IT COMES TO LEADING CONVERSATIONS WITH CLIENTS"
"I work in treasury sales at Bank of America working closely with large corporations on solutions for their strategic banking needs around cash management, liquidity, corporate cards, trade, finance and merchant services. In my current role and across the team we always look for opportunities to help clients streamline existing structures, reduce risk and cost and generally adapt to change and new technologies.
My interest in treasury stemmed from when I was at university, where I acted as treasurer for my college’s charity organisation, netball team and fashion shows. Those roles gave me my first glimpse of how to manage an organisation’s finances and I became fascinated as to how that would work on a bigger scale. I also wanted to be a part of the banking world as I saw it as an opportunity to work in an industry that is constantly evolving to new technologies to best help clients adapt and develop more efficient transactional banking methods.
In my current role I support clients across three industry sectors, so I get a real breadth of insight into different corporate structures and the way various organisations do business. One of the highlights of my job is that I learn from my clients every single day and have the opportunity to contribute to their treasury strategies.
In January 2021, I completed the ACT’s Award in International Cash Management (AwardICM). When I enrolled, I also signed up for the Certificate in International Cash Management (CertICM), so as to really commit myself and enrich my knowledge as much as possible. I began studying towards CertICM soon after passing my AwardICM.
The AwardICM curriculum is focused on the day to day needs of a treasurer, and since I work with treasurers every day, it has really helped me understand their perspective. When I began the course there were several areas that I was less familiar with, such as the different methods of cash forecasting, financing instruments and the differences between enterprise resource planning and treasury management systems. Covering these areas has helped me to build my understanding of the role of the treasurer and solutions we can offer to clients."
A professional qualification to help demonstrate industry knowledge and expertise
"I was initially drawn to the AwardICM and CertICM as several senior team members had completed the CertICM course, and shared their positive experiences with me. It gave me great reassurance that the skills developed from this qualification are relevant in the workplace and recognised at senior management level as the mark of a serious candidate when it comes to future career progression opportunities. Professional qualifications also help demonstrate industry knowledge and expertise and help when it comes to building a professional network.
The AwardICM also involves student membership. As such, I receive a monthly newsletter from the ACT Learning, which offers great insight with interviews and articles offering different perspectives in the treasury field. This is particularly useful for my role, working with so many different clients in various industries. I have also found The Treasurer magazine a fascinating read and am really impressed with the quality of articles and guest columnists, from economists, to fellow bankers, to CFOs.
Exams demand a big investment in terms of time and energy. However, I found the virtual exam straightforward, and I was very impressed by the supportive role the ACT team plays, helping students know what to expect and preparing them for their exams.
I had never previously been assessed virtually, but being able to sit an exam from the comfort of my own desk made me feel at ease. Several of my friends have had exams postponed or cancelled due to COVID-19 so it’s fantastic that this qualification is relatively COVID-proof, with far less risk of an exam having to be cancelled. It’s also so great to get your grading instantly - no anxiety around waiting for your results.
When we are able to do so, I would like the opportunity to work in another country and will for sure take with me the learnings I have amassed from the AwardICM."
“Without doubt, the knowledge that I have gained from studying for this qualification will enable me to understand clients’ needs better.”