FROM VETERINARY TO TREASURY
Emma Skyrme's took an unusual path to her current position as Associate Director - Large Corporates at HSBC. 
What does your current role entail?
My current role is to support a Global Relationship Director manage a portfolio of FTSE 250 clients based in the Thames Valley. Primary responsibilities involving work directly with Group treasurers to ensure the smooth running of their day to day banking, pitching for new money and refinancing transactions as well as writing the associated pricing and credit proposals for internal approval.
How did you end up in a career in treasury/finance?
Having graduated as a veterinary surgeon, my entry route into banking was via the Barclays corporate graduate scheme. I then moved from working with business banking band mid-market clients to large corporate clients and have since completed my Certificate in Treasury (CertT).
Why did you take this ACT qualification? What was your main objective?
The main objective for me taking the Certificate in Treasury, was to improve my knowledge of key topics important to the group treasurer. For example, capital structure and the associated DCM and ECM products. This meant I was able to not only move from working with mid market companies to large corporates, but to better be able to do my role once I had made that transition.
Which specific areas of your job role will this qualification support?
All aspects - in particular I use the sections on loan document negotiation, working capital and FX derivatives.
Are there particular areas of treasury/finance that this qualification helped you understand even better?
Yes - especially deepened by understanding of capital structuring, project evaluation and the whole range of bank products.
What are the benefits of having professional qualifications to add to your CV/résumé?
The Certificate in Treasury helped me gain the foundation of knowledge I needed to move from working in mid-market to the large corporate part of the bank where as the AMCT confirms my solid knowledge of corporate treasury which is especially helpful given my relatively young age and very off-topic undergraduate degree!
What happens next in your career and how has this qualification helped?
The Certificate in Treasury has helped with a broad understanding of the ECM/DCM products, which has prepared me for a future career move into a capital financing specialist role.