Who is our treasury guru?

| 08-08-2016 | Pieter de Kiewit |

At the end of this year Theo van der Nat will retire. He is professor, working for the Amsterdam based Vrije Universiteit, for the (Dutch) Register Treasurer post graduate education and other organisations. If there was ever one, he is/was the guru of the Dutch treasury community. He deserves his “emeritaat” and brings me to the question: “Who is our treasury guru?”.

Other fields of expertise have obvious ones. In recruitment, the other profession I am following, Dr. John Sullivan is quite prominent. He publishes on a regular basis, introduces new topics and is not afraid to be thought provoking. In marketing, guys like Porter and Ansoff dominated, in self-help Covey was king. In line with Sullivan you heard from them on a regular basis, they were innovative and had a scientific connection (PhD or professor).

In corporate treasury in the Netherlands, there are quite a few very knowledgeable experts. Especially the leaders of the two biggest treasury consultancy organisations know a lot and know how to broadcast on a regular basis. It is obvious they like you to hire their organizations, which prevents them from reaching the guru status. If the DACT organizes its Masterclass, I do not see a treasury expert. If Het Financieele Dagblad publishes about Fintech, FX, interest or hedge accounting, I do not recognize the names.

It is my opinion that corporate treasury deserves a more prominent place in business. A comprehensive strategic vision from a recognizable guru with a long term consistent story would help. I do not pretend to have an overview over the market as a whole. So I ask you: who is your candidate treasury guru?

I look forward to your input,

Pieter de Kiewit

 

 

Pieter de Kiewit
Owner Treasurer Search