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About this episode
Sometimes career progression is a linear rise through the ranks, but other times, it’s sporadic growth that shoots treasury professionals to their dream roles.
Someone who’s experienced this first hand is Chris McConnachie, the CFO at National Grid. Chris joined National Grid in 2008, occupying several treasury roles in London before moving to the US in 2012 to guide the US function through their Global Treasury Systems Implementation. From 2013 to 2015, Chris was treasurer of the company’s US business and, more recently, served as NY Controller and Head of US Business Services before starting in his current role as CFO in 2021.
National Grid is one of the world’s largest utilities, focused on delivering energy safely, efficiently, reliably, and responsibly. As an international electricity and gas company, they are one of the largest investor-owned energy companies in the world and play a vital role in delivering gas and electricity to many millions of people across Great Britain and North-Western US.
Me and Chris discussed these things on todays episode…
- Chris’ introduction to finance and treasury
- Chris gives some insight into his time at Northern Rock before its insolvency
- How Chris transitioned to the international treasury scene
- Why having a long-term view is beneficial
- How US treasury differs from UK and European treasury
- How Chris transitioned from a treasury role to a controllership role
- The right frame of mind for career progression
- Why considering multiple routes to a successful career is beneficial
You can connect with Chris on LinkedIn.
Are you interested in pursuing a career within Treasury?
Whether you’ve recently graduated, or you want to search for new job opportunities to help develop your treasury career, The Treasury Recruitment Company can help you in your search for the perfect job. Find out more here. Or, send us your CV and let us help you in your next career move!
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Earn CTP & FPAC Credits by Listening to the Podcast
Whether you’re at the gym, on your commute, or walking the dog – you can now make your podcast time count toward your professional development.
We’re thrilled to share that Treasury Career Corner podcast episodes now qualify for CTP and FPAC recertification credits through the AFP’s Independent Study category.
How It Works:
- Each episode comes with a short multiple-choice quiz
- Score 80% or higher and you’ll receive your credit confirmation
- You track and submit your credits to AFP directly – nice and simple
The longer the episode, the more credits you can earn:
- 30-minute episode = 0.6 credits
- 45-minute episode = 0.9 credits
- 60-minute episode = 1.2 credits
No filler. No fluff. Just real conversations with top treasury leaders on strategy, leadership, risk, tech, and team building - everything AFP expects at an intermediate to advanced level.
Quick Facts:
Quizzes are 8–10 multiple choice questions
You need to get at least 80% to pass
We’ll send confirmation - you log the credit with AFP
You can include this as part of your recertification record