Earlier today, a candidate who was seeking a new role said to me:

“Can you keep this confidential? My manager is a close connection of yours.”

And I was happy to tell them that I ALWAYS keep it confidential, no matter what.

I wouldn’t have gotten this far in this business if confidentiality wasn’t at the core of everything.

In fact, my wife asked me to keep a secret the other day, and I said that I’m basically the keeper of secrets!

Call me Mike… Confidential Richards.

That’s not actually my middle name… and I’m definitely not telling you what it is either, (otherwise AI might steal it and try to replicate me).

But joking aside, this is the reality of what we do.

People come to me when they’re not ready to have that conversation publicly.

• They’re exploring, but not ready to tell their team
• Their manager is in their network
• The timing just isn’t right internally
• Or they simply want to understand their options first

It doesn’t matter what the reason is. From my side, no CV gets shared, no conversations happen, nothing moves forward without your say-so. Simple as that.

But it’s not just candidates. It works both ways…

We’re often asked to run confidential searches as well. And there are a whole range of reasons for that, too.

Sometimes it’s internal sensitivity…

They may be replacing the current Treasurer, who hasn’t yet announced their move,

and they want to handle it properly.

Sometimes it’s external sensitivity… 

A Finance Director wants the new Head of Treasury agreed in advance so they can introduce them to banks and financing partners before anything is public.

Or sometimes it’s a planned change…

The incumbent may not even be aware yet, and the CFO wants to ensure a clean, immediate transition.

Then sometimes it’s just the hassle factor… 

They trust us, they’ve appointed us, and they don’t want 20 other recruiters calling them asking to work the role.

Would I like to advertise all of these roles?

Are you mad? Of course I would!

There are searches I’ve worked on that I’d have LOVED to have been able to shout about.

To name a few:

• Head of Treasury for AMS
• Treasurer for Blackstone Real Estate
• Treasurer for Ceres Life
• Treasury Director – Europe & Asia for Filtration Group
• Head of Capital Markets & Financing  & Corporate Finance & Treasury Manager for Porsche
• Petrochemicals Global Treasurer for SABIC
• Group Treasurer for Senior Plc
• Treasurer for Streamland Media
• Group Treasurer for Techtronic Industries

They were all fantastic roles that most treasurers would jump at. But when a client says:

“Mike, it’s a confidential search.”

I respect that, because that’s the job. That’s the trust.

So whether you’re a candidate quietly exploring, or a client needing to manage something carefully behind the scenes…

Confidentiality isn’t a nice extra. It’s the foundation.

And without it, none of this works.

Best regards,

Mike

P.S. If you want proper, honest, confidential career advice. Or you’re hiring and need things handled the right way, you know where I am.

Our fees range from 25 to 30% of base salary, with three flexible models to suit your search

So, you want to understand our fees and how we structure them?

No problem, read on.

Understanding Treasury Recruitment Fees

It depends, but let me explain.

We specialise exclusively in recruiting Treasury Professionals. It’s a niche market, and unlike generalist recruiters, we don’t fill hundreds of roles each month. We don’t benefit from the bulk volume that lets generalist agencies offer cheap rates, and honestly, that’s fine by us.

We invest time, research, and precision into every search to find the right person, not just the next available one. We’ve been recruiting Treasury talent globally for over 25 years, and we know what works.

That level of expertise, reach and focus comes at a cost. It also delivers real results.

Why We Don’t Compete on “Cheap” Fees

Here’s the conversation I have most weeks:

“Mike, the other agencies on our PSL work at 15%. You’re at 25 to 30%. Can you match them?”

The simple answer is no, and here’s why.

Quality Treasury recruitment takes time, insight and specialist knowledge. At 15%, you’ll likely get a few CVs from a database and a recruiter who can barely spell Treasury, let alone understand how to recruit one.

So go ahead, give it to your cheaper agencies first. They might get lucky. But more often, after 6 to 8 weeks there’s no result, and that’s when I get the call:

“Mike, we’ve been searching for weeks with no success. Can you take this on?”

Of course we can. But by that point, the market is what I’d call scorched earth. A series of generalist recruiters have blanketed it, mis-sold the role, and turned off the very Treasury Professionals you wanted to attract in the first place. The good ones have already decided you’re not serious about Treasury and tuned out.

Then comes the second part of the conversation: “Mike, can you match the cheaper fees too?”

No. We’re being asked to take 100% of the risk on a search that’s already been damaged, on a contingent basis, with no guarantee of revenue. That’s not a fair ask, and we won’t do it.

This is exactly why investing in a specialist partner from day one saves you both time and reputation.

Our Treasury Recruitment Fee Models

We believe in transparency and flexibility. Depending on how you want to work with us, there are three proven ways to structure your search:

1. Contingent Search, No Win, No Fee

Our contingent model is straightforward. You only pay if we successfully place a candidate.

Key details

• Typical fee: 25 to 30% of base salary
• 100% risk on us, if we don’t deliver, you don’t pay
• Fast access to our Treasury network and database

If we recruit you a Treasurer earning £200,000 or $300,000, the right person will pay for themselves many times over. Through bank fee savings, refinancing, a new Treasury Management System, or simply by motivating the team and getting more out of them in the first 12 months.

If they can’t deliver that kind of value, they’re not the right hire anyway.

2. Retained Search, Shared Commitment, Guaranteed Focus

This is our most effective partnership model. It gives you dedicated time, resources and accountability from day one.

How it works

• Exclusive engagement on your role
• Fees split into three equal stages:
  • 1/3 upfront (Retainer)
  • 1/3 on shortlist presentation
  • 1/3 on completion

The retainer funds the search itself, paid research, dedicated time, the proper hunt for both active and passive Treasury talent.

Will I make loads of profit from the retainer fee? No. We barely break even at that stage. The profit is in the completion fee, which means we’re motivated to actually finish the job.

Our record: 100% success rate on retained Treasury searches over the past 25 years.

Have we lost money on retained searches? Yes, occasionally. But we’ve never failed to deliver, and I don’t intend to start now.

3. Staged Search, The Best of Both Worlds

If you want something between a full retained and contingent approach, our Staged Search model is the perfect middle ground.

Structure

• 1/3 upfront retainer (covers research time)
• 2/3 on successful placement

It shares the risk between both parties. You get more focus and commitment than a purely contingent search, without the full exclusivity of a retained agreement.

If I don’t recruit the role, I lose money. So believe me, I’m incentivised to find you the right person. It’s a genuine win-win.

Which Treasury Recruitment Model Is Right for You?

Each approach has its benefits depending on your timelines, budget and hiring strategy.

• Contingent Search suits faster, lower-risk hiring
• Retained Search delivers the highest commitment, precision and success
• Staged Search offers flexibility if you’re testing the waters

If you’re not sure which model fits best, let’s have a conversation and tailor an approach to your needs.

Why Clients Choose The Treasury Recruitment Company

• 25+ years of global Treasury recruitment expertise
• Specialist network of Treasury Professionals worldwide
• 100% retained search success rate
• Trusted by major corporates and private equity firms across the UK, US and Europe

Our clients know that specialist expertise pays for itself. Better hires, faster placements, and stronger long-term results.

How much does treasury recruitment cost?

Treasury recruitment fees at The Treasury Recruitment Company typically range from 25 to 30% of the candidate’s base salary. The exact fee depends on the seniority of the role and the search model you choose: contingent, retained, or staged.

What’s the difference between contingent and retained search?

A contingent search is no win, no fee. You only pay if we successfully place a candidate, and we carry 100% of the risk. A retained search means you commit to working exclusively with us, paying in three equal stages (retainer, shortlist, completion). Retained search delivers higher commitment, dedicated research, and better results for senior or hard-to-fill roles.

Why are specialist treasury recruiters more expensive than generalists?

Specialist treasury recruiters invest in deep market knowledge, a dedicated treasury network built over many years, and the time required to find the right person rather than the next available CV. Generalist agencies recruit at volume and offer lower fees, but rarely understand the technical demands of treasury roles.

The cost of a wrong hire, or a prolonged search that damages your reputation in the market, far outweighs the difference in fee.

 How long does a treasury recruitment search take?

Most retained treasury searches complete within 8 to 12 weeks from start to placement, depending on the seniority of the role and the geographic market. Contingent searches can be faster for more common roles, but timelines vary based on candidate availability.

Next Steps

If you’re hiring in Treasury, let’s chat. We’ll walk you through each model and help you choose the best structure for your next search.

More resources for employers:

• Check Out Our Global Treasury Salary Survey – benchmark compensation by level and region
• Hire Treasury Talent – explore our services and success stories
• Treasury Career Corner Podcast – hear directly from Treasury leaders we’ve placed and partnered with

Or simply book a 15-minute consultation with Mike Richards to discuss your next hire – email Mike@TreasuryRecruitment.com

Let’s grab a coffee and chat.

We’re coming up to that time of year again. April approaches, companies start doing their annual reviews, and treasury professionals begin thinking about pay.

And I see the same mistakes happen again and again…

Here’s the first one:

Someone walks into their manager’s office and says, “I want a pay rise.”

Starting with that question is the fastest way to end the conversation.

Your salary is there to pay you for doing your job.

You are paid a salary for turning up each day.

Managing the cash, running the liquidity, handling the FX exposure, dealing with the banks, and delivering the reporting, etc.

That’s the basic duties of your role.

If the conversation starts with “I want a pay rise”, the natural response from a manager is simple:

“Why?”

And they would be completely within their rights to follow up with:

“What have you done to deserve one?”

That’s where lots of people I chat to get stuck.

If you can’t say where you’ve gone above and beyond your job and MADE A DIFFERENCE, then honestly, you shouldn’t be getting a pay rise.

Before you even ask the question to your manager, answer these questions:

• Have you saved the company money?
• Have you delivered a major project?
• Have you implemented a new treasury system?
• Have you reduced costs or streamlined processes?

If you’ve done something that materially improved the business, that should be your starting point.

For example, if you implemented a treasury management system that reduced manual work and effectively replaced three or four full-time roles, that’s real value.

You’ve saved the company money.

Start with that. Now the pay discussion becomes logical rather than emotional.

Another mistake people make is leading with market data, like our salary survey.

Yes, that data is there to help you. But that doesn’t mean you should walk in and say:

“Mike’s salary survey says I should be paid £80,000.”

Again, that’s the wrong order. The sequence should be:

1. Give evidence for the value you’ve delivered
2. Explain how your role has grown
3. Then benchmark the salary

The salary survey is the final piece of the puzzle. 

It should support your case, not be the entire basis of it.

So, with all this considered, the reality is that not everyone will deserve a pay rise this April.

But every once in a while, I come across someone who is genuinely underpaid…

I’ll look at their CV and be impressed, ask what they earn, and almost fall off my chair knowing that I could get them a 30% pay rise tomorrow.

Why does that happen?

Often, because they’ve never benchmarked themselves. They’ve stayed in the same role for years, doing great work, but never tested their market value.

And you don’t have to leave your job to understand your value.

You can look at a salary survey to benchmark it.

You can talk to peers at conferences.

Compare responsibilities.

Sometimes two people are doing almost identical roles, and one of them is earning £10k to £20k more. The only difference between them is that one of them asked around.

To close, I just want to say that there’s a final point worth remembering:

Salary isn’t the whole story.

When we analyse the data from our treasury salary survey, pay is seldom why people leave a job.

It’s a factor, yes. But it’s not the biggest one.

What you tend to see is:

• Lack of progression
• Frustration in the role
• Poor leadership
• Limited development opportunities

Salary sits somewhere in the mix, but it’s never the whole story.

So, if your pay review is coming up, here’s a simple rule:

Don’t walk into the room asking for a pay rise. Go in prepared to explain the value you’ve created.

If you can clearly show how you’ve improved the business, saved money, or delivered meaningful change, the pay conversation becomes much easier.

And if you’re not sure where your salary sits in the market, that’s exactly why we produce the Treasury Salary Survey twice a year.

It’s there to give you the data to support the conversation. But ONLY once you’ve made the case.

Best regards,

Mike

P.S. Have you benchmarked your salary yet? Click here to see where you stand.

The simplest way to explain it;

• an Assistant Treasurer assists, whereas
• a Deputy Treasurer deputises

But let me explain more!

The Assistant Treasurer

The Assistant Treasurer role tends to feature in larger organisations.

In some businesses there can even be 2 Assistant Treasurers — one might focus on Front Office activity and supervise the operations team whilst the other oversees treasury controls and the Middle and Back Office functions.

An Assistant Treasurer role is hands-on with strategic touchpoints.

On any given day, an Assistant Treasurer might be setting FX and interest rate strategy, executing funding and deals, managing risk exposures, handling intercompany loan documentation, running rolling cash flow forecasts, or making sure treasury activity stays compliant with group policies.

Crucially, an Assistant Treasurer is expected to refer many major decisions up the chain to the Group Treasurer.

They are senior, trusted operators but they are not the Deputy.

The Deputy Treasurer

The Deputy Treasurer is a different proposition. Where there may be two Assistant Treasurers in a large business, there is usually one Deputy.

They are the defined second in charge and the deputy to the Group Treasurer.

Often the most important distinction is authority: a Deputy Treasurer carries the same sign-off capability as the Group Treasurer and is expected to act in their stead when required to do so.

The remit is correspondingly broad.

A Deputy Treasurer takes overall responsibility for daily treasury operations, oversees the Treasury Management System, helps arrange and implement business debt across bank and debt capital markets, ensures financial risk is identified and mitigated, manages the Group’s liquidity position, maintains key banking relationships and leads the wider treasury team.

They oversee front, middle and back-office activity rather than sitting within one of them.

How to Tell Them Apart

Job titles across treasury can be misleading.

A Treasury Manager in a mid-sized business may be doing the work of an Assistant Treasurer elsewhere, and an Assistant Treasurer in a smaller organisation may effectively be operating as a Deputy.

The most reliable way to assess seniority is to look past the title and examine three things:

• The scope of decisions the person can sign off on
• The breadth of the function they oversee
• The reporting line into the Group Treasurer

As a simple rule of thumb.

• an Assistant Treasurer runs a significant piece of the treasury function and escalates major decisions upwards
• a Deputy Treasurer is empowered to make those decisions themselves.

Why This Matters

For hiring managers, getting this right affects everything from the brief to the calibre of candidate you attract.

Briefing a search for an Assistant Treasurer when the role genuinely needs a Deputy will lead to mismatched expectations on both sides.

For treasury professionals, understanding where you sit on this ladder and what the next step actually looks like is key when planning you next step in your treasury career.

Both roles are critical to a well-run treasury function.

The Assistant Treasurer brings depth and execution across a specific remit.

The Deputy Treasurer brings authority and breadth across the whole function.

Knowing which one you need or which one you are – is the first step to making the right hire or the right move.

If you are recruiting for a senior treasury role or exploring your next career step, we would be delighted to help.

10 years ago, I wrote 2 articles called ‘The Do’s and Don’ts of Sending Me Your CV’.

They were blunt. Slightly ranty in places. And very clear.

They also didn’t land…

A decade later, people are still sending me any old rubbish.

So I thought I’d try again with a refreshed version for 2026, and a few new additions that didn’t exist back then.

Let’s start with the one that refuses to die:

DON’T send me your CV if you’re copying in 10 other recruiters and opening with “Dear Everyone”.

That email tells me you’re looking for any job, anywhere, no thought behind it.

Treasury careers don’t progress like that.

DO send me your CV if you want a proper conversation about the next step in your career…

Send your CV directly, explain why you’re reaching out, and tell me what you’re actually looking for. Or better yet, go that step further…

Call Me! 

Give me a buzz, we can have a chat.

The next one is still painfully common…

DON’T send me your CV if it’s completely generic, along with a generic cover letter.

How do you know it’s generic?

If I can lift your opening paragraph and paste it onto someone else’s CV without changing a word.

Overused phrases like “motivated”, “flexible”, “team player” have been meaningless for at least twenty years.

They tell me nothing about how you operate in treasury or what problems you’ve solved.

Which brings me to personal statements…

DON’T send me your CV with a personal statement.

I hated them ten years ago. I still hate them now.

The amount I read “I am a flexible, motivated individual who has great attention to detail” is genuinely shocking.

It’s even more shocking when I see detail spelt detal…

Personal statements split opinion down the middle. Some readers tolerate them. Others bin the CV immediately. So that’s not a risk worth taking.

THIS IS WHAT YOUR RESUME IS THERE FOR……

It’s been my experience that whilst 50% of your readership don’t mind a Personal Statement, 50% dislike or in many cases hate it!

Great let’s flip a coin!

Heads   they think I’m OK.

Tails    I’m in the “NO” pile of paperwork

Greatttt, you’ve applied for 10 jobs in the past 3 months.

Now you know why 5 never called you for interview.

Also please note I don’t think I have ever had a client ever say.

“Mike I wish the candidate had told me a bit more about some of their generalised attributes and why they were an all-round good person!”

Your resume is there to tell me your story

DO send me your CV with a short, specific summary that makes it clear why you’re relevant to this role. Not who you are in general, but how you will solve the problem in front of the hiring manager.

Another one that hasn’t changed: tailoring.

DON’T send me your CV if you are applying for a specific role and it isn’t tailored to a role…

If you haven’t read the job description and adjusted your CV to reflect what the role actually needs, it shows.

DO send me your CV if you have read the job advert and tailored your CV to it.

Highlight where:

• Your experience relates to the position
• Your achievements intersect with the role
• You are a match to the role!

The person reading your CV wants to find the right person for the role – make it easy for them to say yes to you!

Now for 2026 onwards…

AI.

Used properly, AI can be genuinely helpful.

I’ve seen candidates use it well to review structure, tighten language, check whether their CV actually reflects what a role is asking for.

They add their CV (without personal address and contact info, of course!) and ask AI to tell them to match their CV to the role and create a list of the top 3 areas where they align. It makes it easy for the reviewer to say yes and send them through to the next round.

But used badly, it’s obvious within seconds.

DON’T send me your CV if it reads like it was written entirely by AI.

You might think it’s “polished”, but more likely it’s filled with empty language and no real substance. It gets ignored just as fast as a bad cover letter.

AI should help you clarify your experience, not invent it or smooth it into something generic.

And one important rule once again if you are using AI: don’t upload anything you wouldn’t be comfortable putting on a public noticeboard.

Strip out your contact info and confidential information. If you wouldn’t hand it to a stranger, don’t feed it into a system you don’t control.

Now, to finish up, a couple of quick-fire irritations while I’m on the topic:

• Seventeen-page CVs still land in my inbox. War and Peace has already been written. Your CV doesn’t need a sequel.
• Spelling still matters. Comb through; just hitting spellcheck isn’t always enough.
• Listing “Microsoft Office” as a skill in a senior treasury CV does you absolutely no favours. In treasury, it’s assumed. Calling it out is like saying you know how to open an email.
• If you don’t have the right to work where the role is based, or you’re applying for areas we don’t cover, no amount of clever wording will fix that.

The CVs that stand out haven’t really changed much in ten years. They’re clear. They’re targeted. They show impact. And they respect the reader’s time.

I’m still here to help people move their treasury careers forward. That part hasn’t changed either.

But if you’re going to send me your CV in 2026, please at least give it a fighting chance before you hit send.

Best regards,

Mike

P.S. If you want a look at the kind of CV I’d be happy to see land on my desk, we’ve got CV templates for six different treasury roles you can access for FREE here.

At the end of the Treasury Career Corner LIVE in New York last week, I said something to the room that had been on my mind all day.

(And if you’ve ever organised an event, you’ll know this feeling).

In the hours before it began, the emails started to come in…

• “My dog ate my homework.”

• “I’ve sprained my toe.”

• “Something’s come up… I can’t make it.”

Now, I understand. Life happens and there’s always something else you could be doing.

But I’ll be honest with you, sometimes the hardest moment as the host of an event is when you walk into the room and see an empty chair.

You know that those seats could’ve been filled by someone who would have gained real value from being there.

And for a moment, that’s where your mind goes.

But then I stopped myself…

I looked at the faces in front of me instead. Not the empty chairs.

Over a hundred treasury professionals had made the effort to be there. They’d travelled across the city, or across the country in some cases. 

They’d taken time away from their day jobs, their families, their evenings.

And they were there for one reason – they were investing in themselves and their own treasury careers!

I said to the room:

“Actually, I feel a little bit sorry for the people who didn’t make it. They’ve missed this.”

Yes, they can listen to the podcast afterwards…

But listening later isn’t the same as being there.

They miss the conversations in the room. They miss the one-to-one chats afterwards. 

They miss meeting someone who might become a future colleague, mentor, client, or friend.

That’s where the real magic happens.

At the end of the evening, we thanked the speakers, as we always do. But I also asked everyone to thank themselves for being there.

Every single person in that room had made the decision to show up. And that matters more than people realise.

Careers rarely move forward because someone stayed at home thinking about opportunities. 

They move forward because someone went to the event, had the conversation, and met the person they weren’t expecting to meet.

Over the years, I’ve seen it happen again and again…

A quick chat over a drink turns into a job lead.

A conversation with a speaker turns into mentorship.

Two treasurers swap stories and stay in touch for years.

None of that happens if you don’t walk through the door.

So if you ever find yourself deciding whether to attend something like this, remember:

The value isn’t always in the presentation. It’s in the room.

Best regards,

Mike

Here’s a riddle for you…

You’ve got two treasury professionals:

Similar experience, same level of technical ability. Both are great at their jobs.

5 years later, one is a Treasurer running major transactions and shaping strategy.

The other is still a Deputy Treasurer, and still regularly being overlooked for promotion!

What’s happening?

It’s not about IQ.

It’s not about who works harder…

It’s about how visible, connected and understood they are inside the business.

Being technically strong is the baseline – that’s your day job. It’s what you’re paid for.

You manage liquidity, funding, risk, systems, cash flow. You do it well and you’re seen as a safe pair of hands.

But safe hands don’t always = Future Leader.

What I consistently see is that the people who progress faster make a deliberate effort to build relationships across the organisation…

They don’t just know their own function, they also know who sits in tax, financial control, procurement, investor relations, legal, etc. They know who to call when something urgent needs aligning. And perhaps more importantly, those people know them.

One treasurer who’s a great example of this is Keith Gaub, now Assistant Treasurer at Bristol-Myers Squibb:

He moved from banking into corporate treasury, which, on paper, looked like a step sideways, or even backwards to some. But really, it’s set him up for a much broader career.

And in his case, what stood was how intentionally he built partnerships across the business and externally.

They recently executed a major bond deal towards the end of 2025; it was a challenge…

But things moved because he already had strong relationships in place. Tax, financial control, investor relations – he knew who to involve and how to bring people with him.

That kind of network doesn’t appear overnight.

And that’s often the dividing line.

So, which are you?

1: A treasurer who focuses entirely on delivering their remit – doing it well and reliably, but staying firmly within the treasury circle.

Or…

2: You do the same technical job, but you invest time in understanding how the wider business works, attending cross-functional meetings, and maintaining external relationships with banks, advisors and peers.

Because when larger opportunities come up, leadership aren’t just looking for who is technically capable. They want someone who can influence and represent the business externally.

This is why professional networks matter so much. If you’re in the area and looking to expand yours, here’s some of our upcoming networking events you can attend:

• Treasury Career Corner LIVE, Dublin, Ireland, Thu 21st May, 2026
• Treasury Career Corner LIVE, Amsterdam, Netherlands, Thu 28th May, 2026
• Treasury Career Corner LIVE, London, Thu 11th June 2026

If you’re looking at your career and wondering why progress feels slower than expected, it’s worth asking a simple question: who across the business would immediately think of you when a major project lands on their desk?

That answer often tells you more than any performance review.

Best regards,

Mike

I was reviewing a LinkedIn profile for a senior treasury professional. I knew they had a strong career, were well respected internally, and had good experience across several large organisations.

And yet, they were getting very little inbound interest.

So, what’s going on?

Well, when I looked through the profile, I realised it was exactly what I see time and time again…

It read like a CV.

Chronological, accurate, and sensible – but not compelling.

LinkedIn is not an ‘online-version’ of your CV or resume!

It’s a sales page for you and your “brand”. And I’m sorry to break it to you… whether you like it or not, now everyone has a “brand”, and if you don’t take charge of it then you are risking that others will do it for you.

So, when someone arrives on your profile, the question in their mind isn’t “What has this person done?”

It’s “Do I want a conversation with this person?” OR maybe it’s  “What can this person do for me?”.

That distinction is where many senior treasury professionals lose visibility.

You can list all the duties and skills you like, but without context, they don’t know what you have achieved as a treasury professional.

You need to show where you actually made a difference.

Recruiters, hiring managers and even random HR generalists aren’t sitting around studying profiles line by line. They skim.

If they can’t immediately see how you could be a match for the role they are recruiting, then they move on straight away.

That’s why your profile is so important.

Now, if it feels like I could be talking about your LinkedIn profile here too, it’s probably time for an update.

So, let’s talk about the practical side of updating your profile:

If you change everything overnight, LinkedIn shouts about it.

Colleagues notice. Bosses notice. That’s not always what you want.

Making changes gradually over a few weeks keeps things discreet whilst improving how you’re positioned and will attract the attention you might want.

Simple things make a difference too…

A current photo. A banner that says something about your professional identity. A headline that explains the scope of your role rather than just the job title…

I came across an excellent checklist recently by Joe Lander which basically covers it all. It’s about reviewing every section of your profile when you start a new role – the kind of housekeeping many people skip, but it shapes first impressions long before a conversation happens.

You can view the list here.

Now, you might say: “But Mike, what if I’m not looking for a new role?”

Well, no problem… But what if a new role is looking for YOU?

The wider point is this:

Experience on its own doesn’t generate visibility. 

If your profile reads like a static CV, you will be lost to the onward scroll.

Treasury professionals who attract steady inbound interest make their impact clear and easy to grasp.

They show the scale of what they’ve handled and the problems they’ve solved, so that when someone skims their profile, the relevance is obvious within seconds.

That’s often the difference between being respected internally and being visible to the wider market.

Best regards,

Mike

P.S. Is your LinkedIn profile due an update? Here’s a summary of what to do:

• Your profile photo should be recent
• Get a banner that says something about YOU
• Add a headline that actually explains your role
• Spread these updates out over a few weeks
• Don’t just list your responsibilities; add context to show where you made a difference

Most treasury CVs aren’t bad…

They’re just boring.

And boring doesn’t convert into interviews.

I’m asked all the time, “What do you think of my CV?” And my answer is usually the same…

It depends what you want it to do.

A CV shouldn’t be a record of everything you’ve ever been responsible for.

That’s what most get wrong.

A CVs job is to help someone understand quickly why you and your background match a specific role.

That’s why a CV is like a website…

You may have heard this phrase before or you might not but they say that;

“A great website is NEVER finished”.

It should:

• change as the year progresses
• evolve with the latest technological improvements
• continually improve and be updated with the latest information

Most importantly, it should be built around what the visitor is looking for, not what its owner wants to say!

Your CV / Resume Should Do The Same!

Take a look at yours now. If it reads something like…

• “I manage cash”
• “I look after FX”
• “I’m responsible for the treasury system”

…you’re getting it wrong.

Think about what the reader is looking for.

A hiring manager wants the cure for all their headaches.

So, you have to be their paracetamol.

Before the interview, line up the job description with your CV, identify their top pain points, and show exactly where you solve them.

Tell them how you improved cash flow, where you reduced facilities, where you implemented a system, where you built or reshaped a team, where you handled something that mattered.

If you walk in focused on making their life easier, you’ll stand out as the obvious hire.

And to stress the point again…

You need to TELL them this. 

Don’t leave it for them to work it out for themselves, because they won’t.

Now, if you want to see how your CV holds up, there’s 3 things to ask yourself:

1. Does it make it clear what you’re actually good at?
2. Does it reflect what this role needs, not just what you’ve done?
3. If I removed the company name, would it still feel written for this job?

If the answer is no, it isn’t finished.

And that’s exactly how it should be. A strong treasury CV should evolve as your career evolves…

Just like a good website, it’s never complete.

Best regards,

Mike

Here’s one for you…

What do you do when the person above you is going to hold their position for 5+ years and there’s no chance of progression until they move on?

A treasury professional came to me with that problem recently; they didn’t know what to do.

And this isn’t uncommon. Most careers don’t stall because someone lacks ambition, they stall because the structure above them simply doesn’t move.

So if you’re in a similar position, or think you might be in the future, here’s what I suggested…

This is the moment you run what I call The Career Ceiling Test.

And the outcome of this will tell you whether to stay, stagnate, or sidestep.

How does it work…?

You look at the company’s history: 

The past is the best indicator of the future.

See if there’s been a pattern…

Were people in the wider treasury team progressing, rotating, being promoted every 2 to 3 years?

Has everyone been sitting in the same chair for the past decade?

If you see colleagues across multiple teams who haven’t budged in ten years or more, you’re not imagining things – you’re in a company where movement is slow by design. 

Now, that’s not inherently bad. Some organisations value stability above all else.

On the other hand, sometimes the “blockage” is just one person.

If every role around you turns over naturally except the one directly above you, then it’s not a systemic issue – it’s one individual whose timing doesn’t align with your own.

And then there’s the hidden wildcard…

What if the CFO changes?

A new CFO could want a new treasurer. They might restructure the team. They might bring in someone they’ve worked with before. You might finally get your chance, or find someone placed above you overnight.

There are no guarantees either way.

This is why I often remind candidates of something simple:

You’re allowed to vote with your feet.

If you genuinely see no path forward, the labour market is open.

You are not a rock; you can move.

And you don’t need permission to look.

But before making that decision, consider the long game…

Treasury careers tend to follow a natural rhythm:

1. A year to learn a role.
2. A year to do it well.
3. A year to improve it – and then, inevitably, an itch for something new.

So moving every three years isn’t unusual. It doesn’t look bad on a CV as long as the story makes sense and each move represents progression rather than frustration.

At the same time, staying put can be incredibly rewarding in the right environment.

One of the best examples of that is someone many of you will recognise:

Patrick McCartan, VP and Global Treasurer at Caterpillar.

Patrick has been with Caterpillar for nearly 30 years. When I first spoke to him, I joked, “So you’ve basically had the same job for three decades?”

Not even close.

His career has been a masterclass in internal mobility:

Financial Representative, Mexico > International Funding Manager, Luxembourg > Corporate Funding Manager, Illinois > Vice President & Treasurer, Texas…

(And plenty more in between!)

Every two to four years, he had a new challenge.

And he built an extraordinary career, not by jumping ship every three years, but by choosing an organisation that kept stretching him.

So here’s The Career Ceiling Test:

Is the ceiling structural, temporary, or imagined?

• Look at the history.
• Look at the mobility.
• Look at the company’s appetite for developing people.
• Look at whether scope, responsibilities and visibility are still increasing, even if the title isn’t.

If the answer is yes, you may be in your own version of Caterpillar: a place where you can build a brilliant career without bouncing around.

But if the answer is no – if nothing moves above you, beside you, or around you – then you don’t have to wait six years to do something about it.

Best regards,

Mike

P.S. Patrick McCartan, VP & Corporate Treasurer, Caterpillar Inc. is just one of three incredible treasurers who will join my panel at TEXPO 2026 Conference in Texas in April 2026 alongside Emily Howell, Corporate Treasurer & Senior Director of Treasury & Risk at Copart Inc and Meredith Vance, Senior VP, Global Treasurer, at NTT DATA, Inc.

I’ll be talking to them about how they achieved their career success, the challenges they faced along the way, their insights on the future of the treasury profession, and they’ll be offering guidance on how to develop your own Treasury career.

Click here to get the event details. I’d love to see you there.