The Benefits of Working in a Variety of Sectors Throughout Your Treasury Career with Stephen Darnley

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Featuring

Mike Richards

CEO, The Treasury Recruitment Company

About this episode

In this week’s show I am joined by Stephen Darnley, the Corporate Treasurer at International Air Transport Association (IATA).

IATA was founded in Havana, Cuba, on 19 April 1945. It is an international not-for-profit trade organization, created over 70 years ago by a group of airlines. At its founding, IATA had 57 members from 31 nations, mostly in Europe and North America. Today it has some 290 airlines in 120 countries comprising 82% of total air traffic. The organization also represents, leads and serves the airline industry in general.

The international scheduled air transport industry is more than 100 times larger than it was in 1945. Few industries can match the dynamism of that growth, which would have been much less spectacular without the standards, practices and procedures developed within IATA.

Today it is the prime vehicle for inter-airline cooperation in promoting safe, reliable, secure and economical air services for the benefit of the world’s consumers.

Stephen has worked in the travel and transportation industry in the past. But his incredible, diverse work experience was never limited to one industry, and he has encountered many sectors in his remarkable career. He discusses the roles he held, the skills he acquired, and how this broad approach to his career guided him into the position he holds today.

On the podcast we discussed…

  • How he transitioned from accounting to treasury
  • The wide array of industry and sectors that broadened his skill set
  • How treasury is a truly mobile career that transcends sectors
  • A fascinating look at treasury inside IATA – a not-for-profit association
  • Insight into treasury – then and now
  • How technology will evolve in treasury

If you have any questions for Stephen, he can be reached via his LinkedIn profile.

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