On behalf of the IACT Committee, I would like to thank all of you who joined our annual conference, held on 14-15 November, at The Convention Centre Dublin. We welcomed record numbers this year and it was another sell-out event that brought together corporate delegates, FIs and service providers.
Education is a core IACT mandate, and this year we held our second IACT Academy on 14 November where a group newer to treasury joined modules on treasury tech, risk and debt issuance. This was followed by pre-event networking, which gave the attendees the opportunity to get to know each other, as well as some of the exhibitors and experienced corporate treasurers. In 2023, the IACT Committee was focused on growing the links to Irish universities to bring awareness of corporate treasury as a career. As a result, we took the opportunity to invite four students to join the Academy and attend this year’s conference. I was delighted to meet them, hear their perspective on the event, and witness such a high level of engagement with delegates, exhibitors, and speakers.
In opening the conference, I noted that as geopolitical unrest continues, inflation and interest rates are still topical and we deal with the fallout of banking failures, resilience is a core competency for treasurers in managing the various challenges of the day job. We also have so many new technologies presented to us, which we need to evaluate. Our conference plenary and breakout sessions addressed various aspects of those challenges and opportunities.
Feedback on the day was extremely positive, with delegates taking the opportunity to share their experiences, ask questions of peers, and catch up with friends. Treasury is thriving in Ireland, and it was great to see so many of the multinational corporates, indigenous and international companies, and diverse industries represented.
I will close by giving a huge vote of thanks to the members of our conference subcommittee, led by John James Dunne, who were relentless in ensuring we covered the most relevant topics and had secured the best speakers. Thanks also to Summit Focus and the Treasury Management International team for co-ordinating the many moving parts to deliver on the vision we have for our conference.
We are grateful, too, to our sponsors, many of whom are also patrons, and to the speakers for investing their time and sharing their thoughts with us.
Enjoy this conference overview and I look forward to seeing you at our 2024 event.