Confidence, Cash & Compliance: Taking the Pulse of Treasury Leaders

What’s keeping treasurers up at night? A new comprehensive survey by T3i and East & Partners offers fresh insights into industry sentiment.  

By Liza Tan, T3i Partner Network 

Treasurers play a critical role in the financial health of companies, managing liquidity and navigating complex economic landscapes. Understanding their level of contentment provides a window into the challenges and opportunities within the treasury function. 

“Over the past decade, the treasurer's role has become much more strategic, and understanding how happy treasurers are gives us valuable insights into the health of companies and the broader economic outlook,” explained Michael Vrontamitis, Founding Partner at the T3i Partner Network said in a recent Trade & Treasury Now (TTN) podcast 

The survey, conducted among top 100 revenue-ranked corporates, offers a deep dive into the factors shaping treasury professionals' career satisfaction, daily priorities, and future outlook on the future, based on responses from 741 treasurers across eight countries. 

“It’s a methodical global scan of treasury sentiment at scale," noted Sian Kingdon, Global Head of Client Services and Relationships with East & Partners. 

Career Satisfaction: Constrained by Admin Overload 

Career satisfaction emerged as a mixed bag, with only half of the treasurers surveyed expressing contentment with their career trajectory. Kingdon pinpointed a key issue: "Treasurers spend over a quarter of their day in internal meetings, doing admin, and managing their teams. The more time you spend chasing forms rather than chasing vision, the less fulfilled you’ll likely feel."  

Singapore stood out as a bright spot, with treasurers reporting high career confidence. Kingdon attributed this to Singapore’s progressive financial environment, including "MAS innovation support, a strong regional HQ presence, and a workforce that seemingly embraces digitization." She suggested that other markets could replicate this success by empowering treasurers with greater autonomy, smarter technology, and better support systems. 

Time Allocation: A Fragmented Day 

The survey revealed that treasurers’ days are heavily fragmented. Internal meetings and admin take up 13% of the day, regulatory reporting 12%, team management 11% and risk management 10%. Managing cash flow and enhancing liquidity accounted for a total of 15%.  

According to Kingdon, this leaves little room for strategic initiatives. Notably, treasurers in Singapore spend the least time on internal meetings and admin, which likely contributed to their higher career satisfaction. 

Technology: A Double-Edged Sword 

Technology is transforming treasury operations, with tools like real-time dashboards and AI-driven cash flow forecasting gaining traction. However, adoption challenges persist. "Legacy systems integration and human resistance are real roadblocks," Kingdon explained.  

Looking ahead, she envisions a future with "full real-time visibility into liquidity and cash positions across borders, embedded AI risk engines, and predictive scenario planning." While some predict the end of Excel spreadsheets, Kingdon believes its utility will keep it relevant to treasurers well into the future. 

Navigating Diversity & Economic Challenges 

Diversity figures are noteworthy, with one in three treasurers globally being female. Singapore led with near gender parity at 49%, followed by China and India. Even with the shifting narratives around diversity, the US surpassed the global average. "It will be interesting to see how this number changes over time," Kingdon noted.  

Economic sentiment, however, was the lowest-scoring category, reflecting the complex challenges treasurers face. "Inflation, interest rate volatility, geopolitical risk, tariffs—all issues the treasurer has to look at," said Kingdon. Despite these concerns, treasurers remain resilient and trained to navigate turbulence without panic. 

The Path Forward: Less Admin, More Strategy 

When asked about the single most impactful change for treasurers, Vrontamitis pointed to improvements in the economic climate and geopolitical stability. 

Kingdon added that "there isn’t a single silver bullet, but reducing the administration burden and increasing strategic involvement would be a good place to start.” Empowering treasurers to focus on strategic priorities, she argued, not only enhances treasury performance but also drives better business outcomes. 

For organizations looking to elevate their treasury functions and foster happier, more effective treasurers, download the full Treasurer’s Happiness Index here.