Corporate treasurer to investment manager
A corporate treasurer already meets 43% of what the investment manager role asks for. The move turns on 15 required skills not yet in the profile.
63.2/ 100
1 How much of what an investment manager is expected to do is already part of a corporate treasurer’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the investment manager role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An investment manager role treats 14 of its required skills as things a corporate treasurer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- advise on financial matters
- analyse financial performance of a company
- analyse financial risk
- analyse market financial trends
- banking activities
- financial analysis
What stands in the way is 15 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 19 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An investment manager role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a corporate treasurer background worth leading with.
- already held public offering business, administration and law
- already held manage securities management skills
- already held manage corporate bank accounts management skills
- already held trade securities communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held investment analysis business, administration and law
- already held stock market business, administration and law
All 19 carried skills, including the 14 the investment manager role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 32 missing skills fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn corporate social responsibility required
- still to learn asset management required
- still to learn financial management required
- still to learn financial products required
- still to learn funding methods required
- optional, not held green bonds optional
- optional, not held impact investing optional
- optional, not held social bonds optional
- optional, not held sustainable finance optional
- optional, not held business valuation techniques optional
- optional, not held corporate law optional
- optional, not held financial markets optional
- optional, not held types of pensions optional
- still to learn analyse business plans required
- still to learn assess financial viability required
- still to learn monitor stock market required
- still to learn obtain financial information required
- optional, not held analyse the credit history of potential customers optional
- optional, not held examine credit ratings optional
- optional, not held perform stock valuation optional
- still to learn develop investment portfolio required
- still to learn enforce financial policies required
- still to learn strive for company growth required
- optional, not held manage profitability optional
- optional, not held plan health and safety procedures optional
- still to learn liaise with financiers required
- still to learn liaise with managers required
- optional, not held apply technical communication skills optional
- optional, not held communicate with banking professionals optional
- still to learn follow company standards required
- optional, not held apply credit risk policy optional
- optional, not held trading software optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an investment manager role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 corporate social responsibility study this
- 02 analyse business plans practise this
- 03 assess financial viability practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 19 skills that carry over
- already held advise on financial matters skill
- already held analyse financial performance of a company skill
- already held analyse financial risk skill
- already held analyse market financial trends skill
- already held banking activities knowledge
- already held financial analysis knowledge
- already held financial statements knowledge
- already held interpret financial statements skill
- already held investment analysis knowledge
- already held manage securities skill
- already held public offering knowledge
- already held review investment portfolios skill
- already held stock market knowledge
- already held trade securities skill
- already held create a financial plan skill
- already held financial forecasting knowledge
- already held manage budgets skill
- already held manage corporate bank accounts skill
- already held tax legislation knowledge
17 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held green bonds optional
- optional, not held impact investing optional
- optional, not held social bonds optional
- optional, not held sustainable finance optional
- optional, not held trading software optional
- optional, not held analyse the credit history of potential customers optional
- optional, not held apply credit risk policy optional
- optional, not held apply technical communication skills optional
- optional, not held business valuation techniques optional
- optional, not held communicate with banking professionals optional
- optional, not held corporate law optional
- optional, not held examine credit ratings optional
- optional, not held financial markets optional
- optional, not held manage profitability optional
- optional, not held perform stock valuation optional
- optional, not held plan health and safety procedures optional
- optional, not held types of pensions optional
21 held skills the investment manager role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise on credit rating skill
- not needed by the target role advise on tax planning skill
- not needed by the target role convert currency skill
- not needed by the target role create risk reports skill
- not needed by the target role develop revenue generation strategies skill
- not needed by the target role disseminate information on tax legislation skill
- not needed by the target role evaluate budgets skill
- not needed by the target role exert expenditure control skill
- not needed by the target role financial department processes knowledge
- not needed by the target role handle cash flow skill
- not needed by the target role identify if a company is a going concern skill
- not needed by the target role insurance market knowledge
- not needed by the target role liquidity management knowledge
- not needed by the target role manage currency exchange risk mitigation techniques skill
- not needed by the target role perform currency reserve management skill
- not needed by the target role plan medium to long term objectives skill
- not needed by the target role prepare financial statements skill
- not needed by the target role property law knowledge
- not needed by the target role risk transfer knowledge
- not needed by the target role securities knowledge
- not needed by the target role treasury management system knowledge
14 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn corporate social responsibility required
- still to learn asset management required
- still to learn financial management required
- still to learn financial products required
- still to learn funding methods required
- optional, not held green bonds optional
- optional, not held impact investing optional
- optional, not held social bonds optional
- optional, not held sustainable finance optional
- optional, not held trading software optional
- optional, not held business valuation techniques optional
- optional, not held corporate law optional
- optional, not held financial markets optional
- optional, not held types of pensions optional
Common questions about this move
Can a corporate treasurer become an investment manager?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A corporate treasurer already covers 43% of what an investment manager is expected to do: 19 skills carry over, 14 of which the investment manager role treats as required.
What skills does a corporate treasurer need to become an investment manager?
15 required skills are missing, plus 17 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by business, administration and law. The single most important is corporate social responsibility.
How hard is the move from corporate treasurer to investment manager?
Its learning distance is 63.2 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.