When the external environment is roiling, the key tosuccessfully navigating the tumult is to not just accept, but infact leverage, the forces of change. That often holds true forprofessionals in any career path, but it's certainly the case fortreasury professionals today.

Since last decade's liquidity crisis, the role of the corporatetreasurer has been wholly transformed. In this era of heightenedcounterparty risk, low interest rates, and tight liquidity andcredit, effective management of the treasury function has become adetermining factor in businesses' success. As a result, therole of corporate treasurer has become both morevisible and more strategic than ever before.

These days, CFOs and boards of directors are increasinglyrelying on the treasurer's insights to help them make the rightdecisions at the right time. From ensuring that global capitallevels are adequate to support growth and minimize liquidity risk, to engaging in corporate initiativesthat require proficiency with increasingly complex accounting, tax,legal, and regulatory rules, the treasurer's insights have been inhigh demand over the past decade. Likewise, the value of astrategic treasurer has become more pronounced. Effectivetreasurers today are measured on their ability to manageinitiatives beyond the traditional role. And their ability tosuccessfully support the varied needs of their company may welldefine the strategic direction of the organization.