In many
governments, a 'treasurer' is the person responsible for running the
treasury. Treasurers are also employed by organizations to look after funds.
Government
The
Treasury of a country is the department responsible for the country's
economy,
finance and
revenue. The 'Treasurer' is generally the head of the Treasury, although, in some countries (such as the
U.S. or the
UK) the treasurer reports to a
Secretary of the Treasury, or
Chancellor of the Exchequer. In
Australia, the
Treasurer is a senior
Minister and usually the second most important member of the
Government after the
Prime Minister.
Originally the word referred to the person in charge of the
treasure of a
noble, however it has now moved into wider use. In the UK during the
17th Century, a position of
Lord High Treasurer was used on several occasions as the third great officer of
the Crown. Now the title
First Lord of the Treasury is the official title of the British
Prime Minister.
Corporate treasurers
In corporations, the Treasurer is the head of the corporate treasury department. They are typically responsible for
liquidity risk management,
cash management, issuing
debt,
foreign exchange and
interest rate risk hedging,
securitization, oversight of pension
investment management,
capital structure,
share issuance and
repurchase. They also typically advise the corporation on matters relating to
corporate finance. They could also have oversight of other areas, such as the purchase of
insurance.
There are various Treasurer associations. The ''International Group of Treasury Associations'' (www.igta.org) is comprised of about 30 treasurer's organizations in the world. In Europe, the ''European Associations of Corporate Treasurers'' (www.eact-group.com) federates 17 national treasurers associations from 16 countries.
==In the
Inns of Court==
'Master Treasurer' is the title held by the
bencher heading the Inn for that year.
In other organizations
Many other organisations, particularly
not-for-profit organisations such as
charities,
unions, and
churches, appoint treasurers, who are responsible for generating income for the group, whether this be through pricing of a product, organising
sponsorship, or arranging fundraising events.
The treasurer would also be part of the group which would oversee how the money is spent, either directly dictating expenditure or authorising it as required. It is their responsibility to ensure that the organization has enough money to carry out their stated
aims and objectives, and that they do not overspend, or underspend. They also report to the board meetings the financial status of the organization to insure checks and balances. Accurate documentation of records must be kept.