16 Jun 2015 07:30
Etihad Airways’ Treasury department has won three major awards in June – two in the United Arab Emirates at the Association of Corporate Treasurers Middle East (ACT ME) annual awards, and one in the United Kingdom at the Adam Smith awards.
The Abu Dhabi-based airline received the top ACT ME award for Large
Enterprise Treasury Team of the year, gaining praise for the implementation of
best practice operations, the scale, scope and depth of its activities, and the
professional development of team members.
The second award was for Treasury Funding Deal of the year which was
given for the recently implemented supply chain finance programme that Etihad
launched at the end of 2014. Etihad was the first airline outside of the USA to
launch a programme of this nature and one of the first organizations in the Middle
East.
ACT ME is identified as the Middle East’s only professional body
for treasury and both awards were voted for by other corporate entities and
banks in the region.
The third title that the airline’s Treasury department received this
month was at the Adam Smith Awards for Best Practice and Innovation in London,
one of the leading UK treasury awards.
Etihad Airways gained the award for highly commended Best-in-Class
Treasury Solution in the Middle East. The airline was credited for the geographic
spread of its treasury activities, the depth of its operations in a complex and
volatile marketplace, and the innovation of its finance operations, including
the recently launched supply chain finance programme.
James Rigney, Etihad Airways’ Chief Finance Officer, said: “Etihad Airways is proud to have a
reputation for operational and treasury excellence and we are delighted to receive
these awards from our industry peers which recognise the work we do in corporate
treasury, corporate and asset financing, group insurance and payment solutions.”
Etihad Airways continues to diversify its portfolio of global
funding sources and last year expanded its range of borrowing relationships to over
75 lenders, investors and lessors. During 2014 Etihad Airways secured US$ 3.5
billion of debt funding in the financial markets.