Context: Titles within corporate treasury vary widely depending on company and team size and how the function is organized. In some organizations, vice president denotes a senior functional leader overseeing a defined area such as capital markets or risk. In others, it reflects a corporate management band tied to compensation and hierarchy rather than specific treasury responsibilities.
Within NeuGroup for Life Sciences Treasurers, where companies range from emerging biotech firms to global pharmaceutical giants, organizational structures can look markedly different.
Member question: “For benchmarking purposes, I wanted to see how many treasurers have a member of their treasury team who is a VP.”
Peer answer 1: “Zero here. I’m the treasurer and only VP in treasury.”
Peer answer 2: “None here.”
Peer answer 3: “Zero here as well. I’m the treasurer and only VP in treasury. My next title down is senior manager.”
Peer answer 4: “My assistant treasurer is an executive director. I’m an SVP—no VPs under me.”
Peer answer 5: “I have four VPs: - “The assistant treasurer who runs point on day-to-day cash, derivatives and planning.
- “The chief investment officer who manages our global pensions.
- “A head of corporate development who reviews business development deals and assists with capital allocation.
- “A VP of risk management who manages external insurance and our internal captive.”
Peer answer 6: “No VPs in treasury. My title is senior director/treasurer, and I have an operations director reporting to me, who has two senior treasury analysts. Four people total handling global treasury.”
What the exchange reveals: The companies where the treasurer is the only VP are mid- to large-cap biotech firms with lean teams where directors, senior managers or assistant treasurers report directly to the treasurer.
- A recent NeuGroup survey of life sciences members showed that corporates with VP roles beneath the treasurer—including Peer 5—are among the largest pharmaceutical and healthcare organizations in the group. While many treasurers carry VP or SVP designations, layered VP structures within treasury are rare, but most common at mega-cap companies.
- As treasury scope expands with enterprise scale, VP roles are more likely to be separated across areas including liquidity, investments, risk, pensions or corporate development—reflecting the added complexity that comes with size.
