Kate is widely regarded as one of the most impressive CFOs by those who know her and have worked with her.

With a PhD in Chemistry and Materials Engineering, her first job was in an ACA training contract with Hawsons in Sheffield. She has had so much variety, colour and success in the subsequent 19 years;

• Worked in a wide diversity of sectors – telecoms, engineering and education

• 8 years at Finance Director level (with a stint as Interim Managing Director in this time)

• More than just a Finance Director – responsibility for overseeing HR and IT functions too

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There are not too many FDs with a PhD in Engineering. At what point did you decide to follow a career in finance? How has the background in engineering helped you?

I get asked this question every time someone looks at my CV as it was an obvious step change in my career choice, during my PhD I realised that the research life was not for me and I wanted to get into the business world.  

With some investigation I realised that my skills leant towards accountancy and I chose the Chartered route through a smaller firm to ensure that I had well rounded training in all areas from paper bag jobs to PLCs.  

My background in Engineering has definitely helped me through my career to date; although I cannot claim to be an expert in the field anymore, I have technical knowledge of the businesses I have worked in.  This allows me to have a better understanding of the operations and add value to financial reporting.

Our CFO Network Annual Report highlights the manufacturing and engineering sector as being the sector with most CFO appointments made in the past year – some on the back of challenges and many growth opportunities. How do you see the immediate future for this sector and how can a strong CFO lead a positive impact?

I think the immediate future for this sector is a difficult one with the demands on margins, customers pushing revenues down and increases in costs. The appointment of CFOs into this industry highlights the need for the finances to be monitored on an ongoing basis to ensure that the business can withstand these challenges.  However, a strong CFO will do more than just focus on the finances.  They also need to understand the operations and culture of the business, they can then have a positive impact by ensuring the Board and stakeholders have the knowledge required to make strategic decisions.

Our CFO Annual Report highlighted that only 16% of CFOs in Yorkshire are female, but 26% of appointments in the past year have been. Is there some emerging good news in these numbers?

It is great to see an increasing number of female CFO appointments, I believe that adding diversity into the Board is very beneficial.  It can be a challenge in traditionally male dominated industries but it not only changes the dynamic within a business in a positive way, but also provides aspiration for younger women embarking on their careers.  

As the numbers continue to increase, confidence will grow amongst women to apply for higher level roles.  It will be great in the future when the percentages are not commented on as the imbalance is depleted and women have greater presence in the C-Suite.

Who have been the most important influences in your career?

There have been a number of key influencers in my career, I’ll not embarrass them by naming.  The most important ones have been those that have had the same values, drive and enthusiasm as me.  They have supported me along the way, but also trusted in my abilities and helped give me the confidence to climb the career ladder.  I think it is essential to have trusted people you can call upon for support throughout your career as a sounding board, it helps to provide clarity on any issues or decisions that may arise.

What do you love most about your job?

As a CFO you are involved in all aspects of the business and can influence the direction it is heading in.  I have found that the role of finance is changing for the better and is more of a partnership with the C-Suite rather than a back-office function.

I love being able to work with teams across the business to understand the operations and therefore adding insight to the financial information produced.

Having worked in mainly SMEs through my career, my role has always involved responsibility for a number of other areas such as HR, Commercial, IT etc.  This has helped to expand my knowledge and allowed me to add more value in each role that I have had.

We have seen you at the Sheffield Half Marathon in the past. Do you have anything else planned for 2023?

My fitness and training is very important to me, not only for my health but also for my mind!

I will be running the Sheffield Half Marathon again this year, chasing that sub 1:55 PB, I have run it every year for St Luke’s Hospice since losing my sister suddenly to pancreatic cancer in 2019.

However, my new sport and love is Hyrox, a global fitness competition. I competed twice in 2022, and have another two booked in 2023.  I feel like I have finally found my sport as it involves all the areas of fitness I love!

I am also the Treasurer at Sheffield Tigers Rugby Club, the ladies have asked me to play a few times, but I think I will stick to the money side of the club for now!