Introduction and Biography

Lucy joined KPMG on the graduate training scheme straight from university. She worked there for 12 years and got promoted to Manager after 5 years. In her late 20s Lucy got married, had 2 children and since then, she has always worked part time. Lucy’s focus at KPMG was Corporate Tax but her time there gave her an excellent grounding in working in professional finance and the opportunity to study, complete internal and external secondments and carve out her future career aspirations.

In 2013 Lucy made the move to industry and is currently Group Tax Manager at EVO Group. In the 8 years she has been there the business has expanded and changed which has resulted in opportunities for her role to develop, evolve and remain continuously challenging.

We’ve known Lucie for a number of years and always admired her ability to successfully juggle working in a challenging role, parenting teenage children and training for half marathons. Her energy and positivity is admirable.

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We are celebrating International Women’s Day today. What do you think is causing the lack of diversity in top leadership positions?

Professional women often struggle to manage their multiple personal and professional priorities. Having the opportunity to work remotely or flexibly can be particularly important for women. It’s vital for employers to ensure talented women remain and thrive in the workplace and agile working is fundamental to this. I really hope a lasting impact of the pandemic will be employers judging on output, productivity, and performance rather than time spent in the office.

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Why is it so important to have women in leadership positions?

Diverse leadership teams perform better. Women bring different skill sets and perspectives to leadership positions which can often drive solution focused working and innovative thinking. Women make strong and compassionate managers and it’s so important for them to be represented at all levels in the workplace.

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What are good strategies to help women achieve success in the workplace?

I think the most important strategy is for women to network and connect with other women in business. For me peer support from other women working as finance professionals has been fundamental to my career. Successful women leaders have an important role to play in encouraging and aspiring the future female leaders of tomorrow.

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Tell us about Lucie Firth outside of the world of work

When I’m not providing a taxi service for the teenagers at home (!) I love to run. I took up running 6years ago, its great exercise and fits well around work and home life. Becoming a runner has changed my life, it’s so great for my mental wellbeing - whether it’s a work or home life issue, nothing helps me to work through it like a run. I’ve run five half marathons and sometimes it’s great to have a race booked to aim towards. Other times its great not to have any races booked and just run for fun!