Finance director awards announced at glittering event

Finance Director Awards

The winners of the 2019 Northern Finance Director Awards were announced last night at a prestigious ceremony at Manchester Cathedral attended by more than 120 guests.

Sponsored by Barclays, EY and Squire Patton Boggs, and compered by the Reverend Richard Coles, broadcaster and former member of pop band The Communards, the awards shone a spotlight on the people who are often the unsung heroes of any successful business, highlighting the achievements of finance directors working across the North of England.

An independent judging panel selected the winners from an outstanding shortlist of 71 individuals from across a range of sectors and industries in the North.

Candidates were judged on all-round commercial and managerial skills, including interpersonal qualities, business acumen, innovation and influence, as well as technical accounting and financial skills.

The winners were announced across 13 categories:

• Best Northern Finance Director of a Limited Company up to £25 million
Andy Clifford, Roger Hannah

• Best Northern Finance Director of a Limited Company £25 million – £100 million
Julie Roberts, Christeyns

• Best Northern Finance Director of a Limited Company £25 million – £100 million
Nick Manning, John Cotton Group Ltd

• Best Northern Finance Director of a PLC
Chris Morgan, Speedy Hire

• Best Northern Finance Director of a Private Equity-backed Company
Rob Jobbins, Twentysix

• Best Northern Finance Director of a Family Business
Amanda Shea, Harrison Spinks

• Northern Finance Director of the Year 2019, Impact
Mark Fleetwood, End Clothing

• Northern Finance Director of the Year 2019, Acquisitive Growth
Abigail Draper, RSK

• Northern Finance Director of the Year 2019, Growth/Scale up
Chris Baty, Northern Gas and Power

• Northern Finance Director of the Year 2019, Innovation
Jeremy Hodson, Ultimate Packaging Limited

• Northern Finance Director of the Year 2019, Leadership
Craig Aston, Celerity

• Northern Finance Director of the Year 2019, One to Watch Award
Joanne Wilkinson, Northbar Limited/North Brewing Group Limited

• Northern Finance Director of the Year 2019, Turn Around
James Stewart, Orbital Education

Speaking at the event, Rob Elvin, office managing partner of Squire Patton Boggs in Manchester, said: “Through these awards, we are delighted to recognise the immense financial talent we have across the North of England and celebrate the contribution that finance directors make to the success of the businesses they work in.

“Whether at limited companies, PLCs, family businesses or private equity-backed companies, what marks out a successful finance director is strong leadership and communication skills, strategic foresight and the confidence to influence decisions that drive profitability – in other words, taking a lead role in developing their business.”

Lee Collinson, head of manufacturing, transport and logistics at Barclays said: “Barclays are proud to have an established history of supporting businesses across the North and are delighted to support the Northern Finance Director Awards once again in 2019.

“The awards are a fantastic celebration of those individuals that really make a difference to their businesses and are very often the unsung heroes. It’s fantastic to see FD’s receive due recognition for the pivotal role they play in driving the financial success for their company.”

Hilary Heap, partner at EY, said: “As a firm we’re delighted to once again co-sponsor this event, and help to recognise the talented FDs here in the North.

“These awards enable us to highlight and promote the great work and leadership of these individuals, as they continue to contribute to the success of businesses across the market in the Northern regions.”

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