Northern Financial Director Award winners revealed
The winners of the 2023 Northern Finance Director (FD) Awards were announced last night at the celebratory gala dinner at The Radisson Edwardian, Manchester.
Over 150 guests attended the awards night, from leading Finance Directors and their teams to business professionals from across the North of England.
The awards, spanning 12 categories and sponsored by international business advisers Grant Thornton UK LLP, global law firm Squire Patton Boggs, global bank Barclays and recruitment firm Page Group, paid tribute to the enterprise, leadership, resilience, social impact and all-round excellence of financial leaders and their teams in Northern businesses over the past 12 months.
The event was hosted by renowned comedian Shappi Khorsandi and attendees heard from Northern FD Awards winners both past and present throughout the night.
Highlights included Matthew Gallacher (D A Languages Limited) and Alex Cook (Nexus Rental) sharing the prize for the ‘One to Watch’ category. Both winners demonstrated to the judges that they had shown remarkable professional development in a short space of time whilst making substantial contributions to operational outcomes.
In the ‘Private Equity-backed Company’ category, Jon Furber, formerly of Mobica Holdings Limited, took home the award, achieving brilliant results during his time at Mobica and working on a signficant deal with Inflexion.
Rebecca Shellard at Arthouse won the ‘Turnaround’ prize, who was commended on the evening for taking the business from the brink of administration to a healthy profit forecast this year.
The recently added ‘ESG Champion’ award sought to celebrate those finance leaders who have demonstrated the need to conduct themselves responsibly, making a positive contribution to the environment, society and their own governance programme. Finance Director of Revolution Bars, Danielle Davies, was named ESG Champion 2023 in this impactful category.
The full list of winners is:
Best Northern Finance Director of a Limited Company up to £25m – Ryan Stephenson-Brown – Evolve B G Limited
Best Northern Finance Director of a Limited Company of £25 million – £100 million – Rob Jobbins – 26 – an MSQ agency
Best Northern Finance Director of a Limited Company over £100 million – Chris Stefani – DWF Group plc
Best Northern Finance Director of a Private Equity-backed Company – Jon Furber – Mobica Holdings Limited
Best Northern Finance Director of a Family-Owned Company – Jo Boardman – Alcedo care Group
Northern Finance Director of the Year 2023 – Turnaround – Rebecca Shellard – Esselle Retail Limited t/a Arthouse
Northern Finance Director of the Year 2023 – Growth/Scale Up – Eoghan Johnston – iamproperty
Northern Finance Director of the Year 2023 – Leadership – Lucy Bolton – Camira
Northern Finance Director of the Year 2023 – One to Watch – Joint winners: Alex Cook – Nexus Rental and Matthew Gallacher – D A Languages Limited
Northern Finance Director of the Year 2023 – Deal of the Year – Paolo Benedetto – Formerly St Pierre Group Ltd
Northern Finance Director of the Year 2023 – Team of the Year 2023 – Burberry Group plc
Celebrating Excellence – ESG Champion 2023 – Danielle Davies – Revolution Bars Group plc
David Hillan, Partner at Grant Thornton in the North West said: “Last night’s awards evening showed the North’s high quality caliber when it comes to our Finance Directors. It was a privilege to meet with so many outstanding role models from across the region and share in celebrating the success stories over the last year!
“The last year has presented a tough landscape for Finance Directors across the North West, but last night proved that the region has the resilience and talent to overcome many more challenges and drive the region’s economy forward.”
Giles Chesher, Partner at Squire Patton Boggs in the North West, said: “It has been an honour to sponsor the 2023 Northern Finance Director awards, most especially when we consider the talented line up of finalists and winners of this years’ awards.
“Businesses continue to navigate a challenging landscape, and the role of the FD in doing so should not be underestimated. All of the winners and finalists that we celebrate this year are a significant credit to their respective businesses, and all deserve enormous praise for their efforts and achievements.”
Debbie Mullen, Head of Region for Barclays in the North, said: “The North of England is home to some exceptional talent so these awards are a great way to recognise and celebrate FDs, CFOs and Finance teams from across the region. We know that the North of England is home to some brilliant FDs who help steer companies through a multitude of challenges and these awards are a real opportunity to showcase and celebrate all that they, and the North, has to offer. Congratulations to all of this year’s winners and finalists, each of who have shown their exceptional dedication and commitment to their business and our region.”
John Halton, Partner, Page Executive added: “Once again we have seen a list of outstanding winners who have shown the undoubted talent of the FD/CFO community in the North.
“No two years in business are ever the same and different challenges this year have shown once again the adaptability and breadth of business understanding that these finance leaders possess. They are great examples of what the modern board level finance professional now has to be capable of to help steer and add value to the businesses they work for.”
