Northern Finance Director Awards winners announced

The winners of the 2019 Northern Finance Director Awards were revealed 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

Paul Mann, Partner at Squire Patton Boggs in Leeds, 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.”

Mark Pickard, Partner at EY, said: “We’re delighted to see the work of the very talented FDs of the North being recognised at these awards.

“It’s important to take this opportunity to highlight their contribution to business in the North and their ability to steer companies through the multitude of challenges that each industry presents.”