Judges praised Sarah for her passion towards her job and described her as “an example of where the CFO is really making a difference to the business”.
Also representing Cambridge businesses was Jennifer Phillips of the Cambridge Education Group who took home the Private Sector Young FD of the Year award, as well as Kate Barnes of electronic component manufacturer HiWave Technologies who won the Quoted Sector Young FD of the Year award.
The FTSE 250 FD of the Year award went to Brian McArthur-Muscroft, finance director of data centre provider TelecityGroup, whilst Stephanie Quinn, FD of high performance light solutions developer Andor Technology, topped the Small Quoted FD of the Year category.
Stephanie’s success, along with the Cambridge-based FDs, ensured that women dominated the evening, winning four out of the seven individual awards up for grabs.
Peter Aratoon of YourCash, the Milton Keynes-based standalone ATM provider, completed the individual awards by being named Private Company FD of the Year.
Created by Real Business and supported by the CBI, the FDs’ Excellence Awards also recognise the service providers that support Britain's finance community using the results of an annual survey of more than 1,000 UK FDs and financial decision-makers.
Lloyds Banking Group won the Best Bank for Business award for the eighth year running and BDO was named as the Best Auditor to Large Firms.
Haines Watts Group won the Best Auditor to Small Firms category; Alexander Charles was named Recruiter of the Year; Bristol-based UNIT4 topped the Financial Software Provider for Large Firms shortlist; and IRIS was recognised as the best Financial Software Provider for SMEs.
Michael Izza, ICAEW’s chief executive, said: “Good FDs help instil and maintain confidence in the businesses they work in as well as developing the plans to move the company forward. Their knowledge and expertise will be vital to help restore confidence and build economic growth. The winners this evening demonstrate leadership, influence and inspiration.”
Matthew Rock, founder-editor of Real Business, added: “Aggreko is an outstanding British firm that has produced formidable financial results despite a turbulent economy. Angus Cockburn has been instrumental in securing the company’s success since he arrived in 2000 and tonight he has quite rightly received recognition for vision and determination.
“The success of female FDs at this year’s awards shows that women are coming to the fore in the world of finance. This is hugely encouraging. An increasing number of successful female FDs is creating greater diversity in British businesses and British boardrooms.”
Dr Neil Bentley, CBI deputy director-general, said: “Strong financial discipline and rigour are essential to the success of British businesses and to sustainable growth. The CBI is a proud supporter of the FDs’ Excellence Awards and our congratulations go out to this year’s winners.”
The FDs Excellence Awards ceremony took place at the London Marriott Hotel, Grosvenor Square and was hosted by Fred MacAulay with a keynote speech from Mark Hoban MP, the financial secretary to the Treasury.
The awards are supported by Lombard, Ernst & Young, Lloyds Banking Group, Kaplan and Drax.
For more information, please visit http://fdx.realbusiness.co.uk/
A full list of winners and the shortlist is as follows:
FTSE 100 FD of the Year: Angus Cockburn, Aggreko
Shortlist:
· Stacey Cartwright, Burberry Group
· Andrew Griffith, BskyB
· Angus Cockburn, Aggreko
· Andrew Shilston, Rolls-Royce (former CFO)
· David Keens, Next
· Robert Dyrbus, Imperial Tobacco Group
FTSE 250 FD of the Year: Brian McArthur-Muscroft, Telecity Group
Shortlist:
· David Mellors, QinetiQ Group
· Kevin Dangerfield, Morgan Crucible Company
· Bob Mellors, Sports Direct International
· Peter Rose, Hunting
· Brian McArthur-Muscroft, TelecityGroup
· Sean Christie, Croda International
Smaller Quoted FD of the Year: Stephanie Quinn, Andor Technology
Shortlist:
· Peter Grant, Skyepharma
· Jill Williams, Pittards
· Andrew Burchall, Impellam Group
· Stephanie Quinn, Andor Technology
· Chris Cheetham, SciSys
· Richard Wright, Alliance Pharma
FD of the Future: Sarah Moynihan, Marshall of Cambridge
Shortlist:
· Matthew Price, Whitbread
· Tony Broadhurst, Barnett Waddingham
· Brad Petzer, TelecityGroup
· Sarah Moynihan, Marshall of Cambridge
· Janet Hall, RS Clare
· Paul Lawlor, Sleaford Quality Foods
Private Company FD of the Year: Peter Aratoon, YourCash
Shortlist:
· Peter Aratoon, YourCash
· Nick Bray, Sophos
· John Leyden, Firezza
· Daniel Evans, Silver Street Automotive
· Robert Whitrow, Leasedrive Group
· Ashley Deakin, 1st Contact
Young FD of the Year - Quoted sector: Kate Barnes, HiWave Technologies
Shortlist:
· Colin Fleming, Abbott Mead Vickers
· Tuan Jin Aw, RR Donnelley
· Andrew Beach, Ebiquity
· Kate Barnes, HiWave Technologies
Young FD of the Year - Private Company: Jennifer Phillips, Cambridge Education Group
Shortlist:
· Gary Davies, JBMI Group
· Ian Trinder, Audley Court
· Manish Mandavia, Donatantonio Group
· Jennifer Phillips, Cambridge Education Group
· Stephen Joseph, Ocean Outdoor
· Phil Jones, 2OC
Recruitment Firm of the Year: Alexander Charles
Shortlist:
· Alexander Charles
· Hays
· Michael Page
· Pure Resourcing Solutions
· Reed
· Robert Half
· Robert Walters
Financial Software Provider (Large Firms - £50m+ turnover): Unit 4 (CODA, Agresso, FinancialForce.com)
Shortlist:
· Microsoft Dynamics
· Oracle
· Sage
· SAP
· Infor FMS SunSystems
· Unit 4 (CODA, Agresso, FinancialForce.com)
Financial Software Provider (SMEs): IRIS (Exchequer and Chorus)
Shortlist:
· Access UK
· Corero
· Microsoft Dynamics
· IRIS (Exchequer and Chorus)
· Sage
· UNIT 4 (CODA, Agresso, FinancialForce.com)
Business Bank of the Year: Lloyds Banking Group
Shortlist:
· Barclays
· HSBC
· RBS/NatWest
· Lloyds Banking Group
Auditor of the Year (Large Firms - £50m+ turnover): BDO
Shortlist:
· BDO
· Deloitte
· Ernst & Young
· Grant Thornton
· KPMG
· PwC
Auditor of the Year (SMEs): Haines Watts Group
Shortlist:
· Crowe Clark Whitehall
· Grant Thornton
· Haines Watts Group
· PKF
· RSM Tenon Group
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For media enquiries contact:
Rosie Park
Citypress
07540 047 831
rosie.park@citypress.co.uk
Caroline Millin
Citypress
07545 211 513
caroline.millin@citypress.co.uk
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