After months of sifting through entries, one-to-one interviews and short listing processes, the winners of this year’s Yorkshire Finance Director of the Year awards were announced at an exclusive dinner at Rudding Park last night (4 October, 2005).
Sponsored by business advisors Ernst & Young, financial recruitment specialist Sewell Moorhouse and European lawyers Hammonds, the awards are now in their fourth year and have become established as the leading initiative of their kind in the region.
For 2005 the awards were updated with the introduction of separate categories to reflect the different challenges that Finance Directors within private and public companies face. An additional outstanding achievement award was also introduced to recognise the contributions of individuals in relation to a specific project or issue.
The 2005 Yorkshire Finance Director of the Year Awards winners are as follows:
Yorkshire Finance Director of the Year – Private CompanyWinner: Alan Wilson, UBC Ltd
Hull-based UBC is the market leader in dry-bulk inter-modal distribution, storage and logistics sector in Europe, operating in 17 countries with offices in 11. UBC services the chemical, industrial and food sectors with a focus on chemical, pharmaceutical, plastics and petrochemical products. Key customers include Atofina, Basell, BP, Borealis Group, Dow, DuPont, Eastman, Exxonmobil and Nova.
Alan Wilson, 46, was appointed Finance Director of UBC in 2004. Since then, he has restructured financial and information systems, radically improving the speed and quality of information available to the customer services and sales teams and resulting in cost savings and improved customer service and profitability. In addition, Alan has reorganised UBC's finances, overhauled asset purchase processes and restructured the business’s debt, providing a saving of more than £1m a year.
Presenting Alan with his award, Phillip Hilling, Managing Partner at Ernst & Young in Leeds, said: "Alan has repeatedly demonstrated not only the wider abilities of a modern Finance Director – commander of financial systems, audit, sources of finance, IT and HR – but also huge commercial abilities which previously have led to his appointment as Chief Executive of other businesses and, at UBC, has revolutionised the business’s ability to cost and sell its logistic services.”
Yorkshire Finance Director of the Year – Public Company
Winner: Jonathan Wragg, Rensburg Sheppards Plc
Rensburg Sheppards Plc, formerly Rensburg Plc, is a Leeds-based holding company for a group of investment services businesses whose core activity is the provision of investment management to private clients. The company's services also include financial planning, pensions and charity services, option and venture capital trusts. Rensburg's subsidiaries consist of Carr Sheppards Crosthwaite, Rensburg Investment Management and Rensburg Fund Management.
Jonathan Wragg, 38, joined Rensburg in 1997 as Financial Controller and was appointed Finance Director three years later. He played a central role in the £185m acquisition of Carr Sheppards Crosthwaite Limited from Investec Plc, creating one of the UK's biggest independent private client investment firms, with more than £10bn funds under management.
Commenting on Jonathan’s award, David Armitage, Corporate Partner at Hammonds in Leeds, said: "At the age of 38, Jonathan has already achieved more as finance director at Rensburg Sheppards than many will in a lifetime.
“Shaping the company's evolution from a regional stock broker with a market capitalisation of not much more than £20m to the seventh largest UK private wealth manager with over £10bn funds under management and a market capitalisation of some £300m is one feat. However, running a complex transformational public £185m acquisition, whilst at the same time properly addressing an unsolicited approach from another suitor and completing the year-end audit is no mean achievement. Jonathan is the epitome of a modern finance director running a multi-sited operation from his Yorkshire base.”
Winner: Outstanding Achievement Award: Shaun Mills, GNER
GNER provides high-speed intercity train services along Britain's East Coast main line, linking England and Scotland along a route of almost 1,000 miles. During 2004, GNER completed a substantial investment programme as part of its contractual commitments under the two-year franchise extension to the end of April 2005. The £30m rebuild of all the electric train sets, known as “Mallard”, remains on schedule for completion in autumn 2005.
Shaun Mills is 46 and lives near York. He was appointed Finance Director of GNER in February 2004. A primary objective of Shaun’s was to secure a contract that would have a critical impact on the business over the next ten years. He was subsequently involved in leading a team of individuals from within the business and the project team to secure the East Coast Main Line contract for GNER. This has clearly provided a phenomenal basis for the future growth and development of the company and a massive impact on the region.
Presenting Shaun with his award, Cliff Sewell, Joint Managing Director of financial recruitment specialists, Sewell Moorhouse, said: “Since joining the company Shaun has transformed the future of GNER. He has demonstrated the qualities required in a modern day finance director and he personifies the criteria that the judges were looking for.
“The role of the FD is no longer just about number crunching – it’s about all round business and managerial skills, including interpersonal qualities and commercial awareness. Shaun really stood out as an FD with all of these skills and we are delighted to present the Award for Outstanding Achievement to him.”
For further information please contact:
Amy Kilbane, Ernst & Young: 0113 298 2406 / 07786 800 552
Lesley Page, Sewell Moorhouse: 07866 738 275
Nicola Woodmass, Hammonds: 0870 839 7086
