The IFL programme was extremely insightful and rewarding, diving into the insights of our CFO's career path and sharing some great advice on how to tackle challenging situations. I've learnt a lot from the anecdotes shared and resonated with a number of the challenges faced. A huge thank you to our CFO, cohort and ICAEW for facilitating such a great programme.
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ICAEW members who are:
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The ICAEW Inspiring Future Leaders programme was a fantastic way to learn from an industry leader whilst networking with peers from a wide range of backgrounds - bringing true diversity of thought to the table. Highly recommended to members looking to take the next step in their careers.
Our 2025 senior leaders
Cohort 1 (April to July)
Rowan was appointed as Chief Financial Officer at Essentra plc in November 2024. Prior to joining Essentra, Rowan was previously Group Chief Financial Officer of Laing O'Rourke and, from 2017 to 2020, was the Chief Financial Officer of McCarthy Stone plc. Prior to joining McCarthy & Stone in 2012, she worked in finance for Barclays Bank plc and professional services for PwC. Rowan is also Non-executive Director of Vistry Group plc, Chair of the Audit Committee and a member of the Nomination and Remuneration Committees. Rowan has a master's degree in law from Cambridge University and is a qualified chartered accountant and chartered tax adviser.
Jon is currently interim CFO of Banijay U.K. a TV production group known for making shows including Master Chef, Big Brother and Peaky Blinders. Previously, Jon was VP Finance at Warner Bros Discovery where he played a key part in the growth of the UK and international TV production & format distribution businesses. Jon has also worked in a number of other senior finance roles in film production & distribution, Networks TV and post -production businesses including BBC Studios, MTV and Paramount. As a chartered accountant living in St Albans, he has helped steer finance in several charitable and cultural non-for-profit organisations and is also on the Finance committee of The Society of Antiquaries.
Connecting with the finance leaders was a fantastic opportunity to openly reflect, share and engage on development topics relevant for now and the future. The sessions had a good balance of pre-selected themes, and time for open and honest discussions to share my personal and professional experiences. It was rewarding to see the level of engagement and enthusiasm across the ICAEW members, and I am confident they will achieve their career goals in the very near future.
I thoroughly enjoyed being part of this programme, an informal, fun and open forum, sharing stories and learning from each other. Great to step back from the day to day and to get the opportunity to reflect and share insights.