THE BENEFITS OF OUTSOURCING RECRUITMENT

Celebrating International Women's Day with Louise Shute

In celebration of International Women's Day, we continue our series by highlighting the inspiring journey of female leaders in finance who are making a significant impact throughout their career.In this installation we are thrilled to feature an interview with Louise Shute, the Chief Financial Officer of Hollybank Trust, a not-for-profit care provider dedicated to supporting individuals with complex needs. Since joining Hollybank Trust in 2019, Louise has been instrumental in driving financial sustainability, operational efficiency, and strategic growth. Her leadership goes beyond numbers, focusing on ensuring that every financial decision aligns with the organisation's mission to provide outstanding care. Join us as we dive into her career-defining moments, the traits that have contributed to her success, and her invaluable advice for the next generation of female finance leaders. 1.Please can you provide a summary of who you work for and your current role?I am the Chief Financial Officer of Hollybank Trust, a large not-for-profit care provider that delivers specialist care and education to individuals with complex needs. Since joining in 2019, I have been responsible for overseeing finance, IT, estates, and HR, ensuring financial sustainability, operational efficiency, and a strong, well-supported workforce. My role is not just about numbers—it’s about making sure every financial decision supports the organisation’s mission. I work closely with the executive team and trustees to strategically plan for the future, secure funding, and drive initiatives that enhance the care we provide. This includes leading acquisitions, driving digital transformation, and optimising resources to ensure we remain sustainable and continue to deliver outstanding care in an increasingly challenging financial landscape.2.What have been the one or two most defining moments in your career to date?A few pivotal moments have shaped my career and leadership style: Building a finance function from the ground up – One of my most challenging and rewarding experiences was setting up an entire finance team from scratch for a large care group. Bringing the finance function in-house, creating new systems, and ensuring financial stability in a complex organisation gave me invaluable leadership experience. Leading an acquisition – More recently, I successfully led the acquisition of a care business, ensuring financial due diligence, securing funding, and integrating the new business into our operations. This was a defining moment in navigating the complexities of growth while maintaining financial security. Driving digital transformation – Overseeing our transition to a nearly paperless organisation has been a major milestone. Introducing new financial, HR, and operational systems has made us more efficient and forward-thinking, ensuring we are well-equipped for the future. Beyond these, every year brings new challenges in the not-for-profit and care sector, where funding is tight, costs are rising, and financial sustainability is an ongoing battle. Navigating these challenges while keeping the organisation strong and adaptable is something I take pride in.3.What are the most important personal traits, values or characteristics that, being a female finance leader, has really helped to contribute to your success?Leadership isn’t just about making decisions—it’s about bringing people with you. The qualities that have shaped my success as a finance leader include: Compassion and genuine interest in people – I care about my colleagues and take the time to listen, understand their perspectives, and create a supportive environment. Decisiveness and resilience – In finance, tough decisions need to be made. I can balance strategy with reality, ensuring we remain financially stable while protecting the organisation’s core values. Strong communication – Finance can sometimes feel like a separate world, but I ensure complex financial insights are communicated clearly to teams, trustees, and stakeholders so they can make informed decisions. Positivity, even in difficult times – The financial landscape for care providers is constantly evolving, and it’s easy to focus on the challenges. I believe in staying solution-focused and adaptable, ensuring we embrace change rather than fear it. A positive outlook helps to motivate teams, find creative solutions, and maintain momentum even during difficult periods. I wouldn’t say I’ve faced direct challenges as a woman in finance, but finance leadership remains a male-dominated space, especially at board level. Many women struggle with imposter syndrome, and I think it’s crucial to own your expertise, trust your ability, and bring your unique strengths to the table.4.What is the one piece of advice that you would share with the next generation of female finance leaders as they look to build their careers?My biggest piece of advice is: do what makes you happy. You spend so much of your life at work—it’s essential to enjoy it. If you don’t, don’t be afraid to seek out something that challenges, excites, and fulfils you. Beyond that, a few key lessons I’ve learned: Be true to yourself. Work for organisations that align with your beliefs, morals, and values. Build a strong team. Surround yourself with capable, driven people—it will make all the difference. Keep learning. I haven’t had an official mentor, but I invest in seminars, courses, and networking to continuously grow. Finding a mentor or widening your professional network can be invaluable. Stay adaptable. Finance, technology, and the business landscape are evolving rapidly. Staying open to change and embracing new ways of working will set you apart. Above all, believe in yourself. Women often doubt their abilities more than men, but confidence comes from experience. Keep learning, keep leading, and don’t be afraid to step up and take your seat at the table.Louise’s journey is a testament to her power of resilience, compassion, and strategic vision in leadership. Her dedication to Hollybank Trust's mission and her ability to navigate the complexities of the not-for-profit sector have set a remarkable example for aspiring female finance leaders. Her advice to stay true to oneself, build strong teams, and continuously learn resonates deeply, reminding us all of the importance of passion and adaptability in our careers. We hope her story inspires and empowers the next generation of women to pursue their ambitions with confidence and determination. While women are making strides in leadership roles, a significant gender gap still exists. In 2024, 36% of new CFO hires in FTSE 100 companies were female, a notable increase from 2023 when only 14% of new hires were female [1]. Despite this progress, women hold only 25% of CFO positions in the FTSE 100 [2]. These statistics highlight the ongoing need for greater gender diversity and support for women in finance. Looking for your next career move in finance or accountancy? At Sharp Consultancy, our expertise lies in matching your potential with the perfect temporary, interim, or permanent position. With a well-established presence in Leeds and Sheffield, our seasoned team of consultants extends their services across Yorkshire and beyond. Don't wait for opportunity to knock, reach out to us TODAY and let's chart your career path together.

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There are many reasons why companies choose to engage a recruitment specialist when it comes to bring new talent into their organisation. We highlight some of the key advantages for clients when using a recruitment consultancy for their hiring requirements.

Time. Recruiting can be a time-consuming exercise; long before you sit down with potential candidates to interview them for the role there are a number of tasks which must be undertaken. From compiling job descriptions, placing adverts, sifting through CVs and arranging interviews right through to making someone an offer and negotiating terms. These all take time – valuable time that takes managers and business owners away from their day-to-day tasks and responsibilities. A recruitment expert will not only take on these aspects of the process, but they will also add value by ensuring that when you come to the interview stage, you have a very clear idea of exactly what you are looking for in the shortlisted candidates.

Industry knowledge. A good recruitment partner will offer much more than just advice on hiring a new member of staff. They will assess your requirements in the context of the current marketplace and offer key insight into skills in demand, candidate shortages and a range of other factors which could affect your search.

Reaching further into the market. Not only will they be able to reach those candidates actively seeking new opportunities, but they will also be able to use their wealth of knowledge, experience and contacts to identify individuals who may not currently be active in the marketplace. Many have relationships spanning several years giving them an insight into the kind of opportunities that are most likely to appeal to the top talent that companies are looking to attract.

Negotiate salary packages. It is important that once the preferred candidate has been identified, you are in a position to make them a strong offer that will be accepted. It can be incredibly frustrating to invest huge amounts of time and energy into the recruitment process only for it to fall down in the final stages. As well as providing you with the most up-to-date benchmark salary levels, they will also offer guidance on which benefits hold most appeal and ensure that the renumeration package meets the expectations of candidates from the outset.

A different view point. It can be all too easy to look to recruit a like for like replacement for a departing member of staff, however a strong recruitment partner will ask probing questions to establish exactly what it is you are aiming to achieve from the process and establish the short, medium and long term business objectives in order to guide you into examining different skills, experience and knowledge which may bring a new dynamic to the role and contribute to achieving those goals.

Developing a strong interview shortlist. Having gained a thorough understanding of your requirements, an experienced recruitment partner will be able to conduct first stage interviews to ensure that those candidates that are put in front of a client absolutely meet the requirements of the role, resulting in the client being in a solid position to select their preferred candidate from a very strong field.

Solutions focused. As well as working with candidates on their recruitment needs, your consultant can offer alternative solutions to address immediate requirements such as an interim placement if the chosen candidate is on a long notice period or a role needs to be filled quickly due to illness or an unexpected period of absence.

Specialist knowledge. Not only should a consultant possess strong recruitment skills, but those which specialise in a particular area will have an in-depth of knowledge that enables them to offer strategic counsel and sector insight that will benefit your search.

Sharp Consultancy specialises in the recruitment of temporary, interim and permanent finance professionals. With offices in Leeds and Sheffield our highly experienced team of consultants recruit for positions throughout Yorkshire and beyond. CONTACT US today to speak to a member of our team about your recruitment needs.