SALARY SURVEY – OUTLOOK FOR 2022/23

Celebrating International Women's Day with Hannah Shilling

In celebration of International Women's Day, we're shining a spotlight on women in financial leadership roles. In this instalment, we had the pleasure of speaking with Hannah Shilling.After graduating from the University of Leeds with a degree in Mathematics, Hannah began her finance career as a Graduate Trainee at Croda International Plc, where she also completed her ACCA studies. She then advanced to the role of Group Assistant Accountant. Seeking new challenges, Hannah joined Costcutter Supermarkets Group, where she climbed the ranks to become Head of Finance. Currently, she is the Director of Corporate Accounting & Transactions at Card Factory, where she continues to excel in her field. Hannah's role at Card Factory is varied and dynamic, requiring her to wear many hats and tackle diverse challenges each day. Join us as she shares her journey, career-defining moments, and the traits that have fuelled her success. 1.Please can you provide a summary of who you work for and your current role?I am Director of Corporate Accounting & Transactions at Card Factory. I look after Management Accounting, FP&A, Transactions and Procurement. A typical day for me can involve reviewing divisional performance, working on Finance transformation projects, and defining our procurement strategy. So, a very interesting and varied role, which involves me wearing a lot of different hats!2.What have been the one or two most defining moments in your career to date?I would say without a doubt when I became Head of Finance at Costcutter Supermarkets. I had joined Costcutter as an analyst 5 years earlier, so to build my career and step into a senior leadership role after returning from maternity was a very proud moment.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?Being nosy and stubborn! In all seriousness though, opportunities have presented themselves through me stepping outside of my lane and getting involved in all sorts of things that were only vaguely linked to my role. And you’ve got to be resilient and determined if you want to be a true change agent in a larger organisation. I describe myself as having a healthy level of discontent with the status quo, so I’m always agitating at how we do things better, faster. If apathy sets in, I know that it’s time for a new challenge.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?Build your resilience and confidence when your career is in a steady state, so you’ve got plentiful reserves to draw on when you step up to a stretch opportunity. And don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need it.Hannah Shilling's career in finance is a testament to the power of resilience, determination, and stepping out of one's comfort zone. Her journey from her Graduate role at Croda International PLC to a senior leadership role at Card Factory PLC is truly inspiring. Despite the progress that has been made, women still face significant challenges in the finance industry. In the UK, women hold only 33.5% [1] of senior management roles in financial services, and while they make up 41.1% [2] of finance professionals, they are underrepresented in leadership positions. Hannah's advice to build resilience and confidence, and to seek help when needed, is invaluable for aspiring female finance leaders. As we celebrate International Women's Day, we hope Hannah's story provides inspiration to female finance professionals to embrace challenges and pursue their career goals with confidence and determination. 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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It would be easy to attribute the challenges being faced by many in the current candidate-short market to the effects of COVID-19. Yet with top talent continuing to be in short supply and demand reaching unprecedented levels, what we are witnessing is the impact of decisions taken well before the pandemic was upon us.

The squeeze on training and development – exacerbated by COVID-19 – has created a huge hole in the market. Businesses and organisations are now having to be on the front foot to try and address whilst also ensuring that they have the head count and the quality of employee needed to move forward during what is, for many, a period of recovery, transition or growth.

The creation of lean staffing structures by those for whom survival has been the key priority over the past two years will affect their ability to fully explore every avenue to drive growth and look at potential opportunities. Even those business who are – and have been – buoyant, face a struggle to add to their headcounts as employers double down on efforts to retain their top talent and the motivation for candidates to look for a move are lessened as a result.

To help redress the balance, businesses can look at where they can make meaningful investments at graduate level and in the training, development and upskilling of their current teams. This will ensure that they are in strong positions to promote from within as the flow of movement at higher levels trickles down and creates additional opportunities for progression.

Those organisations who are in the fortunate position to make timely recruitment decisions and have an understanding and appreciation of what the best solution is from within the current candidate pool will be the ones that reap the benefits. Businesses must be mindful of the pace at which the process is moving, accepting that should they wish to go back out into the market after a first round of interviews, their ‘we just want to confirm there is nobody else out there’ choice will more than likely have been snapped up by the time they come to making an offer.

Candidate attraction will continue to be a huge challenge over the coming 12 months. With employers being responsive to addressing the needs of their employees in terms of salary packages, career progression and promotion opportunities alongside adjustments to working patterns and more flexible working arrangements, the need for candidates to look elsewhere in order to achieve what they want is greatly reduced.

With the market unlikely to change significantly in the short to medium term, to stand the greatest chance of success companies will need to play hard to their strengths and carefully consider what the best solutions is to their requirements within the context of what – and who – is available at a particular point in time.

Aaron Pepperday is Regional Director at Sharp Consultancy and focuses upon the recruitment of senior finance and accountancy professionals across the South Yorkshire region; contact Aaron on 0114 261 1700 or aaronp@sharpconsultancy.com