Leaders Insight - with Chris Lewis, CFO at

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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Welcome to "Leaders Insight” the first in an insightful series that delves into the captivating professional lives of these Senior level professionals and showcase their multifaceted expertise to inspire the next generation of CFO’s.

We will delve into the stories of CFO’s from various industries and walks of life, shedding light on some of the challenges they have faced on their journey to becoming a CFO, how they feel the role might change over the next decade, what key skills and attributes the next generation of CFO’s will need and how future technology might impact the role of the CFO.

This first instalment is with Chris Lewis at Endless LLP. Chris is big 4 trained and has a wealth of experience at listed and private equity backed businesses. Chris started at Endless LLP in 2015 as Financial Controller and was promoted to the position of CFO in 2019. More recently, Chris has been promoted to Partner in April of this year.

1.Which of your earlier roles played the biggest part in your career development to becoming a CFO?

I think there were two roles. The technical grounding and people skills that I developed whilst training to be an accountant at PwC remain invaluable. The training programmes offered by the big 4 / top 10 are unrivalled in my view. Secondly, my time at Priory Group was a much more commercial role with a strong P&L focus – I don’t think I looked at a balance sheet in four years. I also reported into the Group Board monthly at a relatively young age. There was no hiding place and it really helped to develop my skillset.

2.What is the one thing you know now that you wish you knew as a newly qualified Accountant?

That it is acceptable to say that you don’t know the answer right now, but you will come back with the right answer shortly. Don’t pretend to know everything – nobody can.

3.How important to you was a mentor / mentorship in your career progression?

So important. You should never underestimate the value of somebody who is willing to sacrifice their own time to help you develop and progress in your career. My mentor at PwC was technically exceptional but, more importantly, experienced, and very wise. It helped a lot to have that sounding board and I try to offer that to my team now.

4.The role of a CFO has changed over the last decade. What further evolution do you see in the role of the CFO over the next 5 to 10 years?

The role is always evolving. I think the next 5-10 years will bring about two challenges. One of those will be people – employee expectation of employer will change dramatically in my view and helping a business to manage that will be crucial to the success of any CFO. The second challenge will be technology. Tech Stacks, Data Lakes/Warehouses and AI (amongst many other things) will play a huge part in the role of the CFO in the next decade. Today’s CFO is facing up to a generational shift in how the finance function serves the wider needs of the business.

5.What new key skills or attributes do you think the next generation of CFO’s are going to need to develop?

Exceptional IT literacy will become a pre-requisite in my view. My generation talks a good game but proficiency in Excel is just so 90’s. Certain core skills will always be important though – provision of quality MI and knowing the numbers inside out, carefully managing numerous stakeholder groups, being front and centre of the business, offering leadership and strategic guidance. They will always be key attributes and as night follows day, a trusted, versatile and highly competent CFO will always be critical to any Board.

6.Having become a CFO what do you “think of the view from the top” and how does it compare to what you thought it would be like?

It is the best place to be. Undoubtedly better than I anticipated. The CFO should be central to everything that is happening in the business and it means that no two days are the same. It’s fast paced, exciting, influential, and challenging all rolled into one.

7.What technologies will reshape the role of the CFO over the next few years?

See point 4. I suspect there are also technologies we’ve not yet heard of that will also reshape the role of the CFO over the next few years. The speed of technological progression is quite daunting. I used AI to create a bedtime story for my kids the other night…

8.What is the one single best piece of advice you would give to an aspiring future finance leader?

I’d say what I said when I was judging Young Accountant of the Year – never turn down an opportunity. For better or worse, it will provide you with valuable experience and, if nothing else, it’ll give you something to chat about whilst networking!

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 UStoday and see how we can help.

Leaders Insight - with Chris Lewis, CFO at Endless LLP

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