European Chapter of the CFO Leadership Network

Group Chief Financial Officer, National Grid, and Co-Chair of the A4S CFO Leadership Network Europe

Andy trained and qualified as a chartered accountant with PricewaterhouseCoopers and is a member of the ICAEW. He has significant financial experience, having previously held a number of senior finance leadership roles across the Group, including Group Financial Controller, UK CFO and, most recently, Group Tax and Treasury Director. Andy’s in-depth knowledge of National Grid, both in the UK and US, and his broad experience in operational and corporate finance roles have ensured a smooth transition to his role as CFO.

Andy graduated with a BA(Hons) degree in history from University of Bristol and served in a number of roles with PricewaterhouseCoopers, including a secondment to the US, before joining the Group in 2008. 

Chief Financial Officer, ABN AMRO

Ferdinand Vaandrager was appointed to the Executive Board of ABN AMRO Bank N.V. as interim Executive Board member, Chief Financial Officer, effective 1 May 2023. He is responsible for Finance, including Financial Accounting, Asset & Liability Management, Controlling, Tax, Treasury and Investor Relations. Ferdinand has more than 25 years of experience in the financial sector, both in the United Kingdom and in the Netherlands. Since 2020 Ferdinand was Head of Investor Relations at ABN AMRO Bank N.V. Prior to that, he held various commercial leadership positions with particular expertise in corporate and institutional banking and financial markets at ABN AMRO, Royal Bank of Scotland and Citigroup. He was member of the Supervisory Board of the joint venture ABN AMRO – ODDO-BHF B.V.

Ferdinand holds an MSc in Business Economics from Erasmus University, Rotterdam School of Management.

Chief Financial Officer, Adecco Group

Coram Williams joined the Adecco Group as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and member of the Executive Committee in May 2020.

Before joining the Adecco Group he served as CFO of Pearson Plc from 2015. Prior to that Coram was CFO of Penguin Random House from 2013 to 2015, based in New York. He also held several other senior leadership positions in both finance and operations within the Pearson Group. Coram’s experience spans Europe, North America, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific. He holds an MBA from London Business School and a BA (Hons) from the University of Oxford.

Chief Financial Officer, Ahold Delhaize

Jolanda Poots-Bijl is Chief Financial Officer of Ahold Delhaize and a member of the Management Board. Ahold Delhaize is one of the world’s largest food retail groups with more than 7,600 stores and over 400,000 employees across a family of great local brands in the US, Europe and Indonesia.

Jolanda joined Ahold Delhaize in August 2023 and has 20+ years of boardroom experience, as member of globally operating supervisory- and executive boards. Prior to Ahold Delhaize, she worked across a variety of industries including IT services, transport and construction. In addition, she serves as a supervisory board member at AkzoNobel and Pon Holdings.

Over the years, Jolanda has gained substantial experience in ESG. In her last role as CFO of offshore construction company Van Oord, she was also chairing HRM, Sustainability, Procurement and digital transformation. In this role, she defined a growth path for their offshore wind business, aiming to grow significantly in the next few years, which required substantial investments and a transformation into a data-driven, high-performance organization embracing sustainability as a core business.

Chief Financial Officer, Anglian Water Group

Tony held a number of finance roles within Scottish and Newcastle Breweries from 1986, before joining Morrison Construction plc as Finance Director in 1990. In 2000 he was appointed Managing Director of Scotland-based AWG Property Limited where he was subsequently appointed Chairman. In this role, he oversaw the development, investment and management of Anglian Water Group’s residential and commercial property portfolio across the UK and Ireland and ensured its transformation into a strategic and income generating portfolio.

In October 2014, Tony was appointed Managing Director of Anglian Venture Holdings and took a seat on its Board. Here, he led his teams to successfully acquire, manage and grow multiple businesses across utilities, asset management, conveyancing and insurance, ensuring the on-going delivery of value back to shareholders.

Tony was appointed as Chief Financial Officer for the Anglian Water Group in November 2023. He has a BA (Hons) in Economics and Business Law and is a Chartered Management Accountant.

Chief Financial Officer, BBC

Alan is the Chief Financial Officer for the BBC and moved into this role in December 2022.  As Chief Financial Officer, Alan provides financial leadership across the BBC Group while also leading on Sustainability, Procurement, Workplace and Quality, Risk & Assurance.  Prior to this, Alan was Chief Finance and Operating Officer for BBC News and Current Affairs.

He joined BBC News in 2017 and led the transformation programme to deliver more value to audiences. Alan was responsible for leading the financial and operational strategy across BBC News. During this time he ensured business continuity during the pandemic and overseas conflicts, as well as driving forward the BBC’s Across the UK strategy.  

Previously Alan was Chief Operating Officer for BBC Scotland and led the operational delivery of all Scotland content, including the Glasgow Commonwealth Games and Scottish Independence Referendum. Alan was responsible for driving financial and commercial growth across BBC Scotland.

Before joining the BBC, Alan held a number of senior finance positions across the NHS in Scotland. Alan is a qualified member of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy, and attended the University of Glasgow.

Chief Financial Officer, British Land

Bhavesh was appointed CFO and Executive Director of British Land Company PLC in 2021 and is the Board lead for Sustainability. Prior to joining British Land, Bhavesh was Deputy Chief Financial Officer at Tesco PLC. Bhavesh has previously held senior finance and strategy roles in a range of consumer-facing businesses including Whitbread Hotels and Restaurants, Anheuser Busch InBev and Virgin Media. Bhavesh began his career with KPMG in Toronto, Canada and holds a Master of Accounting from the University of Waterloo and an MBA from London Business School.

Chief Financial Officer, Burberry

Kate is a highly experienced Chief Financial Officer having held roles in both public and private companies. In addition to her financial acumen, Kate has extensive experience driving business transformation and strategic development and a deep understanding of public markets. She has particular expertise in the retail sector, as well as an excellent understanding of the luxury industry.  In her early career, Kate was involved in numerous IPOs including that of Burberry in 2002. Kate is a Chartered Accountant. 

Global Chief Financial Officer, Chanel

Philippe is the Global CFO of Chanel. Based in London he oversees finance operations across the various divisions, regions, and activities of the company. He is in charge of modernizing the finance vision and skillsets, and bringing valuable insights to the business leadership of the company.

A French national, Philippe earned his MBA from Ecole de Management de Lyon and his DESCF (French Chartered Accountancy highest diploma) before starting his career with KPMG.

With the Bolloré Group for 7 years, he held positions as operational CFO of various subsidiaries of the Group in Africa before moving to Nestlé where he held different CFO positions in Ivory Coast, Pakistan, Switzerland and Russia.

As the CFO of the Nestlé Russian/CIS Region in Moscow, he partnered with the CEO to drive double digit growth in a year before being promoted CFO of Nestlé Europe where he oversaw a finance organization of 3,000 people while actively contributing to regain market share and restore profitability. As Nestlé‘s Senior VP–Corporate/Group Controller reporting to the CFO, he controlled the group strategic business units and co-piloted the group’s Strategy and Operational management along with the Group CEO, CFO, and other members of the leadership team.

In his free time, Philippe trains and runs marathons all over the world. He is currently developing his skills as a cyclist and training to compete in triathlons.

Chief Financial Officer, DHL Group

Melanie Kreis is a physicist by training and holds an MBA from INSEAD.

She began her career in 1997 as a consultant at McKinsey. In 2000 she moved to private equity firm Apax Partners.

In 2004 she joined Deutsche Post DHL Group, where she initially worked in the Corporate Development department in Bonn and later in the UK, leading the Exel integration.

In October 2006 she assumed the position of Executive Vice President (EVP) Corporate Office. In 2009 she took over as EVP Corporate Controlling and in April 2013 as CFO of DHL Express.

On November 1st 2014 Kreis was promoted to the Board of Management of DHL Group, as the Board Member for Human Resources and Labor Director.

Since October 1st 2016, she has been the Chief Financial Officer of DHL Group.

Acting Chief Financial Officer, Heathrow Airport Holdings

Sally was appointed as Acting Chief Financial Officer in April 2024. Since joining Heathrow in 2006, Sally has played a key role in shaping Heathrow’s capital structure and establishing Heathrow’s credit in the financial market.

In over 6 years as the Director of Treasury and Business Planning, Sally has driven and delivered sophisticated financing strategy during both expansion and crisis periods, as well as complicated business planning for the last couple of years to enable business recovery and accelerate growth.

Group Chief Financial Officer, NatWest Group

Katie Murray joined the Group as Director of Finance in November 2015 and was appointed as Deputy Chief Financial Officer in March 2017. She was then appointed as Group Chief Financial Officer in January 2019.

Katie has worked in Finance and Accounting for nearly 30 years with experience in capital management, investor relations, financial planning and all areas of financial services. Katie was previously the Group Finance Director for Old Mutual Emerging Markets, based in Johannesburg from 2011-2015, having held various roles across Old Mutual from 2002. Prior to this Katie worked at KPMG for 13 years.

Katie is a Chartered Accountant having trained in Scotland and is a member of ICAS.

Chief Financial Officer, Schneider Electric

Hilary Maxson has served as the Chief Financial Officer of Schneider Electric and a member of its Executive Committee since April 2020. She joined the company in 2017 as CFO of Building and IT before being appointed CFO of Energy Management, the largest business unit, in 2019.

Prior to Schneider Electric, Hilary spent 12 years with AES Corporation in progressive finance, M&A and business development roles, based across US, Cameroon and the Philippines, ultimately as CFO for Asia. Hilary began her career in banking.

Hilary is a Non-Executive Director and Audit Committee Chair at Anglo American (FTSE 50), a technology-forward and ESG-focused global mining company.

Hilary is Non-Executive Director at AVEVA (FTSE 50), a leading industrial software company and a key player in driving digital transformation globally. AVEVA is 60% owned by Schneider Electric.

Hilary has an MBA, and a bachelor’s degree in Applied Economics, both from Cornell University, USA.

Member of the Executive Board and Chief Financial Officer, Siemens Energy

Maria Ferraro was appointed Member of the Executive Board and Chief Financial Officer of Siemens Energy AG and Member of the Executive Board and Chief Financial Officer of Siemens Energy Management GmbH effective May 1, 2020. Prior to her appointment, she held several senior management positions in Corporate Finance within Siemens in the United Kingdom, as well as in Canada, Germany and the United States.

Before being appointed Chief Financial Officer of Siemens Energy, Maria Ferraro held the position of Chief Financial Officer for the Operating Company Digital Industries as well as Chief Diversity Officer at Siemens AG.

Maria Ferraro was born and educated in Canada. She is a designated Chartered Accountant and spent her early career with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and Nortel Networks, holding a variety of roles in Canada and on a global level whilst gaining in-depth experience in European and Asian markets.

Group Chief Financial Officer, Smurfit Kappa Group

Ken Bowles was appointed Group Chief Financial Officer of the Smurfit Kappa Group in April 2016 and was appointed a Director of the Group in December 2016. He joined the Smurfit Kappa in 1994 and has occupied a number of finance roles in various parts of the Group. Prior to his appointment as Group CFO he held the position of Group Financial Controller from 2010. He was the Group’s Head of Tax from 2007 to 2010 prior to which he was appointed as the Group’s first Head of Compliance in 2004. Mr Bowles is an associate member of the Institute of Chartered Management Accountants and holds a first class MBA from the UCD Graduate School of Business.

Chief Financial Officer, Sonova

Birgit is CFO at Sonova, a leading provider of innovative hearing care solutions, with responsibilities for Finance, M&A, Investor Relations and Information Technology.

She is also Supervisory Board member at ASML, an innovation leader in the semiconductor industry.

She was previously CFO of TUI AG, a global leader in tourism and CFO of Telenet Group, a Belgian media, cable and telecommunications company. Prior to that, she held various leadership positions in finance, strategy and business operations in the pharmaceuticals and medical devices business units at Johnson & Johnson, and in finance at Heineken, Tenneco and Reed Elsevier.

Birgit holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business in the US and a Master of Science in Business Economics from the University of Tilburg in the Netherlands.

Chief Financial Officer, SSE

Barry joined SSE in 2008 and became Chief Financial Officer on the Board in December 2023. Prior to becoming Chief Financial Officer, Barry was Finance Director for SSE Renewables as well as having responsibility for corporate finance across the whole of the SSE Group. In his previous role of Director of Treasury and Corporate Finance he oversaw group funding and treasury operations. He is a chartered accountant who trained with PWC in Dublin before joining Airtricity in 2005

Chief Financial Officer, Tate & Lyle 

Dawn was appointed Chief Financial Officer at Tate & Lyle PLC in May 2022, where she leads the Group Strategy and M&A, Financial Control, Planning & Analysis and ISIT divisions.

With more than two decades of experience in the global food industry, Dawn has a proven track record of financial leadership. She holds considerable commercial and international experience from her previous roles at Mars Incorporated, where she was CFO Global Transformation, Global Divisional CFO and Regional CFO respectively.

Prior to entering the food industry, she held senior Finance and Audit roles at Courtaulds PLC and Ernst & Young. In addition to being a member of Tate & Lyle’s Board, Dawn has also held a Non-Executive Director position of Tasty Bite Eatables Ltd, a public company based in India.

She is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales, and holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Bath University, UK.

Chief Financial Officer, The Crown Estate

Robert Allen joined The Crown Estate as Interim Chief Financial Officer in March 2021 and was appointed Chief Financial Officer in July 2021. Robert sits on the Value Creation Committee and is a member of the Group Leadership Team.

Robert has extensive financial leadership experience, most recently in the UK property sector at Crest Nicholson as Group Finance Director and for intu plc, where he held the position of Group Chief Financial Officer. Prior to this, he had a long global finance career at British American Tobacco after having qualified as a chartered accountant at Coopers & Lybrand.

Robert’s experience spans a wide range of activities including strategy, change, mergers and acquisitions, investor relations and financial risk management.

Group Chief Financial Officer, UBS

Todd was appointed Group CFO and Member of the Group Executive Board of UBS Group AG and UBS AG in 2023. Todd previously held numerous positions in UBS including CFO, Global Wealth Management and Group Controller & Chief Accounting Officer. Prior to joining UBS Todd held various positions at KPMG in New York. Todd holds a BA in Economics from Princeton and an MBA in accounting from NYU.

Chief Financial Officer, WPP

Joanne Wilson is Chief Financial Officer at WPP plc. Joanne was formerly the Chief Financial Officer and Chair of the ESG Committee at Britvic. Prior to Britvic Joanne enjoyed a successful career at Tesco where she gained extensive experience both in the UK and internationally in a variety of financial and commercial roles. These included Chief Financial Officer of dunnhumby, a global leader in customer data science.  Joanne began her career at KPMG, where she qualified as a Chartered Accountant and spent three years in Hong Kong. She is currently a non-executive director of Informa plc (LSE:INF). 

Executive Vice President and CFO, Yara

Thor has served as Executive Vice President and CFO at Yara since July 2021.

He joined Yara in 2004 and has held several senior positions in the company. He was SVP Investor Relations from 2011 to 2021 and has previously held the positions of Acting CFO and Head of Controlling & Risk Management. Before Joining Yara, Thor has earlier experience from a number of finance positions at Ford Motor Company.

Thor holds a BSc (Hons) degree from the School of Management, University of Bath, UK.

Group Chief Financial Officer, Zurich Insurance Group

Claudia Cordioli, Zurich Group Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and a member of the Executive Committee, has served in various senior positions in insurance, reinsurance and consulting. Prior to joining Zurich as CFO on March 1, 2024, she served as Swiss Re’s group finance director from 2022 to 2024, overseeing core finance functions and the group’s transition to IFRS 17. From 2020 to 2022, she served as CFO of Swiss Re’s reinsurance business, and prior to that, held various senior positions across the group including head of Western and Southern Europe, leading its reinsurance business in 15 countries. Before joining Swiss Re in 2003, she worked in banking and consulting firms as a senior consultant, including at KPMG, Zurich (Switzerland).

Ms. Cordioli is a fellow of the Aspen Institute Finance Leaders Fellowship and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.

Ms. Cordioli holds a degree in business administration from the University of Verona (Italy), Faculty of Economics. In 2007 she passed her certified public accountant (CPA) exam with the New Hampshire, U.S., Board of Accountancy.