WEIRBULLETIN | FEBRUARY 2012
WHAT ATTRACTED YOU TO WEIR? LD: There are very few companies with the clear drive and ambition that Weir has and that are also experiencing the level of continuing success and growth the Group has seen over recent years. Adding to this the culture and core values of the company that are evident from the external reporting that I had seen meant that working for Weir was a very attractive opportunity. From a personal perspective, I have a young family, so the fact that the Group’s Head Offi ce is in Glasgow, within easy travelling distance, was an added bonus.
WHERE DID YOU WORK BEFORE WEIR? LD: Immediately prior to joining Weir, I worked for Johnston Press plc as their Group Head of Finance, a business in a very different industry, facing very different challenges, newspapers and media. I suppose this was another aspect of the role that appealed to me - the challenge of the change! Prior to that, I worked for Deloitte LLP in their Assurance and Advisory service line, on a number of listed and large private audit clients. One of these was a steel foundry referral from the US, the assets of which are now in Todmorden!
IN TERMS OF YOUR APPROACH TO LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT, WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS? LD: Learning and development are key, not only on a personal level but for the team around me. As I start this new challenge in my career, I am looking to develop not just new technical and commercial fi nance skills but leadership skills. A key aspect of this third point will be to work with each member of my team to ensure that they have a clear learning and development path ahead of them.
WHAT ARE YOUR IMMEDIATE PRIORITIES? LD: I was lucky to attend all three of the regional management meetings at the end of last year. This gave me the opportunity to hear from a number of people across the organisation on their priorities and challenges for the next 12 months. One thing was clear - although there were region-specifi c matters to be addressed, there was also an element of consistency, particularly around driving forward the pillars of innovation, collaboration and global capability. My challenge for the next year is to look at how we can progress these initiatives in fi nance, together with applying a lean philosophy to key fi nancial systems and processes.
AND YOUR INITIAL THOUGHTS SINCE JOINING WEIR? LD: My overriding feeling is one of certainty that I made the right move. One of the fi rst things someone said to me when I joined the Group was that working at Weir was like having a ‘disease’ - in the nicest possible way - I think I have defi nitely caught the bug!
Lindsay joined the Weir Group in mid November 2011 and lives in Linlithgow, central Scotland, with her husband Ross and two young sons. She has a BSc in mathematics and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland.
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