Finance Monthly CFO Awards 2017 Winners Edition

Finance Monthly CFO Awards 2017 30 www.finance-monthly.com UNITED KINGDOM Finance Director Insight: Did you always intend to become a Finance Director when you were starting out? When I arrived at Ingram Micro as a young Finance Professional I did not have a clear goal in mind, All I knew was that I wanted to learn everything and anything about my new employer. Over time I gained the confidence to aspire towards the FD role through working in the UK and abroad, as well as a period outside of finance working in commercial. This breadth of experience certainly provided me with the skills to face all the challenges that face the FD of a large US corporation. Have you had mentors/people who have inspired you and guided you? The most influential mentor in my life was my mother. She cultivated in me a strong work ethic that characterises my day to day approach to life. I have mentored younger professionals both internally and externally for a number of years and it gives me great satisfaction to see those I have worked with develop beyond their current roles. I have a passion and enthusiasm for sharing my experience with others and in doing so it also provides me with my own personal development opportunities. Why do you find social media important? Social media provides a great opportunity to influence so many more people across multiple areas. It also allows you to connect with people who have the same interests, topics, charities and so on. It can be used to help educate stakeholders, develop a brand and learn from diverse contributors. What you say and how you say it is immediately accessible by the wider world as most people today start their search for anything by going online. I like to play an active role in a medium that is very much part of the modern day relationship building. Why do you attend so many events? I see my role as far broader than ‘just numbers’ and view the modern finance leader as an ambassador for the broader organisation. Someone who should feel comfortable presenting on all aspects of the business, from operations, to marketing to sales and commercial. As an extension of my social media presence I feel my attendance at charity and networking events, awards ceremonies, and customer and vendor gatherings is a vital extension of the Ingram Micro brand and the role I play as the finance lead. What would be your top three tips for fledgling Finance Directors? 1. Be honest – the greatest asset of a strong FD is their credibility. 2. Do not be frightened to ask questions, even if the questions are being directed at more senior experienced people than yourself. 3. Trust your own instinct – if something does not feel right, then go with that instinct. What is your favourite Quote? “If you can dream it, you can do it” Walt Disney Finance Director at Ingram Micro Tony McMurray Firm Profile Ingram Micro is the #1 technology distributor in the world helping partners to optimise their business from start-ups to global brands. Uniquely positioned at the centre of the technology ecosystem, Ingram Micro enables the consumption of technology across the full lifecycle of IT and mobility products / services that currently no other distributor offers. In the UK, Ingram Micro delivers end to end solutions including; audit and assessment, planning and design, procurement and logistics, installation and deployment, manage and support and IT asset deposition across 250+ vendor partners and 5000+ reseller partners. About Tony McMurray As a proficient Musician and Sportsman in his youth (a UK national junior Long Jump Champion) Tony graduated with a degree in Music and Sports Science. The decision to move into accountancy led him to work for a medium sized audit practice in central London. This was followed by time spent at the HQ of the Forte Hotel Group as a Management Accountant. However, the bigger move to Ingram Micro, launched Tony into a career path that has spanned more than 20 years at the world’s largest Distributor of Technology Solutions. As a qualified CIMA Accountant Tony progressed in a variety of roles at Ingram culminating in him being appointed the UK Finance Director in 2011. In his current role he is accountable for all aspects of finance in the UK ranging from M&A, Working Capital management, Strategic Planning, FP&A Reporting and a regional lead in a number of projects including the transition to Ingram Micro’s shared service centre in Sofia. Tony’s Finance leadership is characteristically ‘Beyond the FD’. Alongside his traditional FD responsibilities, Tony is an ambassador for the UK Alzheimer’s Society, regularly delivering motivational talks about his fundraising challenges. His establishment as a ‘social influencer’ through regular social media activity further illustrates his appetite for networking and thirst for knowledge. His knowledge sharing and experience has resulted in him being chosen to mentor within the Fast Forward 15 program, supporting the advancement of women in the hospitality industry. Contact Details 01908 807506 | Tony.mcmurray@ingrammicro.com www.ingrammicro.co.uk | @TonyMcMurray