At the start of this year, Russam placed a new Chief Financial Officer to Miss Group . Stephen Halstead joined in January and has already been making an impact, working closely with their former CFO Mark Kerswell who transitioned into an advisory role.

#GreatHires

Miss Group sat down with Stephen to find out more about his first few months and what his future plans are for the business.

Hi Stephen – welcome to Miss Group! How have you found your first few months here?

It’s been a really exciting few months getting to know the business and getting up to speed with everything that’s going on. Miss Group is a substantial business with a global presence, which means that I’ve spent a lot of time travelling and meeting as many people as possible. It’s important that the CFO has a deep understanding of how the business operates, so I’ve invested a lot of time in learning about the key value and growth drivers in the business and understanding how the different geographies, companies and services all fit together.

You have a background in finance for tech firms. What attracted you to working for Miss Group?

I love working in tech because it’s so fast paced. Tech is an exciting, and by its nature, a cutting-edge space to work in. Miss Group is a brilliant example of the best elements of a tech business – it’s hungry for growth, firmly focused on quality of service, and incredibly innovative. The international scale of the business makes it even more appealing to me, because I love the dynamic that comes when businesses have lots of different voices and viewpoints.

Perhaps most importantly of all, though, is the culture. I was very drawn to Mattias and the organisation he’s built, with a straightforward culture and clear commitment to the company’s values.

What are your plans for your new role?

My main focus is to lead the continued development of the finance function and contribute to the continued success of the business. Miss Group recently surpassed SEK 1bn in revenue, and our goal is to reach a SEK 2bn figure in the relatively near future. This is an ambitious target and one that requires a proactive and experienced finance team.

Mattias and the senior leadership team have developed an exciting business strategy, and as CFO I’ll be central to the execution of much of this. I also have a keen eye on the business’ ESG (environmental, social and governance) profile and will be leading the work in this area.

What are your main focuses for 2024?

2024 will be all about development. One of my main focuses is on developing the finance function so that the service we provide to the rest of the business is the best it can be. Part of that involves the coaching and professional development of our finance team, who already do a stellar job, so that they can keep delivering excellence in their work.

The business has expanded significantly since its launch 10 years ago and as we enter our tenth year of business we will maintain a focus on growth targets.

Miss Group has grown through a huge volume of M&A activity. What do you expect to happen next for the business?

I expect we will be very busy in the years ahead! The business strategy makes it clear that growth – both organically and through acquisition – are still very central to our plans. Deals like the ones Miss Group has executed so many of in the past are very exciting and make for a challenging yet exhilarating role for the CFO!

Credit- https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/brilliant-example-best-elements-tech-business-our-new-cfo-uxtle/