ICAEW.com works better with JavaScript enabled.

Corporate finance careers

Leading figures and up-and-coming professionals who have developed their careers share their experiences.

Career journeys

Breaking glass ceilings

Marc Mullen speaks to six women in mid-market private equity about the changes so far in this once male-dominated world – and what’s still to come for diversity and inclusion, and supporting talent

Career paths: Katie Leitch

Katie Leitch trained in Edinburgh then moved to Glasgow, where she’s building her private equity experience as an investment manager with Panoramic Growth Equity

On my CV: Danny Lee

Investors in biotech businesses must believe in management. Credibility is key, says Danny Lee, Burges Salmon corporate partner

Career paths: Sarah Leiper-Jennings

Sarah Leiper-Jennings, senior associate at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, has taken the opportunity for industry and overseas secondments to build her experience as an M&A lawyer

Career paths: Klara Klarowicz

Drive and determination has seen Klara Klarowicz make it to investment manager at LDC. Now she has big plans for the future, she tells Jo Russell.

Career paths: Lucy Merson

Training as an ACA continues to help after the move from corporate finance to private equity, recounts Connection Capital investment manager Lucy Merson.

Career paths: Louise Leung of EY

Originating the first deal you work on gets your corporate finance career off to a flying start. EY’s Louise Leung is a very good example of how structured progression can be swift.

Articles

Career paths: Fiona Foreman, haysmacintyre

Flora Foreman of haysmacintyre hedged her bets at university, taking a degree in economics and art history. In the end, a career in finance won the day and after she passed her ACA she opted for advising on deals.

On my CV: James Wood, Buzzacott

James Wood of Buzzacott says never assume too much deal knowledge – even when advising one accountancy firm on acquiring another.

Career paths: Hana Bell, Simmons & Simmons

Hana Bell arrived in London from Canada in 2020 amid COVID-19 restrictions and hiring freezes. It took a year before she joined Simmons & Simmons’ corporate law team, but she used her time wisely.

On my CV: Mark Wilson, Headpoint

If expectations are not initially met, the advice from Mark Wilson of Headpoint is to be patient and address buyer value issues before re-engaging.

Career paths: Kelly Clarke, TLT

Kelly Clarke, legal director at TLT, describes her tumultuous training period and her long-term goals.

Profile: Gillian Sharman, LDC

Keeping deals flowing and generating opportunities requires innovative thinking. Marc Mullen speaks to Gillian Sharman, LDC origination director in the North West of England.

Resources

Faculty member organisations

The Corporate Finance Faculty’s professional network includes more than 7,000 members and more than 80 member organisations. More than 40 per cent of the faculty’s membership is from beyond ICAEW.