Meet Karen Toh Director of Group Finance, FTSE 250 Company

DIRECTOR OF GROUP FINANCE, A FTSE 250 COMPANY

Karen Toh

"Pause and take time to enjoy the journey more, don't be in such a rush."

On growing up...

I was born in Malaysia and have lived in Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, the US and the UK (London is now home and has been for some time). I am a Fellow of the Association of Corporate Treasurers, hold a Masters in Finance from the London Business School and am also a qualified Certified Practising Accountant (CPA).

Describe your job in a few lines?

I’m shortly about to start as Director of Group Finance for a FTSE 250 company heading up the Treasury, Tax, Investor Relations and Group Reporting teams. Prior to that I was Treasurer for an international property group.

My career has been focused in finance, particularly corporate finance, treasury, mergers & acquisitions and business analysis including in large, multi-national oil & gas and mining organisations.

What’s been your greatest achievement to date?

I love that I’ve had an international career. I’ve been fortunate enough to have been involved in some large and challenging corporate finance transactions and merger & acquisition deals throughout my career. Being a little bit of a deal junkie, they’ve all given me a buzz.

However, I think I am quietly proudest of having built and developed a team, significantly increased responsibilities and transformed a treasury function in my most recent role. I enjoy leading teams and working cross-functionally.

What are your career high’s and low’s?

There are highs and lows to any role and depending on circumstances, strengths can be weaknesses and vice versa. Challenges have included managing difficult interactions, poor performance or when an important priority goes significantly off track – I find that open communication and discussion can go a long way though.

What would you like to achieve next?

That’s easy – I’d like to learn from, contribute and make a difference in my new role – preferably ASAP (see weakness!).

What do you think your own weaknesses are?

I’m not very patient with myself and can put myself under immense pressure. Although I set high standards, I tend to be more forgiving of others than myself.