Spotlight on James Lund

James Lund is the Chief Finance Officer at Financial Times and  Governing Body Member of the UK & Ireland CFO Community.

A fun fact about James, he wanted to be a fireman but he says his "less than perfect eyesight prevented that from happening.” He says his alternative career has seen him working for Centrica, British Airways, TalkTalk and now the Financial Times.

Learn more about the UK & Ireland CFO community here.
 

Give us a brief overview of the path that led to your current role.

Throughout my career, I have held a variety of roles, from analyst, commercial finance, financial control, head of finance, group finance, regional  finance director to CFO, so a fairly traditional path of building skills and experience.
 

What is one of your guiding leadership principles?

Communication is key. Decisions may not always be agreed with, but it's indefensible if those decisions, and the rationale for them, are not understood.
 

What is the greatest challenge CFOs are facing today, and how are you addressing it?

The single biggest challenge right now is balancing sustained investment in long-term growth with near-term financial discipline, in an ever increasingly disrupted environment where costs, technology, and reader expectations are all moving faster than ever.
 

What is the key to success for someone just starting out as a CFO?

The key to success is building credibility fast — and that comes from listening before acting.

In the early months, it’s far more important to understand how the organisation really works than to prove how smart you are. Spend time with people across the business, learn where value is actually created, and be clear about what truly matters versus what’s just noise.

From there, success comes down to judgement: knowing when to challenge, when to support, and when to get out of the way.
 

How do you measure success as a leader?

I look at the effectiveness of the team and the impact that they have on the business and the stakeholders that they support.
 

Gartner C-level Communities Governing Body members share their insights and leadership perspectives to shape the agendas and topics that address the top priorities impacting business leaders today.