Aveva Group finance director Paul Taylor had a very successful night at the Real FD/CBI FDs’ Excellence Awards, going home with two trophies. He was named FTSE 250 FD of the Year and also got the gong for FDs’ FD of the Year.
It was a great result for the 42-year-old but it left him with a quandary: where to put the shiny, silver trophies?
“I’m really not sure,” he said after the ceremony, jokingly ruling out taking them to meetings in his briefcase.
Taylor won the FTSE 250 award with 56 per cent of the vote. Academy members (who voted for the winners) were impressed by the way he’s steering a company that’s reported rocketing increases in turnover and pre-tax profits.
The latest figures show Aveva’s turnover lifted 44 per cent to £94.9m, while profit before tax jumped 121 per cent £24.7m.
Taylor joined Aveva in 1989 but was appointed FD and company secretary on 1 March 2001. Prior to joining the engineering technology firm, he worked for Philips Telecommunications in the UK.
The other candidates on the FTSE 250 shortlist were: Robert Careless (Charter), Rick Medlock (Inmarsat), Neil Warner (Chloride) and Kevin Young (Mouchel).