Kirsty Dent on her way to becoming a CFO

Kirsty Dent on her way to becoming a CFO

In 2018, FTA member Kirsty Dent was awarded a scholarship from Women & Leadership Australia to support her ongoing professional development.

Having seen the Finance and Treasury Association LinkedIn post promoting the scholarship, Kirsty was instantly interested in finding out more and didn’t think twice about applying. ‘The program is specifically designed for leadership development for women in finance and it stood out to me as a program that would help my confidence and develop my skills as a leader.’

Kirsty’s ultimate career goal is to become a CFO and a Board Member. In order to do so, she recognised that she needed to work on her leadership skills. In her current role as Treasury Analyst for Brisbane Airport Corporation, Kirsty has huge exposure to majority of the treasury functions however saw a gap she needed to fill.

‘My role is to ensure that all the cash flows of the company are effectively forecasted for and supporting the core treasury functions. In order to achieve my long-term career goal, I recognised that I needed to work on my ability as a leader.’

Kirsty has almost completed the Accelerated Leadership Performance Program, which allows participants to explore their strengths, areas of development and opportunities in order to build and maintain highly effective teams. ‘The modules focus on different areas of leadership development such as feedback, communication, conflict resolution and leading throughout change periods.’

The benefits have already taken effect with many of the newly learnt skills put into practice, opening new opportunities for developing her leadership skills and empowering her to lead within the organisation. ‘I have been able to mentor new employees within the greater corporate finance team, as well as take greater responsibility to oversee team members meeting their goals.’

When asked what advice she would share with women in treasury who want to enhance their career prospects she focussed on two areas:

Broaden your network
Kirsty spoke about how the FTA networking events and annual conference have been invaluable to her career path. ‘You never know who you’ll be able to connect with and where that connection will lead you. Broadening your network outside your organisation is extremely valuable.’

Be open to a mentor
If you are open to having a mentor, it can be the key driver to your success. ‘Find someone who you believe can provide general advice and guidance on how they achieved their career outcomes. Mentors can provide insights into their successes and missteps and steer you closer to your career goals.’

If you’d like to follow in Kirsty’s footsteps, applications for the next round of Scholarships close 22 March 2019.

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