My journey Justin van Wijngaarden CDir of G H Financials Limited
The case study below provides an in-depth view on the journey to the Chartered Director Qualification and how the IoD programme has supported Justin van Wijngaarden in his professional development.
As a holder of over 20 years’ experience within financial services at a number of leading organisations, in addition to a MBA in Strategy & Finance from the University of Durham, Justin has been a chartered director since 2014.
Your current role
I am group chief financial officer & company secretary at G H Financials Limited in London. I sit on the board of the holding company of the group along with two other executive directors and two independent non-executive directors.
About me
I have held CFO / COO and other senior roles at many prominent financial services companies including Lehman Brothers, Jefferies International, Numis Corporation PLC and Tibra Capital. I qualified as a chartered accountant with KPMG and hold memberships of the Association of Corporate Treasurers and Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment. I also hold an honours degree in physics from Imperial College, London, a MBA from Durham University Business School and I have continued to maintain an active interest in continuing professional development throughout my career. I never stop learning and as I look back on my career this attribute has helped me so many times!
Your journey to your current role or position
I have sat on many group company boards over the last ten years including those of listed and private companies in the UK and outside of the UK. My current role involves a significant amount of autonomy within a strong framework of well managed corporate governance and regulatory oversight.
How have IoD qualifications, through certificate to chartered director, supported your journey:
The Chartered Director Qualification has been and continues to be a fantastic grounding in operating effectively at board level and really appreciating key aspects of stakeholder management and corporate governance.
The most important attributes for a director and the most important business values that you hold:
- Strategic direction
- Business delivery and financial performance
- Stakeholder management
- Risk management
- Capability and development monitoring
IoD involvement
I attend the City of London IoD Branch events as well as the annual IoD Conference and Chartered Directors’ Seminar. These events are commercially relevant to my business and my day to day director activities.
How and where you believe the IoD and its qualifications can contribute to the economy, better boards and society:
Better run businesses contribute to an improved economy and business arena. Understanding the key parameters of doing this can only help in the long-run. The Chartered Director Qualification made a significant contribution to my effectiveness in this area.
Looking to the future, what are the areas of governance/director’s duties that may be key, what would you like to see change?
Having an effective board with healthy challenge and support remains key. I think that the pervasive nature of social media and cyber activity needs to be embraced and understood by boards so that opportunities can be taken and risks better managed.