David Keens, group finance director, Next plc

Working overseas

I qualified with the ACCA without going to university, which is not today’s standard route but was the best way for me at the time as I wanted to gain a broad range of experience as quickly as possible. I later took up an industrial post with a multinational food company and was sent to North Africa to start up a new export division. Working in a foreign country, where the languages are Arabic and French, was tough work and there were also significant business difficulties to overcome – but ultimately I enjoyed the experience immensely.

Riding out the recession

On returning to the UK, my first role was to merge two companies within the organisation before moving to a corporate role and later into the treasury department. This led me to a career at Next plc, where I joined in 1986 as their first group treasurer. In developing the treasury function it was a natural move to be heavily involved in a series of mergers, acquisitions and disposals. In 1991 I took on the role of group finance director. The business was in a precarious financial position around that time and it was during the depths of a UK recession, so this was a huge business challenge for me. However, it was still a thoroughly enjoyable time and required a strong sense of purpose and a lot of determination.

Life in retail

One of the most exciting aspects of working in the consumer retail sector is the constant change that takes place and immediacy of the business information available. Every morning I see the sales revenue from the day before, which is very energising and great motivation for continuous improvement. I would advise graduates looking at a career in financial management to remain determined and flexible in their personal and business attitude. Always remember that somebody has to have the top job – so why not you?