Winners 2024

Finance 2024

Cathy O’Callaghan became president and CEO of Ford Motor Credit Company in February 2024, reporting to John Lawler, Ford’s chief financial officer. In this role, O’Callaghan leads the team responsible

for Ford’s financial services business, a key profit centre within the US company. She was previously vice president, controller and chief accounting officer for Ford, during which she helped separate Ford’s financial reporting within three business segments: Ford Blue, for combustion-engine vehicles; Ford Model e, for electric vehicles and software development; and Ford Pro, for commercial vehicles and operations. Before that, she was CFO of Ford South America.

O’Callaghan started at Ford in 1990 and has held a number of key roles for the company in the UK and mainland Europe, including finance director of Ford of Britain and finance director of Ford Switzerland. She has a degree in economics from the University of Reading and is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants.

Finance 2024 nominees

Karen Anderson, Vertu Motors

Karen Anderson helped set up Vertu in 2006 in order to create a sizeable dealer group through acquisition. Vertu now boasts over 180 outlets branded either Vertu, Bristol Street Motors or in Scotland, Macklin Motors. As a board member, Anderson handles the legal and regulatory side of the organisation as company secretary as well leading the financial side. Prior to Vertu, Anderson was group financial controller for Reg Vardy, which she joined in 2000 after seven years working for consultancy firm Arthur Andersen.

Jean Smith, VWFS UK

Jean Smith holds the key post in the Volkswagen division that finances vehicles sold at VW Group brand dealerships in the UK. It is the largest of the ‘captive’ (ie manufacturer-backed) finance houses. She moved to this role in 2019 from the position of joint managing director at VW Financial Services in the Netherlands. She’s been with the division since 2001 working in the UK, Europe and also China, where she helped launch VWFS operations in 2004. She joined from BMW where she worked in various financial services roles.

Ursula Wingfield, BMW Group Financial Services

In 2021 Ursula Wingfield added the role of CFO for BMW leasing company Alphabet in the UK to her job as CFO of BMW Financial Services in the country, a position she has held since August 2020. Ursula previously spent five years as CEO of Alphabet Germany, a job she was promoted to from head of sales and marketing from BMW bank. Prior to that she worked in financial services with the companies in both Canada and in South Africa. She studied in South Africa, gaining accreditation from the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants.

Tracey Leith, BMW Group Financial Services

Tracey Leith is responsible for the operational service delivery, processes and quality management systems for BMW Financial Services as well as finance arm Alphera and the leasing brand Alphabet. As such she oversees an operation of nearly 500 people who interact with 650,000 customers. Tracey was promoted to her position in 2018 when she moved from South Africa after a career spent with BMW FS there starting in 1999.

Alice Altemaire, Mobilize Financial Services

Alice Altemaire looks after the UK arm of Renault’s bank, which provides finance to dealers and customers of Renault, Nissan, Dacia and Alpine. She took up the role in July 2019, having previously been head of mobility services at the bank’s head office in France. Altemaire has been at Renault for 15 years and was the chief financial officer when the UK arm of the bank started in 2015. The UK arm manages more than a quarter of a million loans, making it one of the largest among RCI’s country divisions.