Sophie Cooper Pozsonyi: A Journey of Excellence in Finance at Colart Leads to a New Chapter
Sophie Cooper Pozsonyi, Head of Finance for the UK Business Unit, Colart UK Limited, will be leaving Colart on 19th January to take up an exciting role at ASOS, as Senior FP&A Manager, leveraging her passion for forecasting and analysis which she greatly developed at Colart. Sophie will be responsible for group financial planning and analysis, leading budgeting and forecasting process optimisations to support timely decision making.
In her own words ...
Sophie joined Colart in September 2017 as part of the great Finance function reset, initially as the International Finance Business Partner, making a rapid and deep impact on the Business Unit, instrumental in simplifying route to market, supporting shipment terms reviews to increase profitability, and an integral part of Colart Creative International, the French company than holds most of the International Business Unit.
Having developed her skills and experience in the International Business Unit, Sophie moved to the UK Business Unit at the end of 2019 – a great example of the developmental pathways available within the Finance function. Sophie joined the UK business unit at the time we were disaggregating CIHL and creating end-to-end Business Units in the UK and North America. This entailed merging commercial and logistics financial reporting under one set of management accounts and playing an integral role in the UK senior leadership team.
From 2021 Sophie also had responsibility for accounting for the Elephant business (and legal entity), building out management reporting and supporting the leadership team as the business diversified. Latterly Sophie has been managing Elephant to prepare for liquidation during 2024.
In addition to Sophie's responsibilities within her business unit, she has played an active role as an engaged member of the finance community. Beyond excelling in her role, Sophie has actively supported and mentored individuals succeeding her in the International Business Unit. Her commitment is exemplified by her endeavors to streamline and enhance finance operations. Notably, her drive to evaluate and gain approval for a new piece of financial planning and analysis software, Vena, that seamlessly integrates with Excel. This initiative, set to go live in 2024, promises improved data management, reporting, and automation.
Furthermore, Sophie consistently challenges and enriches her colleagues, including myself, with constructive feedback, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and excellence.
Sophie's successor as Head of Finance for the UK Business Unit will be James Whelan. We have already commenced the recruitment process for James' successor in the International Finance role and will provide an update when the team is finalised.
On behalf of the entire Colart team, I extend our deepest gratitude to Sophie for her remarkable contributions and wish her every happiness and success in her new endeavor at ASOS. Sophie leaves Colart in a far better place than when she joined us, and her legacy will undoubtedly endure.
Jonathan Spight
Chief Financial Officer