Cathy Montesin

Take us back to the beginning. How did your career start?

I started my career at PricewaterhouseCoopers in Brisbane in the business services team, before moving into the corporate finance team three years later. That move allowed me to work in the US in San Francisco for two years. Working for a global company meant there were opportunities to travel across the globe, so after living and working in San Francisco I moved to London, then back to Australia to reside in the Sydney office. After almost a decade at PwC, I made the move back to Brisbane and joined the transaction team at Ernst & Young, working within this team for seven years. I had my three children in that time as well, and Ernst & Young provided me with the support I needed to juggle early motherhood and my career.

I had great relationships with all my clients at Ernst & Young and in particular built a really strong rapport with the team at one of my listed clients. After seven years with the transaction team, I moved to my client to head up the Financial Planning and Analysis team. This was my first time moving to a corporate environment from the professional services world, and the existing relationships were key to ensuring it was a smooth transition. It was a busy time and I experienced and implemented a lot during the five years I was there. Towards the end of my time there, the company decided to move their head office to Melbourne. I wanted to stay in Brisbane, and was given an opportunity to join a boutique corporate finance and growth consulting firm. It was a great company, but after working in a commercial role the previous five years I realised that I was more suited to commercial life than consulting. I was fortunate to be offered an opportunity to join Affinity Education. Affinity Education operates 227 childcare centres across the country under several different entities. I’m the Chief Financial Officer and Company Secretary and have worked in this role for over four years now. I’ve always enjoyed accounting and problem-solving - it’s something I clicked with from a young age. I feel very lucky to be able to do something I enjoy at an amazing workplace like Affinity Education.

What would surprise people about your role?

It’s more operational than people realise. I work very closely with our small executive team and the operations teams as well as my teams every day. Yes, the core of the role is certainly anchored in optimising the financial results, but that requires fully appreciating the impacts of all parts of the business. You need to understand how each area of the business works to truly drive company value.

Chief Financial Officer & Company Secretary Affinity Education

What skills have served you well in your career?

Over the years I have appreciated the value in having the ability to listen and be humble. No matter how much experience you have, as soon as you start a new role in a new organisation, you’re starting from scratch again. You have to be humble, listen and learn until you gain a true understanding of the business and role – then you can start to make your mark.

Another thing I have learned to be is the person who gets stuff done. I absolutely ensure I maintain a focus on quality and accuracy, but at the end of the day what is most useful to an organisation is the ability to take a problem, make good decisions, achieve an outcome, meet your deadlines, and get stuff done. That problem-solving and getting-things-done mentality has been incredibly useful in my career.

What is your proudest career achievement so far?

I'm proud of my whole career and where I am right now in my journey. This role brings together all the experiences I have accumulated along the way and allows me to use those experiences to add value across the whole company. Perhaps my proudest moments are when my daughters accidently let slip that they are proud of me and what I have achieved in my career. Nothing really beats that.