Director of Business, ICAEW

Stephen Ibbotson
Stephen is a graduate of Birmingham University and trained as an ICAEW Chartered Accountant with Ernst and Young in London where he worked in audit on a diverse range of companies before moving into a career in industry. First working for BTR PLC and subsequently into his first operational role at Dunlop Footwear, following BTR’s acquisition of Dunlop PLC. He then undertook roles at the Littlewoods Organisation PLC as the head of planning and profitability for the mail order business and Finance Director of the retailer Toy & Hobby Limited in Liverpool.
Seeking new challenges, Stephen moved to Avon Products Inc. where he gained extensive experience covering all aspects of Finance, customer service, strategic planning and property. At Avon he was UK CFO, UK Customer Service VP, European CFO and Group VP Corporate Controller based in New York. During his time at Avon he gained broad international experience working in both the UK and USA as well as travelling extensively.
In his business career Stephen gained a wide range of experience in transformational initiatives including restructuring, outsourcing and major IT systems implementations.
As Director of Business at the ICAEW Stephen has led efforts to strengthen relationships with business members including developing new services , thought leadership and events . He also acts as a media spokesperson commenting on economic performance and issues that impact business and is keen to engage with members, especially those working in business.