“Trust your instincts and do it your own way!”: An interview with Natasha Frangos: 2021 Finance Businesswoman of the year

Across 20 categories, the Awards celebrated over 80 shortlisted business people, spanning multiple sectors of the UK business landscape including construction, sport, food & drink, creative industries and many more.

We caught up with last year’s Finance Businesswoman of the Year, Natasha Frangos, to find out what winning this award meant to her, more about her career journey, and what we can expect from her in the future. 

Natasha is Head of Corporate and part of the Management Board at Haysmacintyre. She specialises in advising ambitious, scaling businesses operating in the UK and globally in the creative, media and technology industries. Natasha works with a range of dynamic and innovative businesses to help them achieve their goals, grow and expand. 

Our panel of expert judges commended Natasha on her success in helping guide other businesses into success and being a supportive figure to all of her clients - which was what saw him take away the Finance Businesswoman of the Year  Award 2021.

Natasha has been given multiple awards for her efforts and achievements over the years, so we were keen to find out what winning this award meant to her, and what impact winning had on her. 

“As a woman in finance, I’ve had to ‘jump through hoops’ and push virtual boundaries throughout my career so to receive this award meant a lot to me! I am very proud to be an award winner amongst such incredible businesswomen” she said.

Natasha has clearly made a huge impact in her role at Haysmacintyre and has done a lot to help other people on their journeys, so we wanted to find out more about her career journey, and how she has ended up where she is today. 

“I joined haysmacintyre as a trainee in 2001 and worked my way up the ranks to become a Partner by the age of 30. I then became Head of the Creative, Media and Technology Sector, before progressing to Head of Corporate. I also hold a place on haysmacintyre’s Management Board. Over my career I have specialised in advising fast growth, ambitious businesses throughout their lifecycle.”

The finance world that Natasha resides, in is one of those that is known to be male-dominated, which amplifies Natasha’s achievements even more. Due to this, we were interested to know if she had faced any significant hurdles throughout her career. 

“I was one of haysmacintyre’s first female partners to go on maternity leave, which wasn’t easy. At that time, the firm’s maternity leave considerations were not sufficiently robust so I spearheaded the project of developing and enhancing the firm’s maternity policy, to ensure that others following behind me would be provided with more benefits than I experienced.” 

By spearheading the implementation of new policies, and pushing better benefits for women at haysmacintyre Natasha is helping create an environment that is more inclusive, and empowering for other women. But can more be done?

We asked Natasha what she’s focusing on currently, and what we can expect to see from her in the future. 

“I am Head of Corporate at haysmacintyre and am responsible for overseeing the firm’s four corporate sectors, and I am also a member of the firm’s management board. This, alongside working with my wonderful clients and teams, as well as attending events always keeps me busy! But we also have some exciting things happening at the firm which will bring with it new challenges which I am very excited for!” she said.   

The future of women in business seems bright, especially when we have the likes of Natasha leading by example. So, lastly, we asked Natasha to share one piece of advice with all of those women making their way through the world of business.

“Trust your instincts and do it your own way!” she said. 

Are you a woman with an inspiring career story like Natasha? If so, you can pre-register your interest for this year’s Great British Businesswoman Awards here.