People Spotlight

Meet Stacey

Stacey Kent, Global Finance Director is one such inspirational woman working for Morgan. She is based in Windsor and works in our Seals and Bearings global business unit. Stacey has worked at Morgan for 13 years in a number of different roles. Stacey began her Morgan career within the treasury space and commented; “I felt like this was a comfort blanket as I knew what I was doing.”

Stacey is also a great leader to her team which has only increased over time. More recently Stacey was highlighted by several members of her team as an inspiration to others. This feedback was received as part of a celebration of the women behind Morgan’s success and linked to International Women’s Day celebrations.

We sat down with Stacey to ask her views on why her team and others believe she is such a great role model.

How do you find being a leader?

I'm quite a people person so it comes naturally to work with people. I wouldn’t say that I'm outwardly outgoing and chatty, but I do like to make sure that people are comfortable and safe in the environment that they're working in. That is where I see my role as a leader. It's not as a technical expert, I am there to coach and guide the team.

How have your experiences helped you within your career?

Experiencing challenging situations have made my career and have led me to approach my team and situations in a specific way. Although there have been challenges and at the time it felt difficult, these challenges have had a positive effect on my leadership skills in the long term. I would also say it's made me a bit more open to taking risks. My earlier career within Morgan was within the treasury space, I felt as if that was my comfort blanket but as I moved through different roles, I gained more exposure each time. Through those challenges and experiences, both from the external and internal environment have helped me in the way I assess situations and with my leadership processes.

How do you positively influence members of your team?

I make sure that I reach out to each of my team for a one-on-one session, just check in and make sure they are okay. It is important for me to discuss their wider career aspirations, where they want to go and how I can support them as their team leader. I think this helps positively influence them, as they know they can feel comfortable when talking to me. I think just knowing that you’ve got someone who’s happy to sponsor you and support you is always nice when you report to someone. I’ve experienced that from my leaders or from people that I work with, and I try to replicate that as much as possible.

How do you find working at Morgan?

I really like it, as I've been here 13 years! The key that makes Morgan a great place to work is the people that you work with, many of them have been brilliant. I've always felt like at Morgan we have done a lot of work to bring in a lot of talented people and working in amongst that is great. Seeing the investment in our people is really good. Having a strong executive group of people who are quite diverse, open to change and moving Morgan along is crucial to making Morgan a great workplace as well.

Did you take inspiration from anyone when becoming a leader?

I'd say when I first began my leadership role at Morgan, I was very close to that starting point. I didn’t feel like I had much experience in being a team leader or what approach to take. Then I decided to join the 'Catalyst’ programme, which is designed to support leaders and help you test the waters on some different leadership approaches, styles and work out who you are in your space. That was really helpful, and I think that the Morgan talent team does a fantastic job on those programmes. It has inspired me to get involved every year as someone who's been through the process, to support on a coaching and mentoring level. Other than this, I have been fortunate to have had quite a few good bosses over the years. I've always felt valued, so I always incorporate that into my leadership approach.

It is important for me to work for an organisation that treats people fairly and in terms of how I like to work it helps me stay focused knowing I share the same values as the company I work for. It is important for people to feel empowered and allow them to take responsibility and learn from their mistakes.

Manufacturing and finance is a particularly male dominated space, what would you say to other women to encourage them to get involved in the field?

Diversity in the industry benefits everyone and drives better performance, trying to fit the mould and adjusting your own style to fit in with what has been accepted in the past limits change. Leading with compassion and empathy is possible.

What advice would you give to your younger self?

Be yourself, the best outcomes and results come from a place of authenticity. Being yourself means you are more invested in activities and people around you will put more trust in actions that are authentic.