We sat down with Laura Cox, CFO at Sophia Webster, the creators of head-turning heels and a £13 million turnover, to check in on her journey since being part of an AllBright Elevator cohort. Our Elevator programme is designed to support women looking to step up to a C-suite and that’s exactly what Laura did, so let’s take a look at her journey!

Laura’s career journey, so far

My journey has been quite varied but consistent in that each of my roles have been interesting and challenging in their own ways. Following my degree in finance in Ireland I moved to Manchester to do a masters in fashion buying. I always knew that while accounting was going to be my profession I would be more likely to succeed in an area that excited me.

I started off working in the commercial finance team for Selfridges which gave me such an incredible start in a fast-paced and dynamic finance environment. From there I went into consulting, working for a number of brands across fashion and wellness, which brings me to where I am today with Sophia Webster.

What is the best career advice you’ve ever been given?

My best career advice is actually just to give advice in general which I think is so important for everyone, especially women. My dad once said to me, while I was deliberating over whether a new role was too challenging for me, “you will either sink or swim, and you have not sunk yet – so have confidence that you can swim”. This has really stuck with me and I have relayed it to countless people who I have had the pleasure of working with or advising.

What has changed since becoming Chief Financial Officer?

I think for me the biggest learning curve has been re-learning that every company is unique with different people, culture and experiences. They all have their own nuances and my experience has to be adapted to match, or integrated for change where necessary. There are different processes, different ways of doing things, even different roles within teams which means redefining what I would have thought my role to be. It's fascinating to see things being done differently and where I can add value with change, or where I can learn from other perspectives.

I think for me the biggest reward is knowing that I am a strong and important voice in a company and my work is driving something. Whether it is advising directors or leading within my team, it is very rewarding to know that I am helping drive this company to success.

I would encourage all women to aim big in their careers and work for their goals. It is so important that we have women in leading and influential roles to inspire future generations.

The Elevator experience

I was at a point in my career where I had done the hard work but leadership did not necessarily come easily to me. In order to climb the ladder, I felt I was more of a worker bee and transitioning to a position of leadership was daunting to me. The elevator course was instrumental in building the skills I needed as well as giving me the confidence to dive into leadership.

The modules and coaching in Elevator helped me to understand areas to focus on and where to direct my attention for my development. Meeting the other elevator women was eye-opening. Spanning across different industries and career paths there are so many women in the same situation and looking for the same development as myself.

For me the coaching was invaluable. While this was the area I didn’t spend much time thinking about or preparing for before Elevator, this was the area I felt had the most profound impact on my career and development. The coaching put a lot into perspective and helped me prioritise both work and life and really understand where I wanted my career to go and what type of leader I wanted to be.

I think Elevator is a very important course for women. We can get so caught with up working and driving our careers, proving that we are capable of doing everything (professionals, mothers, wives etc) that we can get a bit lost in the direction or look back with pride on what we have achieved and how best to move forward. The opportunity to meet other women in the same situation, hear from other successful women and learn key skills to progress is invaluable and all areas addressed in the course.

What’s next?

Who knows! I have learned to go with the flow to a certain extent and take challenges as they come with my career. I absolutely love my current role and my company is great to work for. I continue to learn and develop even within an industry I have been in for 13 years. I would love to take on a NED role within the industry and long term I would love to progress and expand my remit outside of finance and into an MD or CEO role so I continue to soak up everything I can. 

If you are interested in stepping up into a leadership role and don't know where to start, find out more about our personalised senior leadership programme, Elevator.