Celebrating Toni Clarkson | IWD

For International Women's Day 2022, we decided to celebrate successful women in our business, get to know them and promote their achievements both inside and outside of the workplace.

Can you tell me about your role and your career path?

I started working at Holdan in 2018 as a Management Accountant. It was a year and a half later, in 2019 that I was offered a General Finance Manager position.

Have you always wanted to be in finance? Even when you were younger?

Yeah! The main goal was to do what I enjoyed that’s going to make me financially independent. I never wanted to rely on anybody.

Was there anything else you ever wanted to do instead of accountancy?

I seriously looked into opening up a wedding dress store as a one stop-shop.

Did you have to sacrifice anything to get to where you are now in your career?

In finance, you can’t have certain times off for holiday – month ends or times when you must do your budget or audit. Even if there’s a wedding, you can’t have it off.

Is there a person that makes your days at work more fun?

With such a small team, we’re there for each other. Adele is fantastic and I rely on Dom a lot.  We’ve got the best parts of being in a small team but then the really good parts being a part of a big group like Midwich.

Is there anything that your co-workers don’t know about you? A secret hobby?

I used to swim a lot and I was a national champion when I was 13 years-old for breaststroke.

What did being an athlete teach you?

You get into the healthy lifestyle, it’s good for your well-being and your mind. I learnt discipline and how to manage my schoolwork and training. It taught me balance and social skills that I later transferred into my adult life.

Did you receive any type of advice that really resonated with you?

I was ending my swimming career and focusing on accountancy. My mum’s friend from Scotland looked at me and went: ‘You’re a loser, Toni!’. I remember looking at her and thinking ‘I will prove you wrong’.

Any advice you would give to someone wanting to be successful?

Be honest. Don’t sugarcoat things and set the right level of expectations.

What does success mean to you?  

I like being a role model for my children. I think success is work-life balance for me.

International Women's Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. Significant activity is witnessed worldwide as groups come together to celebrate women's achievements or rally for women's equality. 

International Women's Day has occurred for well over a century with the first gathering held in 1911. The campaign theme for International Women's Day 2022 is #BreakTheBias. Whether deliberate or unconscious, bias makes it difficult for women to move ahead. Knowing that bias exists isn't enough. Action is needed to level the playing field.