KPMG director wins Welsh Woman of the Year Award.
Katy Chamberlain, director of Enterprise Wales at KPMG in Cardiff, has won the prestigious Management Achievement Award at the Welsh Woman of the Year Awards 2000.
The annual award ceremony is in its seventh year and attracted hundreds of entries. Chamberlain beat three other finalists for the management achievement category which aims to recognise women holding a managerial position who have shown strength, leadership and initiative.
She qualified as an accountant at business adviser KPMG in 1987, after fighting back from a serious car accident.
A twelve-month secondment to the National Assembly for Wales led her to a key position in the economic development team before she took on a role in corporate finance as senior manager of the team which advised Celtic Energy on their successful #100m management buy-out of British Coal’s South Wales opencast mines.
In 1995, her leadership skills were brought to the 60-strong audit department in Cardiff, which quickly responded with improved team morale and financial performance.
Chamberlain’s first love in her career has always been working with growing and expanding owner managed businesses and this was rewarded last year when she was selected to spearhead the firm’s services to this market in Wales.
The judging panel said that they were impressed with her management skills and enthusiasm for life.
Chamberlain commented: ‘It is fantastic to win this award, and I’m really proud.
‘I think that accountants often suffer from a collective lack of esteem for the job they do, so I’m particularly pleased as a member of the profession to be given this public recognition for my work.’
She married and has a young daughter, and enjoys riding her horse.