Episode 6: Alison Cornwell CA
Indy Hothi CA is joined by Vue International CFO Alison Cornwell CA to discuss the future of talent in the profession, the importance of 'soft skills' and enduring allure of a trip to the cinema.
Alison qualified as a CA with Coopers & Lybrand Glasgow in 1990 and spent 5 years in corporate finance in London before joining Disney’s International TV business where she was CFO responsible for content licensing to TV broadcasters, Disney Channel and a portfolio of equity investments - all across EMEA, Asia Pacific, Latin America and Canada - generating annual revenues of $2bn.
In 2005, wanting to do something truly entrepreneurial, Alison joined a management team which diligenced, acquired, restructured and expanded an international broadcasting business. The private equity-backed venture delivered significant growth and was sold to NBC Universal at the end of 2007.
Following this, Alison was appointed CFO of the Goldman Sachs backed international film distribution company Alliance Films. After six years and a number of corporate acquisitions, and the creation of a successful film financing unit which included titles such as The Woman in Black - Daniel Radcliff's first film post Harry Potter - Alison led the exit process and sale of the business to a FTSE 250 company in 2013.
During the integration process, Alison was approached to join Vue International as CFO.
Alison has held a number of non-executive positions. She was a member of the Board of Governors of the British Film Institute from 2013 to 2018 and also chaired its Audit Committee. In 2016 Alison joined the board of CMI, a Scottish charity which runs the Edinburgh International Film Festival, and in 2018 Alison became a member of the ICAS Council and the chair if the ICAS Oversight Board.
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