Finola McDonnell

Questioner
DISC Type : c

Member Board of Trustees at Citizens Advice

United Kingdom

Overview

Finola McDonnell is the Chief Communications & Marketing Officer and an executive board member at the Financial Times, leading global strategy for the brand. Her extensive career includes senior communications and public affairs roles at CNBC, BUSINESSEUROPE in Brussels, and IBEC in Dublin, giving her a deep expertise in media and corporate affairs.

She is passionate about social causes, serving as a trustee for both Citizens Advice and the FTs financial literacy charity, FT FLIC. Finola began her career as a social policy specialist, with a focus on advocating for adult literacy programs, a cause she sees as parallel to improving financial literacy.

She describes herself as a "policy and political nerd" who is deeply interested in the macroeconomy.

Personality Overview

Systematic

Not Easily Convinced

Price-Sensitive

While they don't hesitate to ask questions, they are generally risk-averse and tend to be late adopters.  They prefer to fully evaluate every situation. They generally do not appreciate an overfriendly approach and prefer to stay to-the-point.

Topics They Care About

Global Brand Strategy
Leads the FT's global strategy across communications, brand, partnerships, and creative services, managing teams in London, New York, and Hong Kong.
Future of Media
In recent interviews, she discussed navigating industry disruption from AI, protecting intellectual property, and building trust to stay relevant in a changing media landscape.
Financial Literacy
As a trustee for the FT's charity, FT FLIC, she is a vocal advocate for improving financial literacy, which she connects to her early career in adult literacy advocacy.

Media Appearances

Financial Times appoints Finola McDonnell as Chief Communications and Marketing Officer. Featured in Financial Times – About Us (Press Release)

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Finola McDonnell – Chief Communications and Marketing Officer at Financial Times. Featured in The Org

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Finola McDonnell – Leadership Profile. Featured in Financial Times – About Us

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Work History

5-2020
Member Board of Trustees at Citizens Advice
2018
Chief Communications & Marketing Officer | Exec Board Member at Financial Times
2014 - 2018
VP of International Communications & Marketing at CNBC International
2013 - 2014
Director of Communications at BUSINESSEUROPE
2009 - 2013
Head of Public Affairs at Irish Business & Employers Confederation, IBEC

Education

2019 - 2019
Leading Organisations in Disruptive Times - Online Programme from INSEAD
2011 - 2011
Leadership Programme from NYU Stern School of Business

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 24 Location : United Kingdom Job Level : Leadership Designation : Member Board of Trustees at Citizens Advice
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Insights For Selling To Finola

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • If you have a lower priced product compared to the competition, call out the same
  • Emphasise more on facts and measurable benefits
  • Tell them that you will come back if you don’t have a good answer for a question

DONT's

  • Avoid rushing them, be polite and patient
  • Avoid phrases like ‘do not worry about’, ‘no one compares to’ etc.
  • Don’t try to be too friendly or informal with them

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Finola is

  • Confidence that the product provides ROI, effective pricing and process adherence matter the most to them.

  • Will you ever get a clear answer from Finola

  • It doesn’t come naturally to them but they can say no if they are not convinced.

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Finola move?

  • They can move at a reasonable pace while making their decisions if they have the necessary information.

  • Can Finola take some risk or not?

  • If they believe that they have analyzed the situation well, they can take a little risk.

You And Finola

Personality Compatibility


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