Joanna Harris

Doer
DISC Type : sd

Head of Finance - Argos at Sainsbury's

London Area, United Kingdom

Overview

Joanna is a CIMA-qualified Finance Director with over 11 years of experience in the retail and hospitality sectors. She specializes in commercial finance, strategy, and business transformation, having held senior leadership roles at major companies like Sainsburys, Waitrose, and wagamama, where she has a track record of driving change.

She has unique experience leading operating model design for large-scale transformation programs, focusing on integrating organization, process, culture, and technology.

Personality Overview

Results Focused

Fast-paced

Long-term Focused

They are very professional in their approach and can weigh multiple perspectives together.  Reading between the lines and seeing beyond your words comes naturally to them. They exhibit a rare combination of being result-oriented but patient at the same time.

Topics They Care About

Commercial Finance
Her career is centered around commercial finance, with roles as Head of Commercial Finance and her current position as a Finance Director in retail.
Business Transformation
She has direct experience leading operating model design and business transformation for major change programs at the John Lewis Partnership.
Retail Leadership
Holds extensive senior finance leadership experience within top UK retailers, including Sainsbury's, Argos, and Waitrose.

Media Appearances

Joanna has no verified media appearances

Work History

4-2025
Head of Finance - Argos at Sainsbury's
6-2024 - 4-2025
Head of Finance - General Merchandise & Clothing at Sainsbury's
4-2023 - 6-2024
Head of Commercial Finance at wagamama
3-2021 - 3-2023
Business Manager (Chief of Staff) to Executive Director, Waitrose at John Lewis Partnership
10-2019 - 2-2021
Operating Model Lead at John Lewis Partnership

Education

2013 - 2013
Education details unavailable from Oxford Summer School Retail Academy
2010 - 2013
Education details unavailable from The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 9 Location : London Area, United Kingdom Job Level : Mid-senior Designation : Head of Finance - Argos at Sainsbury's
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Insights For Selling To Joanna

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Focus on the results that your product produces, expect some strategic questions in return
  • Suggest clear next steps with confidence, don't be vague or hesitant
  • Stick to your standard pitch and qualifying script, don't try to wing it

DONT's

  • Don't shy away from asking hard questions, but be extra polite
  • Don't focus too much on mutual contacts or bother about other stakeholders, focus on them
  • Don't get into pricing discussions early on, steer conversation towards proven results

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Joanna is

  • Strong proof of impact and their conviction will matter the most, but they wouldn't want to act unilaterally either
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from Joanna

  • They will say no if they are not convinced but you will have to prompt them.

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Joanna move?

  • They will want to understand things well but can move fast once they have a clear picture.
  • Can Joanna take some risk or not?

  • They have good risk tolerance but are likely to think it through once or twice.

You And Joanna

Personality Compatibility


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