As Chief Financial Officer , Lucy Gallagher plays a central role in shaping the company’s financial strategy and supporting its ambitious growth plans.
With a career that spans professional practice and elite sport, Lucy brings a wealth of experience and a passion for building strong, future focused finance teams. In this interview, she reflects on her career, and what excites her most about the future of the business.
Tell us a bit about your career so far
I started my career just before my sixteenth birthday, joining Grant Thornton as one of the first people to take part in their accountancy apprenticeship. I qualified there and ended up staying for ten years, progressing from Tax Assistant to Manager within the Tax team.
After a decade, I realised I wanted to experience life inside a business, supporting its growth, helping to overcome challenges, and contributing directly to its success.
I spotted a role at City Football Group, the parent company of Manchester City, and as a lifelong City fan I knew I had to apply. I joined to head up the Tax and Reporting team. It really was my dream job, and I was lucky to get involved in a range of really varied and interesting activities, from player transfers to UEFA audits. It gave me a real appreciation for the nuance and pace of working within industry.
After a couple of years, the opportunity came up to lead the finance function at Activate Group. It was a difficult decision to leave City because of my personal connection to the club, but I could see what an incredible opportunity the role at Activate Group offered. It was a chance to build a team, shape the function, and make a real impact.
I joined Activate Group in 2019, and since then the finance team has grown to around 40 people. I have had the privilege of watching the business grow and evolve, including through our private equity investment with Elysian Capital. My role has grown alongside the business, which has been incredibly rewarding.
What initially attracted you to a career in finance?
I always really enjoyed maths, and it was my strongest subject at school. When I went for careers advice, accountancy naturally came up as an option.
I knew I wanted to start earning rather than go into further education, so the idea of working and learning at the same time really appealed to me, so I spoke to my mum about the apprenticeship route and decided to go for it.
When I joined Grant Thornton I was the youngest person there, so I had to quickly adapt to the expectations of a corporate environment.
Studying while working was tough, especially when my friends were enjoying a more typical social life, but it was worth it. By the time I qualified at 22, I already had three years of experience, something university graduates still need to complete before becoming fully qualified.
Outside of work, what do you enjoy doing?
I have two children, so I spend a lot of my time with them. I am still a big Manchester City fan, and I love watching football whenever I can. Any spare time I get, I enjoy spending with friends.
How do finance and operations work together at Activate Group?
I believe finance should act as a strategic partner to the business, supporting the leadership team to make informed decisions that accelerate growth.
Day to day, we do all the things you would expect: paying suppliers, collecting payments promptly, and ensuring the business meets all its tax and reporting obligations.
Beyond that, we work closely with each area of the business to understand their objectives and support the planning process with medium and long term forecasts and analysis. I’m very proud of the relationships my team are building with key stakeholders across the business, and the value they deliver to the leadership team – and this is something that will continue to develop as the business grows.
What are you most excited about for the company over the next couple of years?
There is a lot to be enthusiastic about. FleetScout, our new AI powered vehicle inspection tool, is a particularly exciting development because it is genuinely innovative – a ground-breaking product with huge potential.
Our core business also has significant opportunity to expand, both in terms of customer base and repair centre footprint.
More broadly, the industry itself is full of opportunity. We are on a strong growth trajectory, and one of the things I love about our culture is that we never stand still as a business. Things are always evolving, and we are constantly looking for new ways to meet the needs of the market.
