Victoria Ulyat | Age: 46 Finance lead, COO strategic programs

Axa UK

London

In the summer of 2020, in the middle of the pandemic, Victoria Ulyat, a seasoned senior finance leader in the retail industry, found herself out of work.

“A lot of businesses were holding back on recruitment at that point in time. It took a lot of resilience to just stay focused and positive in terms of searching for a new role,” Ms. Ulyat said.

Her perseverance paid off when she secured a temporary role working on a transformation program at Axa. Working in a business that wants to empower people, she said, was an opportunity she couldn’t turn down.

“I took a chance on Axa, and Axa took a chance on me,” she said.

Ms. Ulyat has held many different roles in commercial finance during her career. She started off as a sales ledger clerk, then became an analyst in food retail before working her way up to head of finance and other senior leadership roles.

“I have never had a planned career path. I have just taken opportunities when I think things are going to broaden my experience and provide a challenge,” she said.

Ms. Ulyat has a calm, engaging way that makes people want to cooperate, but her attention to detail and her ability to take core data and translate it into something consumable is what sets her apart, said Shaun King, strategic partner and transformation director at Axa UK.

“Since she’s been with us in the insurance business, she’s been such a jewel in the crown and a role model with her dedication,” Mr. King said.

Of her ability to distill complex business data into clear commercial insights, Ms. Ulyat said she was fortunate that one of her managers in the early part of her career taught her to focus on how to bring to life the numbers in a story, to think about the question being asked and whether it’s been answered for the audience.