We spoke with Andy Ridgway who, after years in the Corporate world, has made the brave leap into the Fractional world. Andy is using his blue-chip expertise to build finance infrastructure for smaller businesses that need his skills and background.
August 30, 2025
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After years in senior finance roles in the corporate world, Andy Ridgway has taken the leap into the fractional space. Now, he brings his blue-chip expertise to ambitious small and mid-sized businesses, building the financial infrastructure they need to grow.
We sat down with Andy to hear about his career journey, the lessons he’s picked up along the way, and what excites him most about this new chapter.
There have been a few stand-out moments and influential people. One was my supervising professor during my Master’s degree. I was excelling at the discursive modules, and he challenged me to take econometrics, a tougher choice, but it made me more rounded and directly led to my first graduate role.
Another was taking a job miles from home on large infrastructure projects. It gave me exposure to excellent business partnering and high-profile project accounting. That set me up for 15 years of working on big engineering projects, which I loved for their variety and the satisfaction of seeing tangible results.
A third came after missing out on a role. Reflecting, I realised I hadn’t been showing up authentically. That spurred my interest in emotional intelligence, both for myself and in supporting others, something that’s shaped my leadership ever since.
And of course, along the way, I’ve picked up lessons from great leaders. One MD I worked with had a collaborative, empowering style that really resonated and influenced my own leadership approach.
Ironically, it came from a redundancy. I’d just qualified as an accountant, joined a new company, and three months later, was made redundant. I returned to my previous employer and took a management role. Soon after, someone more senior left, and I volunteered to step up. That opportunity turned into a permanent promotion, and it was the moment someone first gave me a chance to lead people and processes.
For me, success shows up in a few ways:
Continuous improvement in processes giving quicker, better-quality outputs.
Reporting that genuinely supports decision-making.
Building a capable, engaged team that’s embedded in the business, and then seeing that team develop its own future leaders.
Yes, one that stands out is introducing a “Voice of the Customer” (VOTC) metric in a finance function. When I joined, stakeholders weren’t happy, and the team didn’t really understand why.
We set up a monthly score out of 10, with narrative feedback on why the score was given and what “better” looked like. It created a framework for constructive feedback and opened up two-way conversations, for example, helping stakeholders raise and code purchase orders correctly.
The impact was significant: stronger relationships, fewer admin errors, better control, and a clearer understanding of the numbers.
I’ve been lucky to work in some fantastic businesses alongside talented colleagues. I’ve seen best practices implemented and improved, and I bring both financial and leadership expertise. What I offer is blue-chip experience, but without the overheads of a full-time hire.
Variety. In my last few roles, I’ve worked in project-based environments, and I thrive on the change and challenge that brings. Whether it’s improving processes, restructuring teams, or building capability, I enjoy making an impact and then moving on to the next challenge.
Be yourself. When you relax and show up authentically, you find the right people and organisations. And then you can flourish.
Of course, I want to have had a positive impact on the organisations I’ve worked in. But more importantly, I hope I’ve helped others realise their potential and achieve their goals.
Well, I’d be playing up front for Manchester United, even if we are struggling a bit these days!
Failing that, I think I’d have enjoyed the legal profession; I love investigation and problem-solving as I have a logical mind.
👉 At PeopleRevealed, we love spotlighting fractional leaders like Andy who are bringing big-business expertise to scaling companies. If you’d like to learn more about working with a fractional Finance Director, get in touch with us.
