Acorn winners 2012 – Catherine Lavin

Age 29

Position Director of finance, Liverpool City Centre and Preston Marriott

Nominator David Thomas

Proudest career moment Opening the Twickenham Marriott hotel in 2008. In the first nine months of trading, we achieved a net return to owner and in addition to that my audit scores were the highest of the 50 UK hotels at the time.

Greatest inspiration Director of finance Sonia Cunliffe, who recruited me for the Twickenham hotel. During the three years I worked for her I witnessed her go from director of finance (DOF) of two properties in London through to DOF Middle East & Africa. She is a strong role model as a successful businesswoman and continues to mentor me from afar.

Ambition To continue to grow in a multi-national company, gaining further international experience and reaching senior executive level.

With an internship at Marriott's Baltimore hotel, a degree in international hospitality management and a CIMA qualification, Catherine Lavin's career with a multinational hotel chain was blessed from the start. She has since led teams into new territory for Marriott and been faced with challenges not seen before by the company, particularly when working on the opening of the Twickenham Stadium hotel in 2008 as assistant financial controller. It earned Catherine promotion to assistant director of finance and accounting at Marriott County Hall and subsequently responsibility for two properties, when she was offered the role of multi-property director of finance for Liverpool City Centre and Preston Marriott. The properties have turnover of £4.6m and £5.7m respectively and two managers and seven staff report to her.