Elizabeth Kistruck Leading Motorway’s Financial Strategy as Chief Financial Officer
Executive Summary
Elizabeth Kistruck, often known as Liz Kistruck, made history when she joined Motorway as its first Chief Financial Officer in July 2023. With a remarkable track record in technology marketplaces and the travel industry, she brings a wealth of expertise to the UK’s fastest-growing used car marketplace. Her appointment marks a pivotal moment for the company as it enters its next phase of strategic growth and market expansion.
Professional Journey and Career Milestones
Current Role at Motorway
Since stepping into her role as Chief Financial Officer in July 2023, Elizabeth Kistruck has taken on the challenging task of building the CFO function from the ground up. Without any pre-existing structure to work from, she has established a comprehensive framework that oversees finance, legal, and commercial analytics functions across the organization.
At Motorway, Liz Kistruck serves as a strategic partner to the leadership team, focusing on identifying growth opportunities and driving acceleration in a competitive market. One of her primary responsibilities involves balancing the delicate equation between rapid market share growth and maintaining profitability—a challenge that requires both financial acumen and strategic foresight.
Previous Leadership Positions
Before joining Motorway, Elizabeth Kistruck held the position of CFO at Lyst, a fashion technology platform operating in the e-commerce space. This role provided her with valuable insights into marketplace dynamics and consumer behavior in the digital retail environment.
Her most extensive professional experience came from a 14-year tenure at Expedia Group, where she held multiple senior roles that shaped her understanding of large-scale operations. During her time there, she served as CFO for Hotels.com, bringing financial leadership to one of the world’s leading accommodation booking platforms. She also took on the role of CFO for Expedia for Business, managing the corporate travel segment of the company.
Additionally, Liz Kistruck held the position of SVP of Global Marketing Analytics at Expedia Group, where she led large multinational teams through periods of significant growth and transformation. This diverse experience across different business units gave her a comprehensive understanding of how finance intersects with marketing, operations, and strategy.
Early Career Foundation
Elizabeth Kistruck’s career began with roles as a manufacturing consultant, where she focused on process improvement initiatives. She also served as Commercial Finance Manager for Trade Paints at ICI Paints, which is part of the Dulux brand family. These early experiences in operational efficiency and commercial finance laid the groundwork for her future leadership roles.
Educational Background and Qualifications
Elizabeth Kistruck holds a Master of Engineering degree from the University of Cambridge, one of the world’s most prestigious institutions. This engineering background provides her with an analytical foundation that proves invaluable in financial strategy and problem-solving.
She is also a Chartered Management Accountant, having earned the CIMA qualification. This combination of engineering principles and formal financial training creates a unique perspective that she brings to her role at Motorway. Her technical education allows her to approach financial challenges with both creativity and precision.
Leadership Philosophy and Modern CFO Vision
Redefining the CFO Role
Elizabeth Kistruck believes strongly in redefining the CFO role beyond traditional finance responsibilities. She sees the position as that of a strategic business partner rather than simply a financial gatekeeper. This modern approach emphasizes collaboration across marketing, sales, product, and engineering departments.
Liz Kistruck advocates for using financial forecasts as directional tools rather than rigid targets. She prioritizes agility over perfection, understanding that in fast-paced business environments, the ability to adapt quickly often matters more than having flawless predictions. She firmly believes in bridging finance with commercial functions to create a more integrated approach to business decision-making.
Management Style and Values
At the core of her management approach, Elizabeth Kistruck combines data-driven decision making with people-focused leadership. She advocates for using what she calls a “licence to be curious” across all business areas, encouraging her teams to ask questions and explore new possibilities without fear of judgment.
Transparency and practical business logic are values that Liz Kistruck holds dear in her work. She promotes cross-functional collaboration, recognizing that the best solutions often come from diverse perspectives working together. Her personal motto, “Have courage and be kind,” borrowed from Cinderella, reflects her belief in leading with both strength and compassion.
Core Strengths and Areas of Expertise
Elizabeth Kistruck brings extensive marketplace and public markets experience to her role at Motorway. Her track record includes successfully scaling businesses from startup stages to high growth phases, navigating the unique challenges that come with each stage of development.
She excels at leading transformation in tech-enabled companies, where traditional business models meet innovative technology solutions. Liz Kistruck demonstrates financial discipline combined with strategic foresight, ensuring that short-term financial health doesn’t come at the expense of long-term vision.
Her expertise in building finance functions in fast-paced environments has been particularly valuable at Motorway. She understands how to manage the growth-profitability balance, making tough decisions about resource allocation while keeping an eye on sustainable expansion.
Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion
Elizabeth Kistruck plays an active role in Motorway’s Women’s Chapter initiative, demonstrating her commitment to supporting women in the workplace. She has hosted fireside chats and panel discussions specifically designed for women in the organization, creating spaces for meaningful dialogue and professional development.
Liz Kistruck advocates strongly for women embracing agency to create workplace change. Rather than waiting for opportunities to be handed to them, she encourages women to actively shape their careers and environments. As a mentor to female leaders and professionals, she provides guidance and support to the next generation of women in business.
Her position as a senior executive in both tech and finance makes Elizabeth Kistruck a powerful role model for women in these traditionally male-dominated fields. She demonstrates through her own career that women can reach the highest levels of leadership while maintaining their authentic selves.
Beyond Motorway: Additional Roles
Outside of her responsibilities at Motorway, Elizabeth Kistruck serves as a Non-Executive Director for the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. This role showcases her diverse interests and her commitment to contributing to cultural institutions beyond the business world.
Liz Kistruck is also a regular speaker at industry events and leadership summits, where she shares her insights on topics including scaling businesses, the evolving CFO role, and aligning finance with strategy. These speaking engagements allow her to contribute to broader conversations about financial leadership and business transformation.
Career Lessons and Personal Insights
Looking back on her career journey, Elizabeth Kistruck credits her early experience with process ownership as instrumental in shaping her leadership approach. Those formative years taught her the importance of understanding operations from the ground up.
She values the combination of her engineering perspective with financial expertise, seeing this blend as a competitive advantage in her work. Liz Kistruck believes firmly in not sacrificing personal fulfillment for the sake of “doing your time” in roles that don’t align with one’s goals or values.
One piece of advice that Elizabeth Kistruck often shares reflects her pragmatic approach to decision-making: “If it has to be now, it has to be no.” This philosophy helps her navigate high-pressure situations where quick decisions are demanded but more time would lead to better outcomes. Throughout her career, she has maintained an optimistic outlook, even when facing challenging circumstances.
Impact and Vision at Motorway
Since joining the company, Elizabeth Kistruck has positioned Motorway for its next phase of growth and profitability. She has established a modern, tech-enabled finance function that supports the company’s ambitious goals while maintaining financial discipline.
Liz Kistruck has provided strategic direction during a critical scaling period for the business. Her leadership has been instrumental in aligning financial strategy with Motorway’s mission of delivering a seamless digital car marketplace experience for both buyers and sellers.
Under her financial stewardship, Motorway continues to strengthen its position as a leader in the UK’s used car market. Elizabeth Kistruck’s combination of marketplace expertise, financial acumen, and collaborative leadership style makes her ideally suited to guide the company through its next chapter of growth and innovation.
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