Claire Mackay

Finance & Operations Director

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About me

Having set up Collingwood alongside Doug Mackay 16 years ago, Claire has been part of the business since day 1.


After graduating, with a degree in International Management and French from the University of Bath I originally worked in purchasing for Kimberly-Clark before moving to BICC. I later chose to take a career break to raise my children, while they were very little.

Setting up Collingwood with Doug gave me the opportunity to work again and shape something from scratch, whilst maintaining a balance in terms of family and work.

My position within Collingwood as Operations and Finance Director, involves ensuring that our operations and processes are best in class, looking at continuous improvement in terms of our client and candidate experience, as well as managing the finances within the business. I also look after anything related to Health & Safety and HR.

Outside of work I enjoy

Going for long walks with my two dogs. I enjoy yoga and am also finally getting into running. Which I have found to be massively helpful for my overall wellbeing. I also love nothing more than being with my family enjoying a lovely meal (preferably cooked by someone else!).

I also enjoy volunteering with older people.  I have found this to be massively rewarding and really interesting.

What do you like most about your job?

When we receive positive feedback from clients and candidates who are blown away by the way in which we achieve success together. I also like implementing new processes and systems that improve what we do and the experience we provide for our clients and candidates.

Fun Facts

Favourite Film: All-time favourite is Pretty in Pink