"Product Innovation is core to our business -
its one of the principal reasons we’re so successful in so many different product sectors"
Matthew Nicholls - Managing Director
Nick Batty
Nick Batty
Group Finance Director
Chancellor Batty was born and raised in West Yorkshire, at an early age his parents spotted his potential, with never ending mathematical questions about subjects as diverse as chaos theory. With his eye for detail and an almost prophetic insight into macro economic policy, he soon came to the attention of Downing Street.
Nick was born and grew up within 10 miles of the Group head office in Leeds. With six O levels and four A levels obtained at local schools and colleges in the area, he went to De Montfort University in Leicester in 1988. He studied there for three years, and, following a short period of travelling in Europe, returned to the Leeds area in 1992 with an honours degree in Accountancy and Law. He started full time working life in the finance department of local government, initially in the billing department and subsequently in the arrears collection team for Kirklees Metropolitan Council. In early 1994, he joined a local manufacturing company Pullmax Ltd as assistant accountant, reporting to the Finance Director, where he was responsible for all aspects of the accounts for this medium sized company. It was during this period that he began studying for the Chartered Certified Accountancy qualification, partly through night school and also though home study.
In September 1995, he joined Yarwood Leather Ltd in the role of Financial Accountant. He qualified with the ACCA in 1998 before being appointed to the board of Yarwood Leather Ltd in March 1999. He was appointed Group Finance Director, 3 years later, and now manages a team of four staff, taking responsibility for all aspects of the Group accounting function.