A captivating start
Have you ever wondered what happens when an engineer turns into a global financial leader? How does someone navigate from flipping factory floors to managing millions in a tech-driven marketplace? Meet Elizabeth Kistruck, whose story proves that bold transitions and purpose-driven choices can reshape not just a career but industries.
Early foundations: the engineering mind
From the outset, Elizabeth Kistruck brought precision and logic to everything she touched. With a master’s degree in engineering from the University of Cambridge, she didn’t just pick a field because it was popular; she embraced problem-solving. Later, she moved into process-improvement roles across manufacturing sites in Europe. That chapter taught her how systems work, how small inefficiencies can cascade, and how structure supports growth.
Transition into finance with intention
Then something shifted: Elizabeth Kistruck moved into finance and accounting. Her training as a Chartered Management Accountant (CIMA) deepened her toolkit. What stands out is that she didn’t abandon her engineering mindset; she leveraged it. Cost structures, risk assessments, and analytics all became pieces of the same puzzle she had once been solving from the manufacturing floor. Her dual background gave her an edge: she could understand both the machines and the numbers.
Climbing the ranks: global travel and marketplace expertise
Elizabeth Kistruck’s career then took her into the digital and global arena. She spent fourteen years at Expedia Group, holding senior financial roles, including CFO functions in areas like Hotels.com and the affiliate network. Her work encompassed B2B and consumer finance, marketing analytics and global operations. Through that journey, she learnt how to scale businesses across geographies, how to pivot with digital disruption, and how to make finance a strategic partner rather than just a reporting function.
Leading in a new industry: Motorway
In July 2023, Elizabeth Kistruck took on the role of CFO at Motorway, one of the UK’s fastest-growing online marketplaces for used cars. In this role, she oversees finance, legal and analytics functions at a time when the automotive industry is undergoing rapid change. What matters here is not just the title but how she applies what she’s learnt: start-up pace meets mature structural discipline; data meets operations; strategy meets execution.
Redefining leadership through purpose
What makes Elizabeth Kistruck more than just another executive is how she defines leadership. She emphasises curiosity, empathy and inclusion. In interviews, she talks about making spaces where people feel safe to bring their full selves, to ask questions, and to challenge assumptions. She also highlights that leadership isn’t about power; it’s about service and enabling others. Her engineering background still shows: she asks, “What works?” and “Why does it matter?”
Tackling the male-dominated spaces
When you walk into industries like automotive or finance, you’ll often find gender gaps, structural assumptions and norms that favour the familiar path. Elizabeth said that once she was told in a consulting role to hide her age to earn trust. Yet rather than shrink into that suggestion, she used it as a reminder: trust is built through authenticity, through competence, through relationships, not masks. She became someone who leads with her identity rather than hides it.
Strategy, structure and agility in balance
One of the biggest tensions for any executive is balancing structure (processes, controls, metrics) with agility (innovation, speed, adaptation). Elizabeth Kistruck draws upon her journey to manage both. Her engineering background says “measure and optimise”; her marketplace experience says “move fast and learn”. At Motorsway, she’s tasked with growth, margin, data insights and future vision, all while ensuring the business remains nimble.
Culture matters as much as numbers
What often gets overlooked in senior roles is the human side. Elizabeth Kistruck sees culture as a strategic asset. Her leadership means building trust, encouraging voices that aren’t always heard and scaling teams without losing voice or purpose. She has spoken about being intentional about diversity and inclusion rather than relying on passive momentum. This is important because for her, leadership is not just “what I do” but “who we become together”.
Broadening impact: more than one role
Beyond her main executive position, Elizabeth Kistruck holds non-executive director roles and serves in governance. This shows her willingness to step into different domains and bring her experience to broader sectors. It also means she stays connected to the wider ecosystem, not just her own company.
Legacy and future questions
What will people remember about Elizabeth Kistruck? Scenes of boardrooms may fade, but the mindset persists. If she continues on this path, she’ll likely be known for:
- Making finance centre-stage in digital marketplaces
- bridging tech/data skills with financial acumen
- shaping inclusive leadership cultures
- enabling companies to grow rapidly without losing their heart
As you reflect on her journey, some questions arise: What might our own field look like if more people navigated like she did, starting in one domain and moving into another? How can we bring purpose into roles that often seem purely functional? What happens when leadership focuses less on titles and more on impact?
Why her story matters to you
Maybe you’re not looking to become a CFO or run a marketplace. But you might be looking to lead differently. The story of Elizabeth Kistruck reminds us: backgrounds matter, but do not define your end state. Engineering, finance, marketplace or boardroom – these are just settings. Purpose, curiosity, adaptation, and people-centric leadership are what move you forward. And when you build your store, you don’t have to choose only one lane. You can bring many skills, many experiences, and many sides of you and lead with them.
Further context and connections
For those curious about her professional background and board roles, you can find a comprehensive view of her career in relation to the finance and management domains at this link: All Family Trees results for Elizabeth Kistruck
And if you’re interested in how leadership legacies quietly shape institutions, you might enjoy reading about: How the Duchess of Kent Quietly Shaped the Monarchy.
Final word
Elizabeth Kistruck is showing that leadership is not about the sector you start in, the title you hold, or the standard path you follow. It’s about how you carry your values, how you connect with people, how you keep learning and how you lead with purpose. If you’re building your own version of leadership, her story offers both inspiration and an invitation: lean into your varied skills, remain curious, and never treat structure as a barrier to creativity.
