JESS MASTERS
Wilderness Director of Finance and Operations for Direct Sales
Jess joined Wilderness in September 2022, bringing with her several years of financial experience across a range of industries. She believes in leading from a foundation of support, kindness and mentoring, and brings invaluable experience, fresh thinking and energy to the team. She will play a key role in integrating and growing Wilderness’ direct business.
Jess is a problem-solver at heart and loves the challenge of identifying where changes in a business can add value, and efficiencies and improvements in culture to lead the change. Finance has evolved over the last decade and she believes it is important to assist, educate and deliver commercial insight to businesses.
Jess, who presently resides in London, grew up on a farm in North Devon, England. Destined for a career in finance her first role, at the age of 13, was assisting her neighbour as a bookkeeper.
A hard worker, Jess acquired her accountancy qualifications at 16, thereafter obtaining a Business Management degree from King’s College London in 2012. After graduating, she accepted a position at Deloitte in their Private Markets Audit team, specialising in Consumer Businesses. In 2016, she qualified as a Chartered Accountant through the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW).
Motivated and eager to progress, Jess’s career has involved roles at some of the most entrepreneurial, highest growth companies in the UK, including sports nutrition brand Bulk, market-leading athleisure company Gymshark, and global hair care retailer, Philip Kingsley. Prior to joining Wilderness in 2022, she was working for Jacada.
Jess firmly believes that if you want something you need to go for it, nobody else is going to get it for you. This thought process has led to defining moments across her career. After a few years of working in fast-paced environments, she took a step back and realised that she wanted a change. Jess wanted to make a difference and to work for a company that positively impacted our world.
In her downtime, Jess loves to read and volunteers at a charity bookshop on the weekends. She is a fitness enthusiast and enjoys spending time at the gym. Passionate about travelling and exploring new places, she has already ticked 30 countries off her travel list, with some adventures including climbing Mount Kilimanjaro and trekking in the Himalayas.
Jess is thrilled to combine her excitement for travel with her career and notes: “I wanted to work for a company that makes a real difference. Wilderness really does positively impact the wildlife and communities it operates in. I wanted to be a part of it”.