Specialty Trade All-Stars: Passing the Torch at Shapiro & Duncan

About 10 years ago, David Holmes and I were meeting for one of our monthly dinner meetings and he presented me with Shapiro & Duncan’s job description for a newly created controller position. David had served as CFO for over a decade for one of Washington, D.C.’s most respected mechanical contractors and was starting on a path to find a qualified controller to take his place for a smooth transition in five to seven years. He was always one to plan ahead and Shapiro & Duncan as a company has always been a contractor that is progressive and successful enough to provide the resources and take confidence in their team, allowing for successful transition. David hired his new controller and trained her for five years.

Shapiro & Duncan continued to grow and as David started to phase himself out, it became apparent that a company of that size was best served having two strong construction financial professionals to continue their success story. Kirsty Mastroni was hired as Accounting Manager in 2015. In 2017, their Controller was promoted to CFO and Kirsty Mastroni was moved up to fill the role as Controller.

Originally from the United Kingdom, Kirsty Mastroni graduated from Napier University and obtained her ACCA/FCCA qualification (equivalent to CPA) before moving to the United States. Joining the Shapiro & Duncan team as the Accounting Manager in May of 2015, Kirsty’s wide range of industry experience is comprised of financial, administrative, voluntary sector, welfare, analytical sciences, and retail. Additionally, Kirsty holds a certification in International Financial reporting and is currently working towards obtaining her Certified Construction Industry Financial Professional (CCIFP) certification. Her supervisory responsibilities include yearly financial productions, accounts payable, job cost functions, and payroll. Kirsty is a member of CFMA and the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants. As with the best-laid plans, a bump in the road occurred when the original candidate to fill David’s position moved on to another opportunity. After careful consideration, Shapiro & Duncan made the decision to continue to develop and promote from within and Kirsty moved up to CFO.

Both Kirsty and David have been strong supporters of CFMA and they’ve attended leadership and educational sessions on succession planning not just for owners and key managers, but also for the finance team within an organization. Shapiro & Duncan has also been extremely supportive of CFMA and many other industry-related organizations. They have sponsored the Greater Washington D.C. Chapter’s annual dinner at the Annual Conference & Exhibition.

Thanks to David Holmes for his many years of service to our industry, not just as an officer in the Washington D.C. Chapter, but as a member of the Mid-Atlantic Conference Steering Committee. CFMA wishes you much happiness in your retirement.

For Kirsty, we wish you continued success as you help steer the financial ship for an industry leader. As David was a mentor for me over many years, please consider taking advantage of other CFMA members in your Chapter, either formally or informally, to use as a mentor. It’s another unquantifiable benefit of the power of CFMA.

About the Author