One to watch: Divinia Knowles

Divinia Knowles, FCMA, CGMA, the CFO and COO of digital entertainment company Mind Candy, has helped bring to life and monetize Moshi Monsters, the London company’s popular brand of computer games and merchandise.

With entrepreneur and company founder Michael Acton Smith, Knowles is concentrating on extending the reach and life span of Moshi Monsters while trying to turn Mind Candy, a company of 220 people, into a billion-dollar global entertainment business.

“The key to becoming truly global is being able to capture kids and families around the world and to have a portfolio of brands aimed at different demographics,” she said.

Mind Candy is preparing to set in motion an initial public offering (IPO) in the near future, something the company started readying itself for early on. The IPO would also see Knowles’s role evolving into a more operational and strategic one. That could mean a new CFO coming on board. “The trigger we always said was if there was an exit for our investors on the horizon,” she said. “We built the team from the start so that I can be part-time as FD.

“My role will be about making sure everyone is on board with the strategic direction. It will also be about how we scale the business, making it bigger and better.”