Ben White Email and Phone Number

Running a successful business is about far more than knowing the numbers – it’s what those numbers mean and how you structure your business from the top to bottom that makes all the difference. As an experienced finance director, I work in partnership with owners and CEOs on a flexible basis to ensure they are making the right decisions and taking the right action to achieve their goals. A modern-day finance director should have strategic input on the entire business that goes beyond making sure the accounts tally up, from establishing brand identity and location scouting to evaluating asset ownership and international trading opportunities, For me, five years with Deloitte to train as a Chartered Accountant followed by a three-year stint with Kingfisher gave me an excellent breadth of experience and clear insight to what a business needs to do to function successfully. From that time until now I have been involved in a variety of industry sectors, but I have a particular specialism with brands, retail (on-line and in stores) and fast-moving consumer goods. At Kingfisher (B&Q) I learned about retail product management and forecasting, capital appraisals and store rollouts, re-branding and delivering a competitive advantage, strong financial stewardship and excellent cash management.I then moved to a Business Development Director with Britt Alcroft where the focus was on growing this small, but successful plc through acquisition and the development of new revenue streams, fund raising, financial modelling and investor relations.I became CFO at GAME, the fastest growing High Street retailer between 2005 and 2009, where my focus was on driving profitable growth, securing debt financing, significantly reducing operational costs and maximising working capital. Now, as a Director of Avonglen, I work with a portfolio of brands and businesses going through both good and bad change to help them achieve their ideal outcome. As a part-time finance director, I act as the first- lieutenant (or right-hand-man) for owners and CEOs to help them establish or review company vision, prepare a strategy to reach their goals, identify weaknesses and build on the strengths of the commercial model while also supporting the day-to-day finance operation.