Phil Benson Fcca Email & Phone Number

Harlow, Essex, United Kingdom

Harlow, Essex, United Kingdom

London, United Kingdom

My first short term placement and fresh exposure into the digital media industry. ad2one is an international digital media group delivering market-leading campaign solutions, to advertisers and publishers, across a range of products and technology.In distressed circumstances, it was my responsibility to provide stability, experience and technical insight to the finance team. I have undertaken an extensive review of existing finance records, assessed the validity of the reported financial position and accounting treatment, and provided confidential advice and regular updated to the US based CEO. Current year financials, including balance sheet restructuring, and management accounts are to be restated in preparation for audit.Other responsibilities have included the introduction of tools and models to create forecasts, effectively manage cash, improve financial reporting and secure finance. Further work will include the implementation of financial controls and monthly reporting workflows, whilst recruiting the most suitable candidate to join ad2one UK on a full time basis and continue developing the team, function and business.This placement is expected to be completed in April 2018 and I am keen to source my next short term position, as a senior finance professional, to add value with new clients.

I spent this time enjoying a short career break and then pursing my next interesting career opportunity, having voluntarily left my role with Unitum and successfully negotiated an amicable shareholder exit. I was successful in securing my inaugural interim placement in a new industry environment and location.During this period, I used this sabbatical to travel around South East Asia.

Hertford

Unitum Group, including the Crystal Umbrella and Atlantic Umbrella brands, provides employment and tax services, to over 1,500 contracting and freelance professionals. Having joined the Group as Chief Operating Officer, as part of a MBI in 2010, my varied skillset and experience allowed me to also take on the role as Chief Financial Officer, following an internal restructure in 2015. I planned and undertook assimilation of the finance function and responsibilities into operations, in order to reduce costs and inefficiencies. Headcount was reduced by 60%, whilst communication and the quality and timeliness of outputs were much improved.I was responsible for the financial operations and management, back-office contractor processing and operational support across the business. As an active and valued member of the board, I was prominent in strategic planning and service delivery, whilst being the company technical expert meant I was the senior authority for product design, compliance governance and critical decision making.During my time with the business, I was influential in the creation of an organisational and support infrastructure which allowed us to pursue our ‘buy and build’ strategy and increase turnover to £68m. I was a key player in several successful acquisitions of competitors, having led the compliance and financial due diligence pre-acquisition and subsequently integrated the businesses into either adopting our operational procedures or migrating into our existing umbrella brands and systems.I provided day-to-day direction, leadership and strategic vision at board level, but my strengths come from being hands-on, understanding the detail and involvement in the delivery of projects. As project owner and key influencer, project successes included business process re-engineering, software development and implementation, and product design to comply with ever-changing legislation, improve efficiency and meet business demands.

Hertford

This major competitor was acquired into the Unitum Group to double the contractor base, expand referring agency contacts and ultimately increase profits and business value.During this acquisition, I was responsible for managing the migration of the business to our existing processes and systems, whilst ensuring that the company was fully operational and compliant on a day-to-day basis. I subsequently led the full integration to our headquarters and closure of the existing operations, in order to maximise cost savings and minimise disruption.Other responsibilities and achievements as per Unitum Group (above).

Hertford

As a board member, I am able to provide a collaborative approach and make critical decisions based upon my experience, detailed knowledge and understanding of how a business, and its systems, operates.During my tenure, employment intermediaries faced a deluge of legislative changes that would significantly impact the industry continually over a number of years. It was my responsibility to identify these changes, understand the new regulations and implement innovative solutions, in order to remain compliant and maintain service levels. The numerous projects included the successful revision and development of our product, processes, pay calculation and software, to adhere to new legislation (RTI, MSC, AWR, Pension Auto-Enrolment, Salary Sacrifice & Travel Expenses, Off-Payroll Working).We also accomplished several proactive improvements to the customer experience, under my management, by redesigning our contractor portal and client on-boarding procedures, together with negotiating an enhanced expense policy with HMRC.Other responsibilities and achievements as per Unitum Group (above).

Hertford

My role was to provide technical support to the organisation, by offering advice and decisions regarding product design, process workflow and company literature, to ensure that we remained compliant with tax, employment and contract legislation. I was required to research, interpret, document and communicate relevant changes in regulations, so the business was kept up-to-date and maintain its reputation as a compliant provider. Due to my extensive knowledge of the company and the sector, I was required to contribute strategically and assist the board in key decision making, as well as apply my insight to the development of systems, processes and training.I was a key member of the implementation team for a new CRM system and client portal, with full responsibility for compliance assurance and the delivery of all financial aspects of the project. We were effective in automating financial operations and the integration with payroll and accounting software. I was also responsible for devising and delivering a company-wide internal training initiative, to improve industry/product knowledge and transform the attitude towards compliance risk.I designed and developed a progressive suite of accountancy services for freelancers and small business clients, as an alternative solution to our umbrella company, which included cloud accounting software and an online support platform.

I managed the finance functions on a day-to-day basis, with P&L and Balance Sheet responsibility across 10 trading entities, including the timesheet/payment processing and support for over 1,500 contractor employees. My teams were accountable for management and statutory reporting, finance and compliance audits, budgeting, multiple daily payrolls, timesheet analysis and invoicing, sales and purchase ledger control, and company secretarial duties, together with cashflow, treasury and asset management.I was responsible for ensuring that the company remained compliant with relevant legislation and amending processes, controls and payment solutions accordingly. I was also required to establish and manage relationships with external parties (HMRC, bank, auditors, advisors and consultants).During my time in this role (including NLL), the finance department grew from 2 to 20 staff and I took responsibility for the recruitment, training and development of staff, including ACCA, AAT and CIPP studiers. I was able to deliver high quality standards and productivity by leading and motivating staff, through encouragement and a hands-on approach to management.Our project successes included the replacement and upgrade of the payroll, taxation and accounting software, including bespoke developments in conjunction with Sage, Iris and TaxCalc, in order to reduce manual procedures and optimise accuracy. Ongoing process reviews allowed us to improve efficiency and the department value to the business, by streamlining financial workflows, introducing rigorous controls and enhancing data flow, reporting, debt management and payroll processing.

Hertford

Pocket Accounts was established following the successful pilot of my cloud accounting services concept, which embraced integrated technology to streamline traditional methods of engaging customers, bookkeeping, storing client records and correspondence, reporting and billing fees.Initially, I was responsible for setting up the practice, defining processes and workflows, sourcing software options, establishing external partners to supplement the business offering and recruiting a qualified accountant as practice manager. Thereafter, I utilised my knowledge and experience to provide hands-on support to the team of accountants and mentor the practice manager as part of his development.

No Longer Limited was provider of contractor solutions to freelance professionals, working predominately in the engineering and IT sectors. The business grew rapidly during my time there and had a turnover of £50m, when it was sold to Crystal Umbrella in 2008.

Ba (Hons.), Management Studies, 2:1

Management (Strategic, Financial, Operations, Human Resources, Marketing, Public Services, TQM) Financial & Management Accounting.

A-Level

Mathematics; Further Mathematics; Business Studies; English Literature; General Studies

Gcse