Brent Diffin Email & Phone Number

Belfast, Gb

Manchester Area, United Kingdom

Solution design, transformation and onboarding lead for Finance Managed Services for mid-tier businesses in the UK across various sectors, focusing on the people, process, technology stack, strategy, control and commercial considerations for clients undertaking an outsourcing or shared services strategy for their finance functions (across statutory and tax compliance, period end, finance operations (AP/AR), budgeting, FP&A and payroll). Undertaking finance and business transformation activities using both waterfall and agile methodologies to optimise finance function effectiveness (control, efficiency, insight) and deliver strategic initiatives. Reducing transaction processing times through a combination of process optimisation (standardise, simplify, automate, eliminate) and technology deployment (assess, design, construct, implement, review).Primarily working with the following technologies:• Core ERP platforms: Xero, AccountsIQ, Sage Intacct, MS Dynamics, Netsuite, Oracle, SAP• Process enhancement technologies: R2R - Trintech, Cadency, Workiva; P2P - Coupa, ABBYY; O2C - High Radius; FP&A - Anaplan• Process automation/data preparation: Python, Power Automate, SQL• Management reporting/data visualisation: Alteryx, Power BI

Belfast Metropolitan Area

Led the interim finance and project accounting business of PwC UK, part of the Execution Managed Services ("EMS") network. Finance Projects was a team of skilled and experienced finance professionals who provide a flexible approach to project or BAU delivery, through the provision of skilled, flexible resources or the stand up of bespoke delivery programmes.Key achievements• Directly line managed a team of over 75 accountants, designing a comprehensive training and development programme to empower and upskill finance specialists with project management and data analysis skills;• Achieved 30% year on year growth to £5m in revenue, implementing a diversification strategy, targeted skills gap recruitment and activating 2 new offshore hubs, against a division-wide average of 6% growth;• Led various marquee programmes as the senior finance resource, including a high profile Oracle re-design and backlog remediation in the public sector, and a multi-territory resource augmentation for an insurance client.

Belfast Metropolitan Area

Execution Managed Services ("EMS") is PwC's unique approach to combining the best sector and domain expertise with data-led insight and digital assets to provide end-to-end managed services, from strategy to delivery. Responsible for the creation, design and build of our finance and tax proposals and propositions, including people, process, technology, strategy and commercials.Key project experience• Project Pegasus: Project Pegasus refers to the execution of an orderly and phased withdrawal from the Irish Banking Market for a large retail banking group through the enablement of a large Performing Retail Portfolio loan sale. Served as the workstream lead responsible for leading the asset enablement for security, loan and KYC documentation for 2 workstreams, covering the Micro SME and Asset Finance loan books, over the course of 12 months. This involved the oversight of a multi-disciplined team (>40 resources) and regularly liaising with key senior leaders within the banking group and external deal advisors. The programme resulted in the facilitation of a loan sale deal exceeding €500m across the two books being struck with a competitor retail bank, and subsequent delivery of in-scope documentation.• Year End as a Service: Responsible for the design and delivery of a new, technology-enabled solution which supported client organisations with the processes and tasks associated with completing a year end cycle, including management of the audit inputs into the statutory financial statements process.• Project Pace: Responsible for the design and implementation of a revolutionary accelerated M&A hub in our Belfast service delivery centre, which facilitated financial due diligence and tax due diligence activities through an efficient and cost-effective "hub and spoke" model, underpinned by bespoke technology which served as a deal management and counterparty interaction platform.

London Area, United Kingdom

Supported clients in meeting their operational finance ambitions through the delivery of bespoke or standard outsourced, insourced and co-sourced finance solutions. Key project experience• Project Pill: Led the outsourced global tax compliance and finance operations for a FTSE-listed pharmaceuticals company on an interim basis across their EMEA, APAC and North America business regions due to audit restrictions being placed upon the current provider following a joint venture. This role involved the design and execution of a comprehensive transition plan, including production of process mapping and standard operating procedures and the coordination of finance operations (bookkeeping, balance sheet reconciliations and financial controls) and tax compliance (tax returns, tax payments, statistical reporting) activities across >40 global entities.• Project Future: This role entailed the spin-up of a large HMG fund to support capital raising for early stage businesses impacted by the pandemic, subject to matched funding from private investors. Responsible for designing and implementing the cash disbursement process and subsequently led the operations for all areas of application processing, including due diligence, legal documentation, portfolio management and customer contact. • Project Wonka: This role involved leading a team of 54 interim finance professionals to stabilise an expanding finance function across 10 additional EU countries of a global entity following a merger. Responsible for the roll-out of processes and controls across the 200 new subsidiary entities, as well as coordination and delivery of fully reconciled balance sheets for audit readiness and system onboarding across line items including intercompany transactions, corporation tax and VAT liabilities, bad debt provisions, investments in subsidiaries, goodwill and deferred rebate income.

Belfast Metropolitan Area

Joined the growing Operate business, the execution and delivery arm of PwC UK, to build out the new Finance Solutions business, which provides insourced, co-sourced and outsourced delivery models to client finance functions. Simultaneously provided support to clients through the delivery of numerous operational programmes.Key project experience• IFRS 16: Contributed to the design and operationalisation of PwC's innovative approach to IFRS 16 remodelling programmes in conjunction with our Assurance and Deals businesses. Subsequently led the delivery of various lease review programmes to help a number of clients undertake their new liabilities.• Project Drum: Operational Team Lead on a high profile Know Your Customer ("KYC") remediation project for a large multinational client, responsible for managing a team of over 30 due diligence analysts to ensure the efficient delivery of 3,000 KYC on-boarding files.

Manchester Area, United Kingdom

Primarily focused on providing operational support to Financial Services clients in the UK and Ireland, typically through undertaking industry secondments.Key project experience• Project Flight: This role was a 12 month secondment to the financial control function of a large, retail banking client undergoing a significant restructuring programme following acquisition by a US hedge fund. Responsible for the financial control of a group of SPV entities, managing auditor queries on securitised vehicles, the design and roll-out of a robust month end source to GL reconciliation and control framework for SPVs (across balance sheet, P&L and treasury items), the remediation of legacy intercompany balances and the facilitation of the migration of the chart of accounts from Excel based ledgers to an Oracle based ERP system.• Project Sycamore II: Led the credit review function within an Irish based bank on secondment for a period of 6 months. Key achievements within this role included the design, build and implementation of an advanced Excel/DAX/Power dashboard on production and quality to optimise stakeholder reporting to senior stakeholders, as well as the line management of 12 high performing credit analysts and quality controllers.• Project Sapphire: 3 month secondment in a local bank to facilitate the efficient delivery of a large scale customer remediation exercise, subject to regulatory scrutiny. Managed a team of 2 data specialists responsible for the collation and extraction of key loan data from various convoluted and often contradictory sources, due to the outdated nature of the bank's post-sale loans.• Project Heat: Site inspector in a high profile local Public Sector investigation in Northern Ireland, carrying out review visits and feeding back key data points to enable analysis of findings.

Belfast Metropolitan Area

Helping clients to create, assess, realise and protect value when advising on events throughout the deal life cycle - from transactions and related activities to restructuring, deal advisory or distress situations. Primarily working with mid-market businesses in Northern Ireland, across manufacturing, construction, real estate and charitable sectors.Key project experience• Project Block: Operational restructuring of underperforming client (post debt restructure) and ongoing monitoring (post IBR);• Project Column: Trading and structural review with complex debt restructure;• Project Moon: Mini IBR to negotiate capital moratorium with lenders;• Project Kinetic: Working capital and cash flow optimisation for high performing client;• Project Sycamore: Refinancing due diligence;• Project Ruck: Charity business plan development;• Project Lion: Development of CAPEX and payback model for property developer.

Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom

Nomad Digital is a dynamic technology firm, rooted in the vibrant community of Belfast, which aims to democratise data and technology; making it accessible to everyone and enabling people to achieve their greatest potential. Primarily working with organisations in the voluntary, community and charitable sector. Key responsibilities• Head of Finance activities: responsible for all aspects of running the internal finance function, including: strategic finance planning; performance management; business funding; finance operations (accounts payable and accounts receivable); budgeting and forecasting; financial analysis; tax compliance; statutory compliance and controllership.• Finance Transformation activities: supporting charitable organisations in maximising the potential of their finance and accounting systems, through the implementation, integration and optimisation of cloud accounting software (Xero).

Associate Chartered Accountant (Aca)

Exam and time qualified as of October 2017, with admission to membership confirmed in December 2017. Undertook the Advanced Performance.

Postgraduate Degree, Advanced Accounting

Successfully completed the Postgraduate Diploma in Advanced Accounting in order to gain CAP2 exemptions. Preliminary dissertation research.

Bachelor Of Science (Bsc), Accounting

Activities and Societies: Degree Plus for Language Specialisation (Advanced German for Business)Graduated with BSc (Hons) Accounting (2:1).