Independent finance director providing ongoing or project support to SMEs on a part-time basis. Negotiated a successful transfer of core clients from CFO Centre which provided them with seamless support.

Self-employed finance director to a number of SMEs who needed part-time expertise. Added value to a range of diverse clients including a woodworking machinery company, a metals supplier, a security company, an engineering group and an international professional services group.• Completed an MBO and organised international structure for a group.• Guided on strategy including exit strategy.• Created budgets and improved accountability outside Finance.• Set up three year what-if forecasts to raise funding.• Implemented monthly / quarterly reporting and delivered ongoing Board presentations.

Finance Director reporting directly to the Group Managing Director and to the Chairman:• Production and delivery of all consolidated finance presentations to main Board at regular meetings to tight deadlines.• Challenging and agreeing budgets / reforecasts with the Board and subsidiaries.• Regular decision making and strategy input especially in relation to business growth and acquisitions. • Direct involvement in sales price proposals and renegotiations.• Operating as Finance representative on the Board of US and Japanese joint ventures.• Implemented consolidated monthly reporting and KPIs : later brought in an Adaptive cloud-based system.• Managing group-wide annual audit, changing auditors to improve value and managing internal control risk.• Recruiting an internal auditor and setting up an internal audit process.• Interpreting and challenging subsidiary financial performance with a key role at bi-monthly subsidiary board meetings - driving gross margin improvements.• Frequent visits to associate company in Sweden and reporting to Board. Handling contract issues and collecting €7m of overdue receivables at the company.• Dealing with commercial, finance, legal and tax aspects of acquisitions and also of new Chinese, Japanese, Romanian, Mexican, Indian and American JVs and subsidiaries. Visiting operations to set up and then review progress.• Building and leading a new Finance team. Managing relationships with divisional directors.• Leading Finance group-wide “get-togethers”.• Devising investment appraisal processes. • Dealing with payroll and HR issues to deliver auto-enrolment and salary sacrifice schemes, saving approximately £100,000 pa in payroll cost. Presenting to workforce and dealing with IT issues.• Handling all statutory reporting.• Managing bank relationship and devising a group treasury policy to reduce FX exposures.

• Led two successful implementations of Oracle. Designed processes and resolved issues in Finance, sales order administration and workshop/bills of material. Managed change, structured and organised training and carried out user testing and go live tasks. Oracle integrated two systems into one achieving large efficiency savings for the company. • Supported commercial decision making and strategy in Board meetings.• Led a team in Finance and re-engineered monthly management reporting to give a quicker more streamlined process.• Worked with suppliers to implement new consignment stock systems to simplify transactions.• Visited and appraised Board of potential acquisitions.• Built on-going relationships with key suppliers and customers. Reduced overdue receivables by £70,000.

• Addressed problem areas such as overdue receivables, contract losses at subsidiaries and incentivised local management to improve collections.• Worked extensively on acquisitions involving high level due diligence meetings, legal documentation, post purchase working capital adjustments, and integration.• Dealt with IFRS, UK and Dutch GAAPs in consolidating group accounts and producing statutory reports.• Introduced banks to refinance the group and reduced finance costs. Dealt with legal documentation.• Set up treasury policies and centralised FX transactions to reduce cost. • Produced documentation and forecasts, which ultimately led to the disposal of the group to MRC.• Drove group wide cash improvements through working capital reduction and cash targets.• Designed / implemented tax planning schemes including international transfer pricing mechanisms. This reduced tax costs in the group by utilising tax losses.• Recruited staff to increase the group finance team.Group Financial Controller responsibilities included preparation of monthly consolidated results, KPIs, budgets and reforecasts. Additionally incorporated holding company bookkeeping, recharges and payroll.

Responsibility in a support centre for cash and treasury management, credit control, purchase ledger and customer financial service processes. Managed a team of over 40 people working with HR as issues arose. Dixon Motors operated over 100 motor dealership and repair sites. Achievements:• Implemented a cash forecasting process to control debt.• Set up processes to control site spending.• Rationalised bank account and trade funding structures, saving funding costs and charges.• Initiated weekly meetings to regulate vehicle purchase commitments and bulk deal stock. • Implemented and administered treasury / cashiering IT systems. This automatically reconciled and posted transactions reducing headcount.• Set up a treasury function and policy reducing the cost of debt and FX exposures.• Provided financial input into new vehicle point of sale initiatives to ensure they were robust.• Managed property joint ventures and raised finance.• Handled relationships with all banks in the syndicate. Negotiated refinancing.• Dealt with all consignment stocking legal issues, including issues due to the closure of MG Rover and successfully negotiated a £1m+ vehicle discount with its funder – Capital Bank.• Attended Board meetings in an advisory capacity.• The “face of Dixon Motors” – invited to promote the company on TV media

• Dealt with daily financial and other business start-up issues.• Developed a business plan and successfully raised venture capital of approximately £1.5m.• Set up all accounting records and implemented Sage to control the business.• Assisted with feedstock sourcing and logistics. Increased volume of front-end textile.• Handled publicity and presentations and successfully sold recycling ideas to related industries.

Two short term assignments as Group Treasurer and Tax Manager reporting to the same Finance Director. Responsible for the groups’ global tax position and all treasury issues:• Controlled funding strategy and exchange / interest rate exposures. Reduced FX exposures.• Successfully negotiated a £130m syndicated facility to refinance the group and reduced interest costs.• Renegotiated private placement debt and reduced exit cost.• Substantial involvement in a high level tax integration process. Successfully aligned the structures and tax interests of Kalon Group, Petrofina and Total Oil.

Experience as Group Accountant, Tax Manager and Treasurer: • Responsible for production/review of monthly consolidated financials, budgets, statutory accounts, and subsidiary performance reviews. Dealing with US GAAP.• Controlled group’s tax position. UK and US compliance work and most tax planning dealt with in-house. • Assisted business development director with on-site investigations of potential targets, acquisition justifications, due diligence and post acquisition integration.• Treasury role - reporting of weekly cash performance to the Board and analysed contract cash variances. Managed bank relationships, raised finance, handled foreign exchange and interest rate exposures.