Experienced Finance Director with broad and wide ranging experience in finance, team development, leadership, strategy, planning and commercial / operational roles.

SCTS is a non-ministerial department of the Scottish Government, which supports justice by providing the people, buildings and services needed by the judiciary, courts, Office of the Public Guardian and devolved tribunals. My role and responsibilities included:• Being a member of the senior management team who provided professional accounting, budgeting and wider financial stewardship advice & guidance to obtain best value from budgets• Responsible for a c.£120m annual budget sourced from direct income streams and Scottish Government funding• Improved the performance of the finance and procurement team of 27 staff through strong leadership and mentoring• Developed and support a team of qualified, part qualified and administrative staff to empower them to follow their chosen career and personal development objectives• Delivered assurance and reporting on the financial position to senior leadership team, management board, audit & risk committee and various Scottish Government finance teams• Produced the audited annual report and accounts and supported senior managers to deliver the regular budgeting exercises• Delivered a challenging and value adding finance business partnering service that assisted with budgeting exercises and monitored performance using informative MI• Prepared and reported on quarterly financial performance and provided regular financial updates & management information packs directly to the Chief Executive • Liaised with external stakeholders including internal and external auditors and ensured recommendations were implemented• Developed and maintained costing models• Completed project appraisals and financial aspects of business cases• Provided user friendly & informative financial data to support strategic decision making

• Supported a wide range of teams to budget, forecast and aid decision making on the financial performance of the business with a particular focus on costs• Proactively used robust commercial awareness to support and challenge the business to achieve stretching financial targets in line with the Bank’s overall goals• Built strong and credible relationships with the management teams in each business area, delivering analysis, reporting, insight and financial guidance• Drove effective financial control processes, insightful financial planning and value oriented support to the business• Reviewed current processes, made recommendations for improvements and ensured that these were fully implemented

NRS is a non-ministerial department of the Scottish Government, which provides registration services for Scottish births, deaths, marriages & census data. It is also the custodian of the national archives of Scotland.• A member of the senior management team who provided professional accounting, budgeting and wider financial stewardship advice & guidance to obtain best value from budgets • Responsible for a c.£34m annual budget sourced from direct income streams and Scottish Government funding• Improved the performance of the finance team of 10 staff through strong leadership and mentoring• Delivered assurance and reporting on the financial position to senior leadership team, management board, audit & risk committee and various Scottish Government finance teams• Produced the audited annual report and accounts and supported senior managers to deliver the regular budgeting exercises• Prepared and reported on quarterly financial performance and provides regular financial updates & management information packs directly to the Chief Executive • Liaised with external stakeholders including internal and external auditors and ensured recommendations were implemented• Provided user friendly & informative financial data to support strategic decision making• Reviewed income source arrangements and developed pricing policies• Provided training and guidance on VAT, year-end exercises and good budgetary controls and management to budget holders

A large UK based corporate bank, with global operations and client base, where as a contractor I gathered testimony from SME customers to assist in the Financial Conduct Authority’s review of interest rate products.• Held customer meetings to gather testimony from customers and advisors on the context of the sale of a range of complex interest rate hedging products

A UK based charity with operations across Africa to assist and care for abandoned children where I worked to improve operations in the finance department in Kenya while completing my CIMA qualification.• Responsible for the c.£1m annual budget• Prepared and reported on quarterly financial performance, provided regular financial updates & management information directly to the Kenyan based chief executive and also to the UK based FD• Managed the finance team of 6 staff, providing staff training and mentoring• Produced the annual budgets & capex needs across three trading entities with fifty reporting departments • Produced the management accounts, presented them to the senior management team, dealing with queries in a skilled manner to improve non-finance managers understanding• Introduced the production of weekly cashflow forecasts to better control cash management• Oversaw the annual audit, which completed quickly with a 75% reduction to required audit adjustments• Undertook a review of main income sources and ensured pricing was appropriate• Provided training and guidance on year-end exercises and good budgetary controls and management across the organisation

• Completed extensive and detailed interrogation of financial information and data from customers to assess financial viability using various project appraisal techniques• Carried out detailed reviews and analysis of customers’ monthly management and annual accounts to monitor performance and to assess financial sustainability• Undertook comprehensive risk assessments on business, sector, operational and financial risks, involving researching the companies, competitors and sectors to provide commentary on the key risks each customer was facing and how those risks were being mitigated • Produced complex financial models and sensitivity analysis on corporates to support lending decisions• Utilised commercial skills by successfully restructuring debt to greatly improve the risk profile of the Bank• Demonstrated excellent relationship management skills, striking a balance between the needs of the customer and the de-risking objectives of the Bank while delivering on multiple stakeholder requirements.• Took responsibility for ensuring that all regulatory reporting requirements were met • Provided MI and month end reporting for the senior team, to assist with decision making. These reports also tracked the profile of the portfolio to enable better planning and controls• Line managed and mentored a small team and provided leadership and support to peers and junior staff

Delivered c. £400m of new business deals for global shipping companies including agreeing initial terms, securing credit approval, reviewing due diligence, completing full legal documents and financial closing.• Produced complex financial models & sensitivity analysis on large corporates to support lending decisions• Acquired a strong commercial acumen and excellent relationship management skills• Completed extensive and detailed interrogation of financial information and data from customers to assess financial viability with a view to approving loan facilities• Developed strong professional networks and regularly utilized them to develop new business proposals• Line managed and mentored a small team and provided leadership and support to peers and junior staff

Took a key role in developing a strategic marketing plan for the new business team and was instrumental in its implementation. Completed a number of new business and existing relationship transactions with oil and gas companies operating globally.. Project managed a range of tasks from the completion of transactions to team budget submissions and a review of the credit procedures.

Took responsibility for the day to day transactional issues of the complex banking arrangements for c.100 corporate clients across a diverse portfolio from property companies, hotels, retailers and general trading corporates. Provided analysis and support in the preparation of new credit appraisals. Supervised and mentored the analysts in the team.

Responsible for the preparation of a range of preliminary credit applications for new connections to facilitate the funding of MBO’s by providing equity, junior debt, mezzanine debt and senior debt. . Prepared and sensitized complex financial models to support the credit applications. Liaised with advisors and introducers and honed my business development and networking skills. I reviewed and improved the team’s marketing plan and produced ad-hoc statistical analysis and reports. I also became very competent with due diligence and legal documentation.

Improved the marketing of the income generation projects, and boosted revenue.

Supervised and trained teams of data analysts in various weapon system test firings. This involved complex numerical analysis and computer programming to determine the success of each missile test firing. Achieved designated goals within rigid timescales and to stringent quality standards. Responsible for identifying and investigating weapon system defects and anomalies through the production of accurate plots, listings and written reports.