Ian Rands (Aca) Email & Phone Number

Sheffield, England, United Kingdom

Sheffield, Uk

Sheffield, England, United Kingdom

Member of International Finance Leadership team and personally led a Commercial team across two (and previously three) teams, with a focus on providing proactive commercial analysis and direction to advance the financial performance/profitability of the business. Gave direction to the firm’s Executive as to where interventions may be needed to address financial concerns with proposed actions and initiatives.Developed a team of practice group business partners, increasing from 5 to 9, with a focus on broadening business input and value add. Continuous improvement of the reforecast and budget processes, focused on better management engagement, delivering management objectives and presenting the outputs to management. Managed the scenario planning and budget revisions throughout the initial stages of the covid lockdown, to ensure management had a clear basis for day-to-day management of the business and subsequent decision-making.Established a new set of partner metrics used as part of performance review and reward assessment.Developed a proactive and highly valued pricing function (team growth from 3 to 7), which ensures financial proposals to key clients meet our clients’ perception of value and are commercially viable. Devised and launched a new profitability metric, alongside new dashboard reporting and supporting communications. Fronted delivery in key and challenging countries. alongside supporting initiatives to ensure that the firm’s profitability expectations continued to be met and that partners understand how they could improve the financial management of their client work, contributing to profitability improvement in each of the last five years.Adapted the financial support to meet the changing requirements of a continually developing business, leading to supporting non-legal arms of the firm and new management roles focused on Sectors, SESG and Innovation.Oversaw the transition of Client Reporting function to a shared service centre.

Sheffield, United Kingdom

Managing and delivering the international roll-out of a large pricing and profitability improvement project, working closely with senior partners, business development, learning & development and IT teams.The project has won 'Best Lawyer Programme' at the Legal Education and Training Group Awards and 'Education & Training Initiative of the Year' at the British Legal Awards. Subsequently developed a similar programme for non-partners, whilst working closely with senior partners in both improving the profitability of their work at a time of intense pricing pressure and also inputting into pricing decisions .

A role created specifically for me, which was a key part of the project rolling out a new global practice management and accounting system.The delivery of reporting to the business was proving problematic and was behind schedule. I took the responsibility for the delivery process, managing a team of internal report developers and testers, contractors and supplier staff to deliver both outstanding business requirements in the UK and then through the subsequent international roll-out. Towards the end of the international roll-out, the role took a more strategic turn, with a focus on developing the long-term reporting strategy of the business. This led to engagement with external consultants in delivering a proposal for budgeting and reporting in the business.

Sheffield, England, United Kingdom

Recruited as part of a new management team, with the existing directors looking to move away from day-to-day operations and focus on the strategic growth of what was a fast growing business. Focused on the financial close-out of projects, I managed a team of 7 cost managers and had a more general remit of delivering improvements to the commercial business processes, from the tender/bid stage, through pre-site, site delivery and close out of projects.Established a series of commercial controls at each stage of the business process ensuring Cost Managers were in the best possible position to maximise the final account, alongside introducing KPIs to monthly reporting, utilising the knowledge of process heads and consolidating information from a number of disparate sourcesNegotiated final account settlements on several long finished projects, leading to increased turnover recognition, immediate cash flow benefit and increased profit recognition

Initially working alongside the UK Finance Director partnering with 5 of the 10 practice groups on a UK basis and then the European Finance Director supporting 2 practice groups Europe-wide. Eventually sitting as the Finance representative on the Executive Committee of 2 European Practice Groups with turnover of £120million.Led the 3 Year Strategic Planning and Annual Budget processes for my business areas, challenging location heads on their plans and assumptions and then presenting back the results to the European MD, European FD and Practice Group Heads.Designing complex financial models in excel to assess impact of lateral hires and team recruitments into the UK business.Advising fee earners and partner groups on how to increase revenues and profitability, particular focus was placed on benchmarking financial performance of different UK practice areas, suggesting methods of improving performance, financial trends and key issues.

Started on a graduate training contract and gained extensive audit experience with exposure to a variety of industries. Clients with an average company turnover in the £4-15 million range. Experience gained working on due diligence cases for the Corporate Finance Department.Introduced a new client to the firm, designed a marketing gimmick that was utilised by the business and asked to be involved in the firm's Marketing Liaison Committee, which paved the way for more junior staff to become involved.