John Atkinson Email & Phone Number

Chepstow, Gb

City Of Bristol, England, United Kingdom

Bristol, England, United Kingdom

TopSource Worldwide provides Global Expansion Services to organisations through the provision of Payroll, Employer of Record (EOR) and Entity Management Solutions.Ownership for a portfolio of Entity Management Clients, providing accounting and compliance support across multiple countries. Engaging with the senior stakeholders in the client organisation, applying professional accounting knowledge and expertise to ensure operational teams provide the required levels of service and support.Commercial and contractual accountability for the client, identifying opportunities for how to grow and expand the client relationship through the provision of additional services including Payroll, Employer of Record and HR Advisory services.Principle Duties and Responsibilities:Relationship of a portfolio of clients, who are expanding globally with aim to be considered part of their wider finance team by reviewing and delivering:- Monthly management accounts- Local books (where required) & reconciliations- VAT/local equivalent returns- Compliance – annual financial statements, tax returns, and payments- Support junior members of the team as they progress through their training, acting as an escalation point & providing technical support- Grow client revenue and cross sell new global expansion services- Accountable for the service delivery and relationship with the client- Engage key support functions to align on the client requirements e.g. legal, compliance and finance

Chepstow, Monmouthshire, United Kingdom

Bristol, England, United Kingdom

Vistra provides tailored trust, fiduciary, fund and corporate services, forming strong and trusted connections with its clients. The International Expansion / Accounting services division delivers support and expertise through managed & advisory services to create solutions that meet the needs of clients, operating in 110 countries around the world with 81 offices globally across 45 jurisdictions and over 4600 employees worldwide. During my initial interim contract, I worked as part of the Compliance team, delivering year end locally compliant statutory financial statements for US based clients within constitutional deadlines. Originally contracted for 5 months, I successfully completed and repeated the annual assignment the following year. Additionally, I also spent 12 months with the Indirect Tax team and provided managerial support for returns & filings across a worldwide portfolio. During both roles I provided support to the client, whilst managing the process with numerous internal teams within Vistra, to provide the best service to the client with accurate & timely compliant filings. Key responsibilities:- Collaborated with relevant internal and external stakeholders- Full understanding of the reporting and local GAAP requirements- Ensured all statutory accounts are completed in line with individual country reporting timelines and specific client requirements- Full Audit liaison on behalf of the client- Client communication, both written and oral- Filing of Indirect Tax returns, both locally and via country affiliates My final role with Vistra was as a Senior Accountant, providing management of a portfolio of 130-150 clients for year end accountancy and tax filing within a fast-paced environment, while being technically strong with client account experience.

Bristol, United Kingdom

Mitie is a FTSE 250 business providing a wide range of facilities management and professional services, from real estate consultancy, project management, energy consultancy, compliance, risk assessment and security systems to cleaning, catering, engineering, technical and environmental services and a range of specialist services. As part of the Group Central Functions I was responsible for finance partnering with multiple stakeholders including heads of Mitie Group functions held within the PLC entity. I was the primary source / link for the completion of monthly management accounts, quarterly forecasts, annual budgets whilst liaising with the senior management team and providing feedback regarding variances to plan. Main Duties:- Preparation of monthly management accounts and associated cash flows.- Business partner approx. 10 budget holders across 20 cost centres and 90 employees- Monthly balance sheet reconciliations to ensure the integrity of the balance sheet is maintained- Manage the Investment ledger- Manage the accounting processes for payroll award schemes and share schemes- Liaise with Payroll and Treasury teams as required- Prepare the year-end tax pack, Quarterly VAT returns, StatutoryAccounts- Liaise with external auditors as required- Annual budgeting and quarterly forecasting process- Line Manager responsibly of 1 Management Accountant

Manchester, United Kingdom

SPX Flow are a global supplier of highly specialised, engineered solutions with operations in over 35 countries and sales in over 150 countries around the world. The European Shared Service Centre (ESSC) manages a range of controllership activities including month end close activity, financial reporting into Hyperion, balance sheet account reconciliations and external reporting for VAT and Intrastat.Employed as an Accountant, reporting to the Financial Accounting & Reporting Team Manager I took the lead position in the department opposite a number of Business Units to ensure that all the functions responsibilities were delivered efficiently and effectively. Working closely with the ESSC customers to deliver a high quality of service, I was the technical lead for the function providing accounting support to a mixture of assistant accountants and associates while collaborating and communicating effectively with all stakeholders. Principal Duties and Responsibilities:- Ensure business unit / market reporting in Hyperion was delivered on time and to all SOX control and SPX Flow policies- Ensure the reported accounts were fully understood, correct and compliant- Prepared and reviewed a range of complex account reconciliations including VAT, WIP, POC and payroll, comparing status to a range of key criteria for SOX compliance to determine balance sheet compliance status and any actions required for remediation- Liaised and fostered good relations within the business unit to ensure effective delivery of the ESSC’s responsibilities and provision of a high standard of customer service- End to end collaboration lead providing support to PtP and OtC teams via the Service Delivery Coordinators Forum- Drove and supported Continuous Improvement Initiatives

GE Capital was a leading UK provider of specialist business finance solutions - including invoice finance, inventory finance, asset-based lending, equipment leasing, vendor finance and fleet management.Reporting to the Technical Controller, I was responsible for co-ordinating the preparation of the Statutory Accounts of GE Capital UK across ~15 of its commercial lending and leasing legal entities including those with accelerated deadlines due to Bank of England & regulatory filing requirements. Working closely with the finance teams, cross functionally with the wider GE Capital UK functions & the shared service centre and external auditors to ensure accurate statutory accounts are prepared on a timely basis.As part of the process, I partnered with the external audit team to improve the statutory audit process so that all information required was provided on a timely basis in a format that assisted completion of an effective and efficient audit.In addition, I was accountable for monitoring and reporting areas of governance within the GE Capital UK Finance team, including the effectiveness of key controls and analysing the control environment in order to mitigate operational risk. Tasks included;-Partnering with finance teams across the business to assess the effectiveness of the operational control environment, overseeing the Risk Control Self-Assessment (RCSA) process.-Where Enterprise and Operational Risk (EOR) issues are identified, ensure appropriate action plans for resolution are established with clear responsibility and realistic deadlines, monitor and report progress made in resolution of the issues and highlight any concerns or additional resource requirements to ensure resolution within the agreed timings.-Report key risk indices to finance team leaders to highlight the effectiveness of key controls.-Ensure accuracy and completeness of Finance record information management process, aligning the process to US and local country requirements.

Manchester, United Kingdom

As part of the risk management team, the Business Assurance function (Internal Control) provides second level of defence, a key piece of delivering on the banks risk mandate to provide an effective oversight of GE Capital UK activities.Reporting to the Business Assurance Leader, I was responsible for mapping risks in the organisation, planning controls & executing the Business Assurance testing cycle with key process & function stakeholders. Effectively reviewed operational processes and procedures in conjunction with the functions first line of defence activities, discussed findings and articulated reports to form well-balanced opinions and recommendations regarding the quality of the control framework and the risk issues that surfaced. In addition, I was charged with overviewing developing risk areas in GE Capital UK full range of operations by conducting thematic reviews as necessary depending on the trends identified by reporting metrics and / or the first and third lines of defence, or as directed by the Senior Leadership Team. All issues identified following completion of control testwork were effectively managed to resolution with stakeholders and the wider Senior Leadership Team to improve the overall control framework.Summary of key tasks;- Perform risk assessment of the business across functions & locations (with annual updates).- Assess adequacy & effectiveness of the controls developed across the business.- Perform control tests in line with a published control plan, documenting and reporting results.- Oversee timely implementation of any agreed actions with periodic reporting to management.- Provide advice to the relevant functions on how to improve processes to mitigate risks.- Developed a reporting mechanism to the Business Assurance leader, Risk Management team and SLT on the evolution of risk and possible losses that have/could be incurred.

Amsterdam Area, Netherlands

Based and living in the Netherlands I was responsible for the monthly, quarterly and annual close activities for 6 entities within EMEA. Dealing with numerous departments within the organisation, I coordinated the close procedure, ensuring all reporting deadlines were adhered for both local and US corporate management. Remotely managed an outsourced GA function (Genpact), controlling and authorising all GL entries in order to comply with regulatory procedures including SOX and internal policies.Duties carried out in order to complete my tasks included,- Cashflow Forecasts- ADI / Journal Input Approval- Accruals / Prepayments- Balance Sheet Reconciliations Approval with necessary adjustments made to miss posted items - Payroll Production- Commissionaire (Transfer Price Policy) Adherence- Maintenance of Fixed Asset Register module in Oracle for 6 entities, reconciling monthly to GL postings- Regular Meetings with Senior Management including Budget Holders, Analysts and extended outsourced finance functions of AP, AR and Controllership. - Accurate accounting in both US & Local GAAP Away from the close process I directed the various audits that occur during the year, working closely with numerous Deloitte offices around Europe. These included Revenue, US GAAP and local statutory.Upon completion of the statutory audits I then drove the process of submitting the annual statutory accounts to numerous Chambers of Commerce across EMEA to comply with the legal requirements of each country.Instrumental in standardising the close process across EMEA, by bringing new countries to the shared service centre, reviewing the processes, then improving the procedures for a smoother, more accurate close programme. Creation, update and review of Standard Operating Procedures evolving all aspects of the monthly close in order to achieve smooth transition of employee progression for minimum risk to the business.

Leigh, Lancashire

B+H are International Sales and Marketing Representatives for RBS Sempra Commodities (RBS), a global commodity dealer, combining the financial strengths of The Royal Bank of Scotland with the trading experience of Sempra Energy. The Joint Venture with RBS was created to utilise the wealth of experience B+H has in the PET plastic industry with that of a commodity dealer, in order to trade the brand (elixir) in both the physical and futures market via the London Metal Exchange, of which RBS are a ring dealing member. Instrumental in the negotiation and agreement of a six year license agreement including,- Detailed Sales Analysis- Cashflow Forecasts- Budgeting- Due Diligence Work- Company RestructureOffices in both Manchester and Florida, borrowing facilities were achieved with both UK and US banks, serviced within terms, then ultimately wound out successfully for the interest of all stakeholders concerned due to the restructuring of the business.Full responsibility of the finance function for both the UK and US entity. Ability to communicate using various channels and liaising with all relevant external organisations such as Banks, Auditors and Tax Advisors to ensure a smooth process of all statutory annual reporting requirements both within the UK and US.Hands on approach in order to carry out all the finance day-to-day transactions and functions including,- Purchase Ledger- Sales Ledger- General Ledger- Credit Control- PayrollRegular review meetings with the management team and owner in order to reflect, analyse and strategically improve both Gross and Nett margins, with a strong emphasis on improving contracts, prices and terms for overhead costs with vendors.

Leeds, United Kingdom

GMG held under its wing a whole number of various businesses within the media sector including titles such as The Guardian, The Observer and Autotrader. Employed as a Management Accountant for the Radio division, I was responsible for the preparation of the monthly management accounts for a portfolio of analogue stations including Jazz FM, Real Radio and Smooth FM and a number of Digital platforms including DNN and MXR across the UK. Responsible to the FD I had the following responsibilities,- Management of 3 Staff- Financial Reporting to main GMG Board- Profit & Loss Accounts- Balance Sheet Reporting / Reconciliations- Capital Expense Summaries- Creation and Maintenance of Fixed Asset Register both in Excel and Sage Line 100 for a highly tech driven entity Fully converse with all accounting methods required to assist a management accountant such as,- Journals- Accruals- Prepayments- Bank Reconciliations- Balance Sheet Reconciliations

Manchester, United Kingdom

Manchester, United Kingdom

Stockport, United Kingdom