Louise Bale Email and Phone Number

Finance director at ETFS Capital, a strategic family-owned investment company, making early-stage investments in technology companies across the investment ecosystem.The Finance Director role had 3 constituent parts:o Strategic Finance Director for fast growth companies, including asset managers, financial technology, event and media businesses, most with a recurring revenue model. Also provided strategic financial and tax advice to the remaining portfolio companies to support their fast growth trajectory as well as monitoring their performance and preparing monthly investment summarieso Leading the financial and tax M&A for all acquisitions and disposals. o Finance director for the Fund, as well as the other Family Office holding companiesHeaded up the team responsible for both the day to day finances and management information to allow the portfolio companies to scale quickly, and provided strategic finance and tax advice to the portfolio companies. In addition, led the finance and tax structuring, financial due diligence and completion accounts negotiations for acquisitions and disposals of portfolio companies, as well as the ongoing monitoring of the performance of the portfolio entities.Undertook the migration of existing account systems and undertook efficiency and cost saving measures.

LCM Family is a multi-family office which helps individuals and families manage their financial, legal, philanthropic and business affairs.  Our clients benefited from our in-house investment, legal, tax, pensions, family business, property, charity and financial planning expertise. With a breadth of senior professionals, we worked as a team to provide the best overall advice for every client. We were also very happy to work closely with our clients’ existing professional advisors to join up different areas of financial planning and investments.As the business advisory and tax director I was a Member of the Board, as well as Finance Director for the company. In addition advice was given to the families, their business interests and trusts, on a wide range of matters relating to their finance and tax matters. Responsible for a team that undertook regular accounting, payroll, VAT and tax return preparation (both personal and corporate).

Finance director for a single family office

Led the internal accounting and tax team for the internet entrepreneur’s family office including providing strategic tax and technical accounting advice to portfolio companies, which were in the technology, digital marketing and online retail sectors. Work undertaken included:Acquisitions and disposals of portfolio companies (including financial aspects, tax considerations, review sale and purchase agreement and the impact on existing banking covenants). Decide on the optimal acquisition or disposal structures. Preparation of management information and board reports for the family office, group trading companies and charitable entities. Reporting on investment returns as well as overseeing the cashflow of the family office including the management of any foreign exchange exposures.Provision of information for, and review of, US tax returns.Develop and implement employee remuneration strategies to meet commercial objectives including share option schemes and carried interest structures for private equity returns. Applied for relevant HMRC clearance and dealt with post implementation accounting. Group reorganisations including implementation of new holding companies, HMRC clearances and funding mechanismsBuilding and maintaining external relationships, including with non-executive directors, tax authorities, custodians, solicitors, advisers, bankers and auditors.Lead on correspondence with HMRC including dealing with enquiries in relation to Controlled Foreign Companies (both new and old rules), transfer pricing, loans to participators and charitable donations. Oversee the insurance renewal process

Tax accounting and auditing experience, under UK GAAP and IFRS; Managing the corporation tax compliance process and advising clients in respect of HMRC enquiries; Develop and implement tax ideas and structures to fit commercial fact patterns. An excellent communicator, who is a self starter, very organised and well known for running motivated, effective, happy teams. Operational leader for the business unit including the management of the finance function, preparing and monitoring budgets, and briefing the Local Business and Cluster Leaders. Management of, and delegation to, other team members, as well as acting as a mentor and counsellor for more junior member of staff (both in my team and others).Responsible for maintaining senior client relationships. Worked for clients in the clean technology, technology, entertainment, TV, retail and real estate sectors.