Matthew Ward Email & Phone Number

Derby, GB

Bury St Edmunds, GB

• Greene King Brewing & Retail LimitedLargest pub retailer and brewer in the UK, £2.5 billion in sales, operating over 2,700 pubs, restaurants, and hotels nationwide.In my role as Finance Director, I manage a portfolio.
• New Trading Division: Established a trading division with a governance framework, empowering business unit leaders to drive performance while ensuring effective Board oversight.
• M&A Function Development: Created a comprehensive M&A function, establishing end to end delivery process now adopted across the organisation.
• Strategic Acquisition: Led the successful acquisition of Hickory’s Smokehouse, enhancing asset optimisation and long-term value.
• Organisation Optimisation: Led an enterprise-wide ‘Organisation Optimisation’ program, focusing on optimal structures, process efficiency and delivering significant cost savings.

Marston Green, Birmingham, GB

• Hawthorn Community Pub Company7th largest pub company in the UK, operating 700 outlets with a turnover exceeding £100 million, formed in 2015 and sold in 2021.As CFO and board director, I was instrumental in.
• Established Head Office: Built a high-performing finance and commercial team, implemented ERP and BI systems; awarded Best Finance Team and Best SME (West Midlands).
• Led Dual-Track M&A: Managed a dual-track process resulting in a £222 million trade sale in August 2021.
• Strategic Sale to NewRiver: Directed M&A process leading to sale of company for £107 million to NewRiver in May 2018.
• Acquisition Oversight: Provided financial oversight for acquiring 150 pubs and integrating 300 additional sites, achieving significant synergies.
• Refinancing Success: Successfully refinanced the business, generating substantial annual interest savings.

Lichfield, Staffordshire, GB

• Central England Co-operative LimitedUK’s largest independent Co-operative, serving 500,000 customers weekly, with £1 billion annual sales across 420 outlets.Oversaw the Funeralcare division, defining and delivering.
• Strategic Development: Created and implemented a comprehensive business strategy with four key workstreams: operating model, people and culture, client experience, and business development, all aligned with short.
• Leadership Team Enhancement: Revamped the talent strategy, establishing a new leadership team aligned with strategic goals.
• EBITDA Improvement: Increased EBITDA by £3 million within 12 months through a growth plan that opened eight new locations.
• Marketing & Brand Growth: Developed a marketing and web strategy that enhanced brand presence, resulting in a £2 million increase in prepaid plan sales in the first year.
• Acquisition Integration: Successfully integrated 24 trading sites as part of an acquisition, achieving a £0.5 million reduction in costs.

Lichfield, Staffordshire, GB

• General Management responsibility for Transport Services / Retail Division. Oversaw the transport division, providing internal fleet services to core trading businesses, a specialist vehicle manufacturing operation.
• Turnaround Programme: Led a turnaround for the motor retailing business, boosting EBITDA by £3 million and increasing enterprise value by £6 million prior to a successful sale.
• Culture Transformation: Developed a solution-focused culture through the “Mission Transport” initiative, resulting in a 16-point increase in colleague engagement scores over 12 months.
• Operational Transformation: Implemented a lean diagnostic and transformation strategy within the vehicle manufacturing operation, achieving standardised builds, waste reduction, and a targeted marketing plan.

Lichfield, Staffordshire, GB

Overall finance responsibility for Motor retailing business ensuring accuracy of financial accounting, control & compliance, performance reporting, and ensuring all systems were in line with current FCA regulations.

Lichfield, Staffordshire, GB

Accountable for the performance of a decision support team in providing valued-added analysis, P&L, cash flow and capital budgets and 5YP generation, investment appraisal, with supporting board justification, for all major projects, new sites, acquisition, due diligence, post-investment reviews and presentation of trading results and highlights to Executive.

Lichfield, Staffordshire, GB

Finance business partner responsible for providing Retail food business with first line financial support including investment appraisal, P&L, cash flow and capital budgets, performance monitoring and analysis and competitor benchmarking. Acted as finance lead between retail buying group and Central England Co-operative (230 outlets, turnover c £680M).

Lichfield, Staffordshire, GB

Finance business partner responsible for providing the Travel business with first line financial support including financial appraisal, P&L, cash flow and capital budgets, performance monitoring and analysis and competitor benchmarking. Acted as finance lead between travel buying group and Central England Co-operative (120 outlets, turnover c £180M).