Simone Brown Email & Phone Number

Raleigh, NC, US

Raleigh, NC, US

A global CRO, improving patients lives by trialling new drugs.

London, London, GB

Morrisville, NC, US

• Premier Research Group is a PE backed Clinical Research business with turnover of £82m across 20 countries worldwide.Achievements:
• Carried out investigation with EY of Group trial balances, processing findings to produce accurate and explainable results
• Sole liaison with UK institutions to obtain asset based loans for the European business
• Set up new legal entities across the Group
• Restructured finance globally generating circa £250k of cost savings and reducing on-going monthly accounting fees
• Improved efficiencies and control through centralising the finance function across 2 main hubs

Singapore, SG

• Millennium and Copthorne is a leading company in the hospitality industry. During this time It owned 110 hotels in 20 countries globally and was listed as a FTSE 250 index business.Turnover: £700m (Europe £275m).
• Implemented various flash reports for regional results allowing Board to have visibility of European results on a monthly basis
• Implemented dashboard reports for CEO to enable a ‘one page view’ of measurable KPI’s
• Enhanced reporting for different revenue streams within each property in order to be able to focus on under performing areas
• Designed a new sales model with revenue and sales director, training and educating the sales teams to think with a finance head rather than a ‘gut feel’Responsibilities:
• Managing a team of 20 Financial Controllers and their respective teams, as well as a central team of 3

Hannover, Lower Saxony, DE

• First Choice Holidays PLC (since merged with Thomson Holidays) is a leading leisure travel provider offering holidays to families, couples and corporate clients and was listed as a FTSE 100 index business.Turnover.
• The 2005/6 budget was delivered on time. It was more detailed and the process greatly improved from those of the past
• Group deadlines prior to my arrival were always missed. Group reporting and monthly board papers are always on time as well as of a better quality
• Assisted the Sector FD in identifying areas of cost savings
• Already part of the investment committee for any HR projects (normally reserved for Directors)
• Troubleshooting for projects/circumstances that have spiralled out of control

• HSS hire is a leading national supplier of tool and equipment hire. Operating out of 230 branches across the UK and Ireland (US and Germany during my time at the Group)Turnover: £150m; EBITDA: £19mAchievements:
• Trained the field directors to produce their own budgets to enable new branch empowerment project
• Assisted the CEO and Commercial Director to evaluate savings as a result of the 180 day plan closure programme
• Constantly involved with the new management team and the external auditors, 10 months prior to the sale of HSS to 3i, producing figures and financial analysis to assist 3i management in their decision to purchase HSS
• Various tables and financial data produced were included within the large financial document put together by Deloittes and PWC, the document being reviewed by both 3i and the investment banks prior to the purchase of.
• Continually re-evaluating existing strategies, preparing papers for the new board to review