Following on from the successful contract as Head of Financial Management, I started as Head of Financial Accounting at the same organisation (DSFS / Chesterfield Royal Hospital) in July 2023. The contract successfully concluded at the end of June 2024 following an extended handover with my substantive successor.The role is responsible for developing and managing the financial accounting services within the Finance Department (i.e. Payroll, Accounts Payable & Receivable, Capital & Leases, Financial Accounting, Finance Systems), and has lead responsibility across the Group for:- Annual statutory NHS, subsidiaries, and charitable funds accounts- Technical accounting advice for the Trust, its subsidiaries and charity- Financial governance including monitoring, reporting and educationThe HoFA role is relatively unique in the NHS in that it is a classic NHS Financial Controller type of role in one sense, but also has a commercial leaning via its responsibilities for various aspects of the operations of DSFS (e.g. corporation tax, profitability vs the NHS need to break-even etc).Cash management took up an increasing proportion of my time, applying for deficit support funding from the Department of Health & Social Care along with all supporting documents, reasoning, strategic & operational context etc. This part of the role drew together all of the qualities one would want from a senior financial leader, combining technical accounting with influencing skills and business management.

Initially recruited as Interim Head of Financial Management for Chesterfield Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, looking after a team of Finance Partners supporting clinical and administrative divisions (employed by Derbyshire Support & Facilities Services - DSFS, a wholly-owned subsidiary of CRH FT).This role acts as lead for all aspects of financial management for the ‘Group’, i.e. CRH Trust + subsidiary DSFS) with responsibility for establishing, reviewing and improving all financial management processes and systems. It is responsible for the ongoing development of all financial aspects of the budgetary control process and leads on the annual budget setting process; Overseeing and understanding the totality of the Group financial position, ensuring that financial forecasts include impact of activity projections, identification of potential risks and actions to mitigate those risks.The original intention was for this role to last 3-4 months while my substantive replacement was recruited. This initial period went well and I was I was asked if I would be willing to extend my contract to cover the Head of Financial Accounting role – I provided a handover to my HoFM successor and duly started to work alongside him in the HoFA role from July 2023.

The Director of Group Financial Operations role was a pivotal member of the Group CFO's leadership team, supporting the delivery of the Group’s aims and improvements in effective management, development and operation of internal financial controls, processes, policies and procurement. The role operated across the University Hospitals of Northamptonshire, which incorporated both Kettering and Northampton General Hospitals, and was responsible for all aspects of financial services, treasury management, financial governance, procurement and preparation and delivery of annual audited accounts.A key purpose of the role was to provide leadership and direction to deliver collaboration of teams across the Group to ensure resilience, consistency, and value. I voluntarily left the role after approximately three months - It is better to walk away and acknowledge that the organisation & I were not a good fit with each other, rather than keep going until one or the other party calls for submission. I still seek equivalent roles (Finance Director / CFO or Deputy CFO / senior finance positions and welcome discussions with any interested parties.

Interim assignment for 6 months, looking at ways in which the financial accounting operations of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust could be improved. This covered the three months both before and after the 2021/22 year end and helped to navigate the Trust through the accounting and other ensuing challenges.The contract ended, some personal time was taken for several weeks, and the position at University Hospitals Northamptonshire NHS Group was duly taken up from mid-August 2022.

Management and performance of the Financial Services teams:• Group payroll (Trust + 11 CCGs)• Accounts Payable & Receivable• Financial Accounting• Financial Systems• Cash & Banking…ensuring the delivery of a professional, dynamic, efficient and proactive service to meet the needs of the Trust.• Proactive planning and management of the Trust’s cash position, receivables, working capital and loan financing facilities.• Managing the production of the Trust’s annual accounts and audit, supporting production of the annual report. Associated monthly and quarterly processes with attendant internal Trust reporting and external / intra-government requirements.• Contribute to the development of the financial strategy and associated financial plans for the Trust.• Providing financial analysis and commentary, communicating this effectively to budget holders, staff, auditors and other stakeholders.• Responsible for all financial systems and accounting / transaction processes throughout the Trust, ensuring adequate financial controls are in place and users are adequately trained.• Liaison with external and internal audit and the Local Counter Fraud Specialist.• Tax specialist for the Trust (VAT/ PAYE/ Corporation tax).• Lead on efficient use of working capital, reporting on utilisation and advising on efficient use of resources.• Lead Trust treasury policy, including decisions on where to invest/borrow monies, cash balances and the use of external institutions, risk management therein, and liaising with relevant institutions.• Ensure the provision of expert advice on capital and other accounting issues to the organisation.• Finance lead on the continued development, and Trust use, of Standing Financial Instructions, Standing Orders and Scheme of Reservation and Delegation.• Finance staff development for the Trust, alongside wider financial education of Trust colleagues.

Member of the senior finance team providing leadership for key elements of the finance function and within the Trust as a whole.Initially responsible for management and performance of the financial management, commercial development, efficiency and costing functions on a day to day basis as well as the development of these teams. Moved into a related role continuing with efficiency & costing, swapping financial management & commercial for all aspects of financial risk management across the Trust and providing financial management support to corporate directorates.Both roles involved development of annual financial plans and support for strategic plans, corporate objectives and the Trust's long term financial viability. Provided robust advice relating to major financial decisions.The roles supported the CFO, working alongside senior colleagues to ensure a robust control environment within the Trust supporting accountability and good stewardship of public funds.• Costing team: Patient Level Information & Costing provision, utilising numerous systems & processes to arrive at a detailed understanding of activity & cost behaviour to drive service development and change.• Efficiency team: 100+ schemes in any given year, driving cost & efficiency gains. c£15m savings per annum.• Corporate support: Financial management to corporate teams. Advice to Trust leaders re business cases, strategic development, day-to-day management etc.• Financial risk: Identification and mitigation of financial risks alongside assessment of governance and management implications.Throughout I was also responsible for finance staff development, equipping the team with the tools to perform well now as well as identifying and preparing for next steps. I also led on financial education across other functions, delivering a variety of training sessions to nurses, new consultants, senior leaders, Masters students, and colleagues preparing for interviews / presentations etc.

Accountability for the leadership and organisation of the Trust’s working capital teams (AR / AP / cashiers, treasury), financial accounting, capital accounting and finance systems teams (approx 21 staff in total); Ensuring that the Trust has robust and effective financial control and reporting systems, capable of acting on new business opportunities, and having the financial resources, risk management and supporting controls to make it happen.Controlling and forecasting cash flow to ensure continued financial viability, positioning for growth, and maximising investment income.Leading on the completion of statutory accounts and regulatory returns, proactively identifying and resolving contentious issues and areas of financial risk; Lead for internal and external audit to ensure the appropriate degree of assurance on financial risk can be provided to the Board.Secretary to the Audit Committee, ensuring that the activities of this key Board committee deliver a full risk analysis, monitoring, mitigation and advice service to the Board and others.Secretary to the Capital Planning & Oversight Group, charged with prioritising and approving capital projects across the Trust.Finance representative on the Information Governance Committee, ensuring that the Trust as a whole has robust information governance policies that are fully implemented.Provision of a full finance and reporting function for MLKBT, a joint-venture charity building an ophthalmic training centre in Ghana.Engagement with the wider Finance team as Finance Skills Development Lead (FSD Lead) for the Trust, identifying training and development opportunities. Expanded this role to identify and provide financial training needs for the rest of the Trust, on the grounds that a control and compliance mindset is best established throughout an organisation, not at the centre,

Accountable for management and development of all accounting and reporting processes for 8 legal entities in the Oncura group (1 UK, 1 Australia, 6 mainland Europe) and retaining accountability for Hammersmith Imanet.Manage a team of 3 direct reports (Oncura) & 1 dotted line (Imanet).Accountable for delivery of all AP and banking transactions, intercompany and transfer pricing relationships; and statutory returns for each legal entity.Member of the overall leadership team and finance business partner for Oncura, presenting results, forecasts and advice to business heads and sales / marketing teams.Financial advice to support the revenue recognition and tendering processes in all countries in which Oncura operates.Manage the external audit relationship for local statutory & US GAAP corporate reporting, monitoring and developing control processes, and ensuring that country-based teams deliver appropriate supporting analysis.Planned and revised corporate and team structures to integrate fully into GE and reduce dependence on outsourced providers, and to deliver a ‘centre of excellence’ model. This provided an efficient, accurate, scalable and compliant service while preparing for expansion to take on other Medical Diagnostics subsidiaries within the team.

Accountable for management and development of all accounting and reporting processes for GE Healthcare (GEHC) Ltd & Hammersmith Imanet Ltd plus 7 holding companies in multiple currencies.The businesses used SAP as general ledger and Oracle for corporate reporting, covering over 300 GL users, 350 accounts, 1200 employees, 6 sites, and a range of investments.Manage the external audit relationship for UK statutory & US GAAP corporate reporting, monitoring and developing control processes, and ensuring that each of over a dozen finance teams delivers appropriate supporting analysis.Close working relationship with AP, cash management, and outsourced AR teams to maximise cash flow and minimise risk. Coordinate the recharge processes for Medical Diagnostics and Life Science businesses globally, ensuring that each entity receives and pays its fair share of HQ and shared costs.GEHC Ltd is both a manufacturer and distributor for GEHC products to customers and other GE companies across the world - around $400m per annum. Management of the transfer pricing processes for GEHC Ltd, including calculation across approx 500 products to entities worldwide. Calculation of costs to decommission assets and liabilities of nuclear-licensed sites across the UK – 3 sites with total provisions around $350m across 25 projects.FP&A support for Facilities, Country Management, Legal & HR teams.Manage a team of 3 direct reports plus dotted line team of 8 in Hyderabad, India.

(Temporary position following restructuring within the Life Sciences business, while a more suitable permanent role could be found)P&L analysis for GE Healthcare Bio-sciences, covering over $4bn revenue per annum. Automation of existing reporting processes to deliver instant management reports at the same time as maintaining financial control. Established reporting processes for fixed & semi-fixed costs across the business, and further analysis to support the split of GE Healthcare Bio-sciences into two standalone businesses.

(Note: General Electric Co acquired Amersham Plc on 8th April 2004)Financial planning and analysis controller for the Marketing & Strategy, Business Development and Informatics functions globally. The role was effectively that of a business partner, providing financial and business advice and case preparation for new products and projects, potential commercial acquisitions, and effective use of existing portfolios.Change management responsibilities were maintained by retaining ongoing restructuring projects from the Strategic Initiatives role, and leading on significant inventory management and pricing analysis projects.Technical skills were further enhanced through development of business assessment models, linking accounting requirements with business needs to ensure achievement of both, and supervising three management trainees during their six-month placements with the team.

Detailed planning of R&D restructuring, including site closures, relocation of staff & facilities, contract & staff terminations. Based on R&D success I was then asked to take on financial planning and implementation of over 30 further restructuring projects across all functions within the company. These projects generated net annual savings in excess of $70m. Reported plans and results to Amersham Plc Board and other stakeholders, including recommendations for future projects / changes to existing projects.In-house expert on accounting issues relating to restructuring, which translated well to preparatory work prior to the takeover of Amersham Plc by General Electric in April 2004.

R&D financial reporting and FP&A across North America, UK, Sweden, and Japan covering over 300 projects. Development and implementation of strategic and project plans for R&D, alongside recommendations on applicable accounting standards.Wrote, developed and implemented a global Project Financial Model, using Visual Basic macro programming techniques to automate and standardise the project approval process.

Analyst responsible for reporting on assets under management, initially for the EMEA region, and then extended globally. Also devised efficient cost reporting methodologies, reducing reporting times from 4 days to 1, leaving more time for value added analysis.

A series of roles covering various aspects of finance & accounting within the former Abbey National group:Branch Management Trainee (Hull, UK) rising to the position of Customer Service Manager before transferring to the Milton Keynes head office on the Finance Graduate Scheme in September 1997.Finance Analyst providing FP&A support to the branch network, devising & implementing a Customer Profitability Model for approximately 15 million customers and varying combinations of products; Financial Accountant responsible for AN Homes & QUEST subsidiaries (3 x 6 months, Milton Keynes); Group Financial Accountant responsible for FP&A aspects of Board reporting for Abbey National Group (6 months, central London)