Steve Combes

Steve Combes Email and Phone Number

Business Finance Manager at Centrica @ Centrica
London, GB
Steve Combes's Location
London, England, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Steve Combes's Contact Details

Steve Combes personal email

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Steve Combes phone numbers

About Steve Combes

I am a CIMA qualified Finance Manager / Business Partner with over 13 years PQE. Some of my key strengths are decision support, project / business case appraisal and evaluation, working with non-financial partners and all aspects of management accounting. I have designed and implemented enhanced reporting with KPI tracking and associated performance drivers that has delivered tangible financial benefits and identified areas for further cost control measures that resulted in savings being made. I identified and successfully negotiated a £300k recovery on commission over payments. I have built complex forecasting models for various projects, initiatives and partnerships and I have worked on a number of capital investment projects responsible for business cases up to £150m. I have created and delivered enhanced cost per job reporting that has enabled a better understanding of underlying cost drivers and actions that can be taken to improve efficiency. I have provided financial support to call centres, field operations, product /brand development and sales & marketing teams with annual budgets of up to £550m and have experience in customer loyalty schemes namely Nectar at British Gas and Air Miles at British Airways. I have recently been a key member tasked with evaluating and reforecasting the effects of COVID19 on the business. I created dynamic forecast models in order to model various scenarios to aid the decision making process. These helped to understand the risks and maximise the opportunities available. I have people management experience having previously managed a team of 6 finance professionals.Specialties: Commercial FinanceDecision SupportBusiness PartneringBusiness case preparation, trackingManagement Accounting (Forecasting, reporting and variance analysis)Cost control and reduction.

Steve Combes's Current Company Details
Centrica

Centrica

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Business Finance Manager at Centrica
London, GB
Website:
centrica.com
Employees:
18296
Steve Combes Work Experience Details
  • Centrica
    Centrica
    London, Gb
  • Centrica
    Business Finance Manager
    Centrica Aug 2019 - Present
    Windsor, Berkshire, Gb
    I am responsible for providing financial management and support to Centrica Industry Development. These are the areas responsible for delivering against the government targets under the ECO and Smart mandates stipulated by OFGEM and DBEIS.I provide Finance Partner support, Financial Planning and Analysis and Commercial support up to director level. I am responsible for forecasting and reporting against budgets in the region of £450m per annum that cover regulation, field teams and marketing / incentive spend.Key activities are:* Prepairing and presenting financial forecasts* Monthly reporting, variance analysis and presentation preperation* Business case production and evaluation* DBEIS & OFGEM analysis and reporting* Partnering field operations teams
  • Centrica
    Finance Manager -Fp&A Margin
    Centrica Feb 2018 - Aug 2019
    Windsor, Berkshire, Gb
    Responsible for the FP&A activities for the Centrica Smart Meter role our programme. Key activities include month end performance reporting, financial planning and regulatory reporting to DBEIS. I work closely with the Finance Business Partner and the senior leadership team in order to ensure meter installations are done as cost effectively as possible using financial analysis to support commercial decision making. I manage one direct report that looks after the infrastructure costs of Smart metering from meter rentals to stranding charges.
  • Hive | Centrica Connected Home
    Finance Business Partner (Connected Home)
    Hive | Centrica Connected Home Mar 2017 - Jan 2018
    London, Gb
    Provided commercial finance support to CH BU’s to aid decision making and created bespoke analysis to inform business decisions. Worked with the Product Development, Hardware, Software and Insights teams to ensure investment drives value to the bottom line. Partnered with the business to map out and make changes to processes that result in improvements to the quality of information being provided. • Partnered with CH business units to provide decision support and created bespoke business cases for potential future activity, Phillips Hue and ENI partnership (Italy).• Attended project steering groups and ad-hoc meetings to provide financial support and guidance as and when required. (ME/MEL, Boiler IQ and Product development). • Worked with the business and FP&A to create a bottom up financial plan for 2017 – 2019 and designed and implemented bespoke review templates to facilitate challenge and review.• Worked with CH PMO to develop a process for tracking programme and project spend using SAP in order to report spend to the CH investment committee.• Provided decision support to procurement and supply chain to evaluate contracted volumes and financial exposure to changes in order quantities.• Recalculated the My Energy / My Energy live finance tracking which identified a £1m P/A saving to the recharge to British Gas.
  • British Gas
    Finance Business Partner
    British Gas Dec 2015 - Feb 2017
    Windsor, England, Gb
    Responsible for providing commercial insight and decision support to new projects and initiatives including financial modelling and forecasting of cost and benefits. Collaborating with non-financial colleagues to evaluate the potential impact of initiatives to ensure decisions taken are beneficial to the business. Responsible for the role out plan for Smart meters to ensure it is implemented as cost effectively as possible and delivers the required financial & commercial benefits. I work with external consultants on a model that provides evidence to DECC and OFGEM that all reasonable steps have been taken to install smart meters to all BG customers.• Business partnering with the BG home commercial teams providing insight & financial support and expertise to the decision making process. • Creation of financial models to aid the decision making process for input into business cases.• Evaluation of costs and benefits of new partnerships (Microgen, PayPal), retention and acquisition initiatives, energy tariffs and new products. • Providing insight and recommendations on customer facing projects ensuring value for money with positive impact on customer satisfaction. (Billing transformation).• Business partnering on the Smart meter role out project providing forecast analysis and recommendations on the most cost effective role out plan.• Developed a model to provide evidence to DECC and Ofgem that all reasonable steps have been taken to install Smart meters.• Supporting the Cavity & Loft business with a restructure.
  • Centrica
    Commercial Finance Manager - British Gas New Energy
    Centrica Sep 2013 - Dec 2015
    Windsor, Berkshire, Gb
    I developed and implemented regional cost reporting which helped drive down the cost per tonne of Co2 from over £150 to under £35. I identified a weakness in the mobile device reporting that was resulting in excessive charges and worked with Vodafone and IS to identify & switch off unused devices saving £60k per annum. I improved the quality of financial forecasting by including more driver based cost modelling which improved the accuracy of the forecasts and enabled a better understanding of cost variances.• Business partnering for the Leeds Operations and Field Engineering teams (525 FTE, £49m pa).• Producing forecasts and budgets using associated cost drivers, monthly variance analysis, risks and opportunities and communicated the results to financial and non-financial stakeholders. • Lead and co-ordinated the annual budgeting process, consolidating and communicating the financials (600 FTE, £46m p/a) and cost performance (£/tCo2). • Produced and presented clear and concise presentations for senior management. • Developed & launched regional reporting enabling an understanding of the key metrics and drivers which identified areas for cost improvement. • Created a variable pay model for the field team’s remuneration package that was used to successfully negotiate with our staff and the trade unions.• Provided financial support on recent cost saving initiatives that delivered £8.8m savings.
  • Centrica
    Loyalty And Partnerships Finance Manager
    Centrica Jan 2011 - Aug 2013
    Windsor, Berkshire, Gb
    Responsible for the financial management of Sainsbury’s Energy and conducted a commission re-evaluation that resulted in a £300k recover to the business. I completely re-built the Nectar financial model to ensure accurate forecasting of the cost of Nectar points and the associated benefits to the business. I worked up to Director level providing commercial financial support aiding decision making and provided input into performance presentations to the board. • Worked with the Director of Loyalty on the Nectar partnership with responsibility for ensuring the financial & commercial implications of decisions made were evaluated and understood.• Forecasted the cost of Nectar points for British Gas & LMUK• Finance Business partner for Sainsbury’s Energy a new sales channel that was launched. • Calculated & reconciled the commission payments made to Sainsbury’s.• Produced interim and post investment appraisals.• Responsible for the on-boarding of all partnerships ensuring the mechanisms were in place for the calculation and payment of commissions. • Worked with IS & MI to ensure reporting functionality was scoped and delivered in order to report on the financial impact of the partnership to the business.
  • Centrica
    Sales Finance Manager
    Centrica Nov 2010 - Dec 2011
    Windsor, Berkshire, Gb
    Working with Ernst & Young on a project to evaluate the effectiveness of the outbound call centre activity looking to provide recommendations' on whether the sales channel should be fully in-house, outsourced or relocated to a new facility. Working with the call centre management in Glasgow to ensure all costs were fully understood and that any recommendations being put forward were achievable. Responsible for gathering the relevant financial information and for calculating the financial implications of each scenario with input into the final recommendation to the Sales Director. Key Achievements:Built from scratch a financial model that enabled various scenarios to be modelled in order to aid decision making.Being new to British Gas built good relationships with various key stakeholders that enabled effective working and data gathering.
  • British Airways
    Finance Manager - Global Marketing
    British Airways Jun 2008 - Oct 2010
    Middlesex, Gb
    I worked with Ernst &Young on a project to evaluate the effectiveness of the outbound call centre activity looking to provide recommendations' on whether the sales channel should be fully in-house, outsourced or relocated to a new facility. I built a financial model that enabled various scenarios to be modelled in order to aid decision making.• Worked with Ernst & Young on a project to evaluate the effectiveness of the outbound call centre activity looking to provide recommendations' on whether the sales channel should be fully in-house, outsourced or relocated to a new facility. • Worked with the call centre management in Glasgow to ensure all costs were fully understood and that any recommendations being put forward were achievable. • Responsible for gathering the relevant financial information and for calculating the financial implications of each scenario with input into the final recommendation to the Sales Director.
  • British Airways
    Finance Analyst - Brands & Service Developement & Ba.Com
    British Airways May 2005 - May 2008
    Middlesex, Gb
    I was the finance manager on major product development and ba.com investment projects up to £150m providing analysis on associated project benefits, revenue generation and cost savings. I prepared business cases for submission to the Capital Investment Committee working inter departmentally with Engineering, Properties, Product Design and the ba.com development team and IM and achieved 100% well controlled projects in the two years working in the department. I established a robust process for reporting engineering projects using SAP/EWS that was rolled out across the business and was nominated for an award for dedication and perseverance on project Thomas and was part of the Finance team awarded “unsung heroes” by the B&SD department.• Accountable finance manager on major product development and ba.com investment projects including the new BA Club World flat-bed seats. • Responsible for preparing business cases working inter departmentally with Engineering, Properties, Product Design, the ba.com development team and IM.• Provided monthly reporting on project progress at steering group meetings and ensured projects were compliant with the internal control process.• Annual financial planning of Opex (£14m) and Capital expenditure (£100m) for the department. • Financial accountant for Speedwing International with responsibility for the production of the financial accounts and working with the external auditors to resolve issues and ensure signoff of the accounts and submission to company’s house.
  • British Airways
    Finance Analyst
    British Airways Sep 2002 - May 2005
    Middlesex, Gb
    Responsibilities include:Producing monthly management accounts and balance sheet reconciliation's for cBA with associated analysis and commentary and working with the line to provide accurate forecast information covering an annual budget of £40m.Holding monthly management accounting reviews with finance and line senior management providing analysis and any relevant recommendations. Providing line support to cBA by producing ad-hoc analysis and reports as and when needed. (Revenue generation through ancillary sales Avis car hire & BA holidays).Business Segmentation input for route profitability analysis.Manpower forecasting for a department of 1300 people.Key Achievements:Implemented tracking tools for the line areas to control expenditure and assist in highlighting over/under spendsituations (e.g., WNS trackers for cBA line area).Produced monthly line reports and attended reviews, at SM and ABM level, to ensure budget holders wereprovided with current performance levels and to ensure accurate forecasts were being provided.Produced detailed Manpower templates to forecast & budget expenditure for cBA and Global Sales &Distribution.Developed purchase order templates to ensure accurate accruals for committed expenditure.Successfully integrated cBA into UKI Sales & Marketing and Global Sales & Dist under Commercialrestructure.
  • British Airways
    Revenue Analyst, Commercial Finance
    British Airways Jul 2001 - Aug 2002
    Middlesex, Gb
    Produced the Commercial White Book showing consolidated commercial results.Responsible for producing and loading the Load Statistics on a monthly basis.Ad-hoc reporting and support to Commercial Reporting Senior Manager.Providing manpower analysis and reconciliation’s for the World Sales areas.
  • British Airways
    Revenue Systems Analyst
    British Airways Dec 2000 - Jul 2001
    Middlesex, Gb
    Analysing the 2001 summer budget for BA worldwide.Maintaining the master target file and Regional Reveal files.Compiling training material for Reveal 2000 (in-house system) used to train overseas analysts.
  • Ibm
    Sales Ledger Manager
    Ibm May 1998 - Jun 2000
    Armonk, New York, Ny, Us
    Managing the Accounts Receivable department (4 Members).Creating and updating customer master records in SAP.Creating and maintaining materials and pricing conditions.Control of contract Status reports / purchase orders and spend reports.Providing monthly reports to Account Managers.Raising sales orders and customer invoices.Managing the aged debt and collection activities.Accounts receivable contact on two in-house SAP implementations.Accounts receivable contact for MAS / IBM business integration.

Steve Combes Skills

Forecasting Managerial Finance Stakeholder Management Sap Finance Analysis Budgets Financial Modeling Accounting Variance Analysis Business Process Improvement Strategy Financial Analysis Essbase Management Change Management Team Management Business Analysis Financial Reporting Pricing Management Accounting Internal Controls Business Planning Business Partner Support Microsoft Excel Cognos

Steve Combes Education Details

  • Cima
    Cima
    Management Accountancy
  • Natal Technical College
    Natal Technical College
    Video Technology
  • New Forest High School
    New Forest High School
    Video Technology

Frequently Asked Questions about Steve Combes

What company does Steve Combes work for?

Steve Combes works for Centrica

What is Steve Combes's role at the current company?

Steve Combes's current role is Business Finance Manager at Centrica.

What is Steve Combes's email address?

Steve Combes's email address is st****@****s.co.uk

What is Steve Combes's direct phone number?

Steve Combes's direct phone number is +*****

What schools did Steve Combes attend?

Steve Combes attended Cima, Natal Technical College, New Forest High School.

What are some of Steve Combes's interests?

Steve Combes has interest in Swimming, Marathon And Ultra Marathon Running, Mountain Biking.

What skills is Steve Combes known for?

Steve Combes has skills like Forecasting, Managerial Finance, Stakeholder Management, Sap, Finance, Analysis, Budgets, Financial Modeling, Accounting, Variance Analysis, Business Process Improvement, Strategy.

Who are Steve Combes's colleagues?

Steve Combes's colleagues are Carrie Burns, Craig Samuel, Mark Morris, Stuart Haden, Mark Mcgrann, Mark Davies, Sara Jones.

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