Breda Graham

My finance career spans 25+ years, starting as an Accounts Assistant at Moore Stephens, one of the top 20 accountancy firms in London, and working my way through Financial Controller and Group FC roles across multi-entity, multi-currency businesses before moving into finance transformation consulting. That journey matters because it means I understand finance from both sides: the systems that need to be built, and the people who depend on them every day. Most recently I spent just over four years as Senior Consultant at CFO Solutions, Planful's only Gold Partner globally, where I led end-to-end EPM transformations across retail, energy, SaaS, pharmaceutical, healthcare, insurance, financial services and technology businesses, many of them PE-backed, alongside co-operatives and other ownership structures.

I ran complex implementations largely on my own, taking full ownership from the initial diagnostic through to go-live and post-implementation. Over my time at CFO Solutions I built a strong portfolio of client engagements ranging from three-month rapid implementations to twelve-month full-scale transformations. Training and enabling Finance teams is something I genuinely care about and do well.

I build programmes around how people actually work rather than system features, and I stay until teams are fully confident and self-sufficient. Every engagement ends with clear documented ways of working that Finance teams can build on themselves.

Senior Consultant, Finance Transformation and EPM at CFO Solutions (2021-11 – 2026-03)

Senior client-facing consultant and primary engagement lead at Planful's only Gold Partner globally. I led end-to-end EPM transformations for PE-backed, SaaS, retail, energy, healthcare, insurance and other businesses across the UK and Europe, running complex implementations largely on my own and taking full ownership from initial diagnostics and business case through to go-live, adoption, and post-implementation optimisation. I built a strong portfolio of client engagements across this time, ranging from three-month rapid implementations to twelve-month full-scale transformations.

• One of the most technically complex projects I have worked on. The client had no automated finance infrastructure at all, everything was in Excel, so my job was to design and build new finance processes from the ground up while simultaneously implementing Planful
• The CFO was running a parallel Data Lake project with NetSuite data being pushed into the Data Lake and from there into Planful. I was responsible for data integrity across all three layers of that pipeline, identifying and resolving data quality issues at source before they fed downstream
• Once data flows were clean I built and automated the full consolidation and planning processes in Planful across 20+ entities, including intercompany reconciliation, multi-currency consolidation, cash flow reporting, integrated planning, and FP&A
• Redesigned the FP&A operating model and reporting cadence so Finance could shift from producing manual reports to genuinely partnering the business
• Designed and delivered a full training programme built around the team's real workflows so they were confident and self-sufficient before I left
• Conducted accelerated finance diagnostics and maturity assessments with CFOs and Finance Directors to identify what is really holding the finance function back and build a credible case for change
• Built complex cash flow models for every client covering cash flow forecasting, cash flow derived from balance sheet and P&L movements, multi-currency cash flow, and CapEx planning
• Delivered full intercompany reconciliation and elimination as standard across all multi-entity consolidation implementations
• Managed ERP integrations into Planful via Boomi API across NetSuite, Oracle, Xero, and Infor, ensuring clean governed data flows underpinning reliable reporting
• Prepared structured project updates, risk assessments, and decision papers for senior Finance leadership including CFOs and Finance Directors
• Coordinated stakeholders across Finance, IT, Tax, and Legal to ensure timely high-quality programme delivery

Finance ERP Transformation Lead at International Car Wash Group (2017-02 – 2019-12)

Led the global implementation of Infor CloudSuite Industrial ERP across 1,000+ outlets in the UK, Germany, continental Europe, and the USA. Owned four workstreams: Finance, Inventory and Procurement, Manufacturing, and Operations. At the same time implemented Planful as the group consolidation platform across 63 entities. Role concluded when the PE acquisition centralised operations to Denver and I chose not to relocate.

• Designed and delivered the Finance transformation programme across 20+ countries, running business requirements workshops, producing BPMN process maps, and agreeing standardised ways of working across the global estate
• Replaced fragmented Excel-based group consolidation with a single automated, governed, multi-currency consolidation environment across 63 entities
• Managed Steering Committee reporting at Group CEO, Group CFO, and Group CIO level covering programme status, risks, commercial decisions, and budget
• Built the case for change, ran change impact assessments, and designed the full transformation roadmap from legacy to ERP-enabled Finance function
• Designed and delivered training and communications programmes across international sites covering multiple countries and cultures
• Defined UAT protocols and test scripts to validate financial data correctness and business process integrity through go-live

Finance Systems Consultant (Contract) at SPT Labtech Ltd (2020-01 – 2020-03)

• Stabilised and improved the Infor SyteLine ERP environment and redesigned the chart of accounts and management reporting structure
• Led Concur Expense implementation including change management and staff training
• Documented as-is processes and redesigned to-be procedures, building automation into recurring Finance workflows

Financial Controller (Contract) at Carey England Ltd (2016-08 – 2017-01)

• Financial Controller across four entities with revenue of over £24 million, managing a team of ten
• Took a full day off the month-end close through process redesign and automation
• Moved payroll for 250+ staff from a manual to an automated process, saving two days per month

Financial Controller (Contract) at John Bean Technologies (2015-06 – 2016-07)

• Financial Controller for JBT UK, part of a global business with turnover of 1.92 billion dollars. Managed multi-currency management accounts across USD, AUD, and GBP, SOX reporting, and ERP-based financial automation
• Automated key financial reporting within Infor SyteLine, saving over 10 hours per month and improving data quality
• Managed intercompany reconciliations, AP and AR, and hedging across multiple currencies

Group Financial Controller at Swift Computers Ltd (2015-01 – 2016-01)

• Group FC across 7 entities with combined turnover of £10 million, responsible for consolidation, group reporting, budgeting, and financial control

Contract Role at Financial Controller (2014-01 – 2015-01)

Financial Controller covering management accounts, consolidation, and reporting

Co-Founder and Finance Director at Artesian Ltd

• Co-founded and ran a natural mineral water delivery business serving London clients. Full commercial, finance, and operational responsibility including accounting, ordering, fleet maintenance, and staff management

Finance Manager at Court Catering Equipment Ltd

• Finance Manager responsible for financial control, reporting, and accounting across the business

Finance Controller and Branch Manager at Elkay Manufacturing

• Combined Finance Controller and Branch Manager with full responsibility for finance, operations, purchasing, and administration

Temporary Finance Roles at Hays Accountancy

• Temporary finance assignments across multiple businesses, building broad exposure to different finance environments

Assistant Chief Accountant at Dresser Industries

• Six years as Assistant Chief Accountant at a large industrial business, developing core accounting and financial management skills

Accounts Assistant at Moore Stephens

• Began my finance career at Moore Stephens, one of the top 20 accountancy firms in London, building a strong technical foundation in accounting and audit

LLB Honours (Law Degree) in Law – Holborn Law Tutors