Finance Manager, Planning, Consolidation & Reporting Product Owner - Virgin Money
(2024-10)
Lead the vision and roadmap for Planning (ePBCS), Consolidation (FCCS) and Reporting (DRM/Kapiti). Manage a team of five developers, prioritise Jira backlog by value, risk and business priority, and maintain governance and documentation in Confluence. Run Agile ceremonies with Finance and Executive stakeholders, coordinate releases and drive user adoption.
- Delivered major enhancements across ePBCS, DRM/Kapiti and FCCS as part of a multi‑year roadmap, strengthening the entire planning and consolidation ecosystem.
- Led the full ePBCS rebuild to support the financial year change following the NBS acquisition of Virgin Money, delivering the programme within four months with no delays. As part of the rebuild, cleansed and streamlined the system by retiring ~100 obsolete rules and ~300 outdated input and output forms, improving model speed and performance.
- Implemented rolling forecast capability in ePBCS, cutting manual effort and improving responsiveness, increased user participation across business units.
- Improved planning performance via continuous model development, integrating new products, updated structures and automated reporting outputs.
- Supported the migration from HFM to FCCS, simplifying structures and accelerating consolidation timelines.
- Supported the DRM upgrade, improving metadata governance and structural consistency across systems.
- Translate finance needs into clear user stories and acceptance criteria; ensure system capabilities align with finance goals.
- Lead sprint ceremonies (planning, stand‑ups, reviews, retros); coordinate releases and manage rollouts of enhancements.
- Drive user adoption through clear communication, training and documentation.
- Champion automation and modern tooling (Copilot, EPM Reports, Excel) to accelerate insight and make processes more efficient.
- Balance developer workload across strategic change and BAU without compromising quality or delivery.
Finance Manager, Oracle Planning (ePBCS) Lead - Virgin Money
(2021-01 - 2024-10)
Transitioned the new ePBCS platform from project delivery into BAU, combining financial planning expertise with full technical and operational ownership. Uplifted capability, governance and adoption across Finance while ensuring end‑to‑end stability.
- Stabilised ePBCS post go‑live through rapid defect resolution (from ~400 defects to 0), stronger controls and enhanced model risk oversight.
- Established the organisation's ePBCS Operating Rhythm, including submission timelines, maintenance windows and SLAs for data inputs.
- Designed and delivered the Regulatory Planning Environment for BCS and ICAAP, including the business case that secured additional funding.
- Implemented a structured Change Request and prioritisation framework, improving transparency, traceability and more consistent delivery.
- Enhanced consolidated outputs directly from ePBCS (not delivered via the Project), reducing reliance on Excel consolidation and improving oversight and control.
- Delivered training to 70+ Finance users across ePBCS, SmartView and reporting tools; built a dedicated ePBCS Teams hub with guides, training, FAQs and release notes.
- Owned planning cycles (Annual Plan, monthly/quarterly forecasts, BCS and ICAAP) and end‑to‑end system readiness.
- Managed metadata, hierarchies, rules, workflow and security to ensure robust outputs and system reliability.
- Drove adoption and consistent ways of working; provided troubleshooting and guidance to Finance users.
Project Secondment, Oracle Planning (ePBCS) - Virgin Money
(2019-07 - 2021-01)
Core leader in the end‑to‑end delivery of the enterprise planning platform (ePBCS), working with FP&A, Management Reporting, Business Partnering, Technology and PwC technical consultants to define requirements and shape solution design.
- Implemented a fully operational enterprise planning platform, transitioning from fragmented, manual Excel‑based processes to an integrated Oracle Planning (ePBCS) solution. Improved accuracy, cut reconciliation issues by 50%+, and reduced operational risk by eliminating uncontrolled spreadsheets.
- Established the organisation's first integrated P&L and Balance Sheet planning capabilities, aligned to Finance hierarchies and Oracle GL data flows. Enabled end‑to‑end financial modelling — helping the business understand P&L impacts on balance sheet, capital, and liquidity.
- Introduced multi‑scenario, multi‑cycle planning (Plan, Forecast, Stress, ICAAP) within one framework, reducing model duplication and cutting scenario turnaround times by 30–50%. Enabled quicker responses during periods of changing assumptions (ie Base rate changes)
- Developed a scalable operating model by building in‑house modelling expertise, reducing consultant dependency and enabling continuous enhancements as business needs evolve.
- Defined requirements and shaped solution design across models, drivers, hierarchies, metadata and reporting outputs.
- Supported configuration of metadata and system dimensions (e.g. scenarios and versions). Contributed to model development, calculation logic and data entry forms within ePBCS.
- Performed model validation, reconciliations and issue resolution with technical consultants; led system testing, regression testing and UAT.
- Produced system frameworks, user guides, training materials and communications; delivered SmartView (Excel Add‑on) training to drive confidence and support testing.
Finance Manager, Planning & Forecasting - CYBG
(2015-12 - 2019-07)
Led financial planning, forecasting and ICAAP, delivering clear insight to Executive and Board audiences. Supported CYBG's IPO with high‑quality strategic analysis and Board papers. Strengthened decision‑making through concise reporting and continuous improvement of FP&A processes.
- Delivered high‑impact planning insight to Executive and Board stakeholders, leading the full Financial Planning process and shaping strategic decision‑making.
- Played a key role in CYBG's IPO and Capital Markets Day (2016) by contributing to the consolidated strategic plan and drafting Board papers that strengthened investor confidence and supported a successful market listing.
- Improved executive decision‑making through the creation of clear, concise and visually compelling Board‑ready presentations, KPI packs and dashboards.
- Led the end‑to‑end Financial Planning & Forecast processes, including consolidation of outputs, target setting and delivery of insight to senior leadership and Board members.
- Owned and coordinated the ICAAP process, including scenario development, stress‑testing and regulatory engagement.
- Partnered with divisional teams to review assumptions, validate drivers and ensure robust financial projections.
- Produced high‑quality reporting materials, including Board decks, KPI summaries and performance dashboards.
- Oversaw continuous improvement of FP&A processes, tools and governance frameworks to enhance accuracy, efficiency and control.
Finance Business Partner, Unsecured Lending - National Australia Bank
(2012-01 - 2015-12)
Partnered with the commercial teams for Loans & Credit Cards by providing clear Balance Sheet and P&L insight, leading planning and forecasting, and developing business cases for pricing and product changes.
- Supported commercial performance and strategic direction of Loans & Credit Cards, partnering with Product, Pricing, Risk, Marketing and Operations.
- Delivered insight‑led Balance Sheet & P&L analysis across interest income, fees, costs, impairments and portfolio drivers; identified risks, opportunities and emerging trends.
- Led planning, forecasting and scenario modelling for unsecured portfolios. Improved planning and reporting processes, delivering faster insight and stronger governance
- Built financial cases for pricing changes and product enhancements influencing senior leadership decisions.
- Enhanced reporting through dashboards, KPIs and monthly performance packs with strong variance commentary.
Finance Business Partner, Costs (Bank‑wide) - National Australia Bank
(2012-01 - 2015-12)
Led organisation‑wide cost management, ensuring controlled spend and accurate forecasts.
- Delivered insight on cost trends, drivers and efficiency opportunities; owned Opex budget
