Group Finance and HR Director, November 2023 to May 2025
Whiteline (Group) Limited – Eastbourne, UK
Appointed by a private equity business to integrate their acquisition of the largest fabricator of PVCu and Aluminium windows and doors in the South East into their portfolio of companies:
- Strategic business partner to the Group Managing Director, focused on delivering sustainable and profitable growth.
- Steered the business through a significant period of transformation, including building a new Finance team and working with the MD to establish a new senior management team to support the future growth plans.
- Brought in a new sales and marketing team following departure of pre-acquisition team. Established a digital marketing presence, with no customers lost through this significant period of transition.
- Created a new product development team to pull together the product knowledge and experience within the business to build product innovation roadmap.
- Provide financial leadership and commercial insight to all department heads, ensuring all key investments are backed by robust, measurable business cases.
- Deliver timely and accurate financial reporting in line with Group deadlines, including monthly management accounts, annual budgets, cashflow forecasts and statutory accounts.
- Ensure financial governance and compliance with all tax and regulatory requirements.
- Oversee the Finance department, ensuring smooth operations and continuous improvement in financial processes and controls.
- Lead the implementation and monitoring of effective HR policies and procedures that align all roles with the strategic direction of the business.
Finance Director, May 2021 to November 2023
No.7 ContactLens Laboratories Limited– Hastings, UK
Appointed by a global medicaldevice company to integrate their acquisition of a specialist contact lens manufacturer:
- Business partner to the Operations Director and Commercial Director, providing financial, commercial and operational insight. A trusted sounding board to discuss business strategy, areas for improvement, and implement change.
- Implemented a significant program of capital investment to modernise the manufacturing processes. Delivered a 100% increase in turnover in two years and trebled the production capacity of the site to meet future commercial growth.
- Implemented a standard costing system enabling effective monitoring of production performance. Ensured a continuous focus on product cost and quality.
- Built constructive and inclusive relationships at all levels. Undertook comprehensive product margin and customer profitability analysis prioritising commercial strategy and focused activity.
- Implemented new protocols over the inventory management and production planning systems, improved the data accuracy and ensured no supply interruptions.
- Handling month- and year-end closings. Implemented effective financial processes to enable comprehensive and accurate management accounts with commentary to be prepared for the Board within one week of month end.
- Appointed new auditors and liaised to finalise financial statements.
- Implemented effective treasury processes to monitor short and long term cashflow requirements. Executed debt fundraising to deliver expansion plans.
- Ensured completion of all statutory filings to Companies House and submission of all VAT and Corporation Tax requirements to HMRC.
Interim FinanceDirector, July 2020 to April2021
Business Consultancy – Tunbridge Wells, UK
- Introduced the management team of a manufacturer of disinfectants for cleanroom contamination controlto lenders, developed their business plan and built a financial forecasting model to secure acquisition financing for an MBO offer.
- Refocused and improved the financial reporting processes for a US subsidiary of a transportation business, enabled parent companyto monitor performance and informed decision making on restructuring plans.
Head of Business Assurance & Insurance, April 2010 to June 2020
Gatwick AirportLimited – Gatwick,UK
- Led and consistently optimised Gatwick’s extensive Insurance programme by clearly communicating Gatwick’srisk management performance and implementing risk management improvement (including minimum third-party contractual insurance requirements).
- Transformed and embedded a robust risk management framework, instilling an empowered
risk culture amongstGatwick’s Senior and Operational Management.
- Implemented a joined-up risk reporting processto ensure consistent presentation of the status of strategic and operational risk to the Gatwick Executive Board and Audit Committee.
- Embedded a risk based and commercially focussed internal audit / assurance approach, providing high quality, commercially focussed and impartial recommendations which consistently influenced and challenged management, delivering tangible value to Gatwick’s strategic and operational priorities.
Audit Manager, June 2008 to March2010
Rail Settlement Plan Limited – London, UK
- Established a continuous assurance framework over RSP's management of the c.450 million / c.£6billion annual UK rail ticket sales / income through delivery and oversight of a programme of internal and co-sourced audits of its IT outsourced contracts, which included Atos Origin UK Limited, Fujitsu and CapGemini.
- Developed and implemented a commercially focused risk management framework over RSPs on-line and travel retail network, where exposure to unsecured ticket sales was >£30million in some instances.
- Implemented an integrated risk and control framework over RSP's investment in a new
- £40million automated settlement system enabling its external auditors to place reliance on the continuous control processes established and facilitated a smooth transfer from legacy systems to the new settlement system.
Senior Auditor, November 2004 to May 2008
Kelda Group PLC – Bradford, UK
- Completion of a broad programme of corporate and operational audits (including at Kelda's US subsidiaries) to assess the effectiveness and adequacy of internal controls and concisely communicating the findings to internal stakeholders.
- Clear communication to ensure both Executive and Senior Management buy-in to recommended improvements and holding action owners accountable for delivery.
Manager, August 1998 to October 2004
KPMG – Sheffield & Leeds, UK
- Completion of a significant number of external audits. Audit clients ranged in size from c.£1m owner managed businesses to c.£50-500m PLC / Large Corporates.
- Completed a wide range of insolvency engagements as a Manager within Corporate Recovery function.
- Managed on-site teams to ensure delivery of the engagement plan to ensure recoveries for lenders were maximized.
- Completion of several restructuring assignments to advise lenders on deliverability of management turnaround plans / alternative risk mitigation strategies.
