Virtual Financial Controllers – Profiles
Our Virtual Financial Controllers all have considerable commercial experience and in many cases are also fully qualified accountants. The advantage of the Virtual Financial Controllers or Management Accountants is that they are focussed on producing excellent management information, accounts which are accurate, timely and above all meaningful. Virtual Financial Controllers are also typically strong in systems selection, report design and systems implementation.
Gill P – ACA
Gill has an impressive track record of delivering profit improvement, gained in blue chip and FTSE 100 companies as well as large family run businesses and smaller enterprises.
As a degree educated Chartered Management Accountant with 30 years hands-on commercial experience up to director level finance and marketing roles; Gill believes there is more to finance than just numbers – specifically understanding the people and the problems facing businesses.
Sakine F
Sakine has good experience in both management accounts and project accounting. Key strengths include the provision of financial and management information to enable proper control of the business. The implementation of Sage accounting systems and training of client’s staff to be able to use that system. Sakine has fluent German and Farsi. Sakine is also a qualified chartered accountant, having trained with a top 25 firm. Sakine practices as a chartered accountant with a small portfolio of clients and and has experience of R&D tax credit claims.
Steve W
Stephen is an experienced accountant with particular expertise in developing and introducing sound financial and administrative systems, whether in start-up companies, or those suffering from distressed or a dis-functional finance function. He is a hard working, commercially aware and resourceful manager, with a proven track record of working well under pressure and to tight deadlines.
Stephen’s career has involved working with a number of start-up companies where he has taken ownership of all Finance areas to working for Virtual Finance Directors in larger clients. He has a wide range of experience in other non Finance roles including HR, (including implementing a number of EIS systems), Fleet Management, Facilities Management and provision of appropriate company Insurance policies. He has developed a number of long-term client relationships, such that even when that client recruits full time staff to take over, he is often retained as a Consultant offering continuity and financial advice.
Simon M – ACA
Simon is a recruit of several years to the vfdnet team having had over 30 years of commercial experience. He is a Chartered Accountant having qualified with a top twenty firm of accountants before joining the commercial world with Trusthouse Forte (subsequently called Forte), in the hospitality and leisure industry. In the next 16 years he gained significant experience in the life sciences arena for some well-known companies, culminating in the position of FD for the European operations of a regenerative medicine provider. This provided him with significant experience in mergers and post-acquisition integration as well as US GAAP and Sarbanes-Oxley regulations, where he was seen as the go to man in understanding the requirements. His last full-time role involved the establishment of a Europe-wide subsidiary for a US company, including the successful implementation of the outsourced accounting function, covering multiple European countries under one UK entity.
The past seven years have seen Simon work with a number of start-up organisations, particularly in the medical devices arena, both at the pre-revenue and new revenue generating stages. This has included the production of strategic plans for fundraising initiatives as well as ensuring Finance is properly embedded within the business. Additionally, he has worked on alternative fund-raising avenues, including convertible loan notes and UK and EU grant submissions.
Whilst Simon is at ease working with people at all levels, he has worked within senior management teams providing the Finance expertise as well as both collaborating and challenging colleagues. Simon has built teams wherever he has worked and strongly believes that these teams need to be integrated within the business, working with other functions, to fully understand how the business works. Simon has significant experience of dealing with rapidly changing companies, auditors, overseas head offices and banks as well as providers of other support services, e.g. HR and IT. In all organisations, he has built close working relationships with financial and non-financial members of the organisation. This has often involved the need to find creative strategic alternatives and solutions to complicated problems.
Alastair C – FCA
Alastair has a hugely impressive track record of delivering change in privately owned and VC funded SMEs across a number of business sectors and is especially strong in the areas of manufacturing, product sales and distribution. He has worked as a freelance consultant for over 10 years and additionally supports new business enterprise in Oxfordshire through work with the Oxfordshire LEP.
Alastair is a commercial focussed Chartered Accountant with experience in finance and operational roles in companies up to £100m turnover, including pan-European and US operations. Today, he is particularly interested in working with privately owned businesses in the £1m-£25m turnover category looking to grow and develop.
Phil R – ACA
Phil has 40 years of experience as a Chartered Accountant, having qualified with a big 4 firm. He is an experienced commercial accountant and he has managed core teams dealing with business services areas including HR, IT, Property, as well as Finance. He has worked as a Business Partner, collaborating with the management team and contributing towards the development of the business. Phil has specialised in specifying and managing improved reporting processes using commercial IT packages and loves supporting business owners in maximising service and improving business profitability. His experience in managing virtual teams working across offices, and often across different cultures, has been critical in optimising communication, enhancing engagement and so delivering improved performance to support business in its objectives.
Phil’s most recent role has been the Regional Chief Operating Officer (Finance) for a major international law firm, responsible for partners and staff in multiple offices across Europe. He carried out post acquisition integration work in the Finance function for a newly acquired German business. He transformed the Finance function and was also responsible for other functions. Prior to that Phil worked in the banking sector in London. He had roles including Group Financial Controller in one private bank before becoming Head of Finance at another private bank with three investment management subsidiaries. During his time in banking he was responsible for many aspects of both banks’ operations including managing the banks’ IT operations, introducing new management reporting systems in multiple jurisdictions and managed the disaster recovery processes, including dealing with live situations. Experience also included working on a turnaround project on behalf of the banking department. In his early career in the profession, he had been involved in many financial business audits.
Will M – FCA
Will is a qualified chartered accountant, trained with Ernst & Young, who has worked in industry as a senior finance professional for 29 years. Technically strong, loyal and reliable.
Will’s core area of expertise and experience is with SMEs, and working with their directors and staff to increase their profits. He has strong experience of working with technology and manufacturing organisations, but has worked in a range of other sectors.
His expertise includes (a) ensuring the business has the right information to keep driving it forward, and focusing on key areas to improve profits, (b) managing and developing finance teams, (c) working with all staff to expand commercial awareness, and (d) seeing how work can be done more efficiently.
Will has good experience of systems and processes, both developing and integrating them internally, and also selecting and implementing larger third-party systems.
Will works effectively and collaboratively with directors, stakeholders, and all levels of employees to help drive profit and ensure financial control. drive profit and ensure financial control.
Joe N – FCCA
Joe has worked specifically as a portfolio Financial Controller for 10 years across FTSE100, Start-ups and Scale-ups. He has worked on projects across more than 50 companies in the last 10 years, gaining invaluable experience of systems, processes, technology, and efficiency creation.
Joe specialises in driving change and efficiencies trough all organisational processes and he combines this with detailed knowledge of systems to generate the output required for effective management of the business.
Joe works with VCT, EIS, VC and PE backed businesses, also those businesses that require rapid and effective change, with a typical turnover range of £0.5m to £20m, often for owner-managed businesses.
In the last 6 businesses Joe has worked in, he has reduced month end processes down from 15 to less than 5 days in all cases, alongside providing more accurate and relevant information to Management.
Joe has extensive experience in system integrations, specialising in all Xero compatible apps and Zapier where required to get things talking and automated.
Lucinda de QA – ACA
Lucy is a qualified chartered accountant, trained with Baker Tilly (now RSM) in Guildford, and has worked in industry as a senior finance professional for over 20 years. Delivery focused, dedicated and reliable with attention to detail. Good at forging relationships with different teams.
Lucy’s main experience is in financial services and technology but has recently worked with small consulting, retail and building development companies and a charity. Her expertise lies in supporting commercial operations through insightful management information, KPI’s, profitability / yield reviews, comprehensive analysis and integrated forecasting. Wealth of knowledge in business planning for both short and medium term across multiple countries, currencies, products and profit centres. She has reworked, corrected and documented numerous financial controls and processes, constantly challenging the status quo to drive improvements.
As a manager she has developed and restructured teams and has an empathetic and patient personality. She has delivered several projects involving retraining of staff and cultivating accountability and awareness of business performance from junior to senior stakeholders.
