Interim Management CV
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This Interim Management CV has the following sections:
PROFILE
CONSULTANT AND INTERIM FINANCE DIRECTOR
- Specialist in "Systems Recovery Management" - mending broken, or poorly functioning, accounts departments
- Covers all of Accounting, Computer, and Organisational aspects
- 25 such assignments completed, all successful, succeeds where others have failed
- Clients have included Allis Chalmers, Cookson, DHL, Ford, GKN, KLM, Lear Seigler, Stone & Webster, Tennaco, Thorn and a number of fast-growth IT-orientated companies.
- Additional significant experience in Internet Companies and Business Modelling, and international Offshore Finance.
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ASSIGNMENTS LIST
1999 to date: Internet, Offshore Finance, and International Assignments
Two part time roles, both through (unconnected) personal recommendations. Both utilised technical knowledge, an eye for detail, and business judgement.
CSP owned by Law Firm
This firm's contact stemmed from the quality of other work it had seen from me. Essentially the role was to act as "Compliance Backstop" reviewing (mainly) corporate files, for a group of old structures, to ensure their cohesion, correctness and compliance, prior to anticipated Regulatory reviews.
Specialised Fund Manager and CSP
This firm had attracted Regulatory attention. Core tasks were:
- review a group of funds (both Ltd and plc) for cohesion, correctness and compliance, arrange all matters necessary to regularise their position, hold AGM' s and the like correctly, and provide a basis for proper future administration.
- review a group of CSP clients for similar aspects, recording in a systematic format all errors, anomalies and judgmental items for attention, and passing those through a formal review and resolution system.
- reorganise the structure and statutory administration of the firm's legal, management and operating companies so that control and regulatory aspects were correctly implemented and clarified.
Though these reviews concentrated upon the files, implementing improvements involved many consequential matters, including staff education; formal procedures; installation and advantageous configuration of Viewpoint; exposure to similar computer systems; relations with clients, auditors, suppliers and other service firms in the structures; reporting to clients; developing shareholder information; AMLO; KYC; relations with the Regulator; legal research; etc.
Assignments in Slovakia advising on western Accounting methods, factory control systems (MRP) and a range of other management and commercial issues for a large medium-heavy engineering works, and an industrial rubber company.
Executor for Manx and UK personal estates.
Technical, Compliance and forensic work, and other assistance, for a CSP investigating a fraud. Emphasis on Trust law. IOM "FSC Approved" for this role. My contribution was such that a Non-executive Directorship was offered.
Assisting a major Offshore Insurance Company to raise the quality of its annual reporting in difficult organisational and accounting circumstances.
Acting as Director for a CSP needing assistance with its Client companies. The business performed technically demanding forensic work for private individuals, and furnished large complex structures for supra-national MNC's. Risk evaluation and assessment, technical and compliance advice, drafting documents to cover difficult situations, and to brief lawyers, formed a large component of the work.
Company Secretary & Compliance Officer (Isle of Man FSC approved ) of Offshore Investment Fund Manager (Category 3 Licence) and Corporate Services Provider during divestment of the investment business and inception of the Isle of Man CSP legislation, with consequent workload increase. Clients were mainly high net worth private individuals, and the atmosphere that of a private bank.
Studied module 1 of the ICSA (PQE) Diploma in Company & Trust Offshore Planning.
Assisting wealthy entrepreneur create website for new-concept recruitment-related service business. Involved in all aspects of site creation, operational back-office, marketing and promotion.
Bigsave.com: Interim Financial Controller during Year End and downsizing of offices.
Project Director for a Scandinavian-backed offshore Internet startup. Major contributions included: creating "force the thinking" financial model (which tripled the revenue forecast), mediating difficult interpersonal situation to create better team spirit, setting up the management and staff communications structure, creating action-orientated project plan to control launch, various Content suggestions to improve the product offering, suggesting marketing strategy to reduce launch costs.
Project in Romania advising on western Accounting methods, factory control systems (MRP) and various other management and commercial issues arising for a large electrical equipment manufacturing entity.
Project in Georgia (former Soviet Union) reviewing and advising on the financing and other management issues surrounding a food ingredients processing factory.
For senior management of Amazon.co.uk wrote large (12mb) complex financial model to evaluate plans to expand into Europe and new product areas. Client's design requirements emphasised need for:-
- maximum flexibility in manipulating timescales and all other evaluation parameters, for a large matrix of products and markets, combined with
- simplicity at the user input interface
- transparency and "checkability" in showing results, and
- simple reporting summations of assumptions and combinations of projects considered by the plans
1993-1999 Systems Recovery Management assignments on an increasing scale Managed 50 staff in non-performing accounts department of international petro-chem engineering contracting firm, which had had 2 MD's, 2 FD's, 2 computer systems, and approximately 4 controller/chief accountants in the previous few months. Major problems in IT, reconciliations, quarterly and annual closes, audit viability. Installed project management and Recovery monitoring controls, improved IT systems, coached, trained and motivated staff. Also handled problems in statutory compliance, contract valuation, Joint Venture accounting, international liaison and control, tax matters, in UK and abroad, especially Middle East.
For extremely fast-growth SAP installation contractor, tested, debugged, controlled rewriting of, and installation for, custom-written job costing software suite, integrated to other systems.
Subsidiary of Fortune top-10, banking licence and ability to trade jeopardised by threat of audit qualification. Problems included computer system poorly installed 21 months before, weak accounting, ingrained process and organisational problems.
Personally recruited, led, directed, team of 50+ accountants to recover 18 month backlog in reconciliations. Designed ancillary project to systematically investigate underlying causes of accounting difficulties and implement necessary process and software changes under suitable controls.
Dimensions:- cost £5.5m, duration 10 months, over 80 gb of data, 50 accounting heads plus IT staff, about 12,000 accounts. Significant project management and planning content, in addition to de facto line management responsibility.
- Assisted public CA establish outsourced total accounting/admin service for his client portfolio, and recover backlog of work on major clients
- Finance & Admin Manager in fast growth (70% pa) connectivity software group. Fifteen staff covering finance, personnel, shipping and facilities during European expansion. Restored seven month backlog in reporting, installed cash controls, forecasting systems, provided budgets, forecast models, information to support 3 rounds of financing. Coached and trained staff.
- Financial and manufacturing controls review for packaging subsidiary of US MNC
- Reporting, modelling, systems installation for prestigious retail fashion chain
- Hi-tech venture-backed Queens Award Co, interim FD while senior management changed
- Acquisition appraisal & reporting system developments for Schroder-backed motor distributor
- Interim FD in £40m MLM consumer marketing Co, during expansion into two Scandinavian countries
- Accounts procedures restructured for £14m Disney licensee
- Technical and commercial improvements to MRP system, for medical equipment engineers
- Accountant during takeover and reorganisation of major AutoCad distributor
- Non-exec FD for food distribution company - developed accounting and databases
1991 – 1993 Funding and M&A - ±50 investment and project appraisals, for fees and for own account. Examples of projects:
- Sale of recruitment consultancy
- Pre-startup planning and modelling for Peoplebank.com, the pioneer recruitment website
- Property workout - reporting, banking and creditor relations.
- European MNC - developed confidential strategy which resolved affiliate's weak performance without acquisition expense
Own account funding as Business Angel
- Software House - project evaluation, modelling, inputs to the product and the user manual
- Office Furniture distribution - project traded below plan due to recession, required personal
- involvement, was sheltered within another business and eventually closed
1989 – 1991 Finance Director / Consultant - giving support to firms from £0.1m to £200m
- DHL International. Strategic counsel & consultant to MD and Controller. Projects enhanced strategy, efficiency, operating quality, future competitiveness and quality of governance. Wide variety of PC & large scale Unix custom and packaged software eg Uniplex. Improved high volume Billing Systems. Technical innovations in a Call Centre. Document Image Processing project (scanning, OCR, Workflo technologies etc)
- Non-exec FD for voice processing Co, while technology moved from analogue to digital
- Interim FD in LAN Co, Systems Recovery Management, new systems, business planning
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EMPLOYMENT CAREER
1988-89 Head of Finance & Administration - XP Express Parcels Systems
UK T/o £12m, (Europe £70m), 50% pa growth, 250 heads. International multi-site service business, independent subsidiary of KLM, offering overnight delivery throughout Europe. High volume, low value transaction processing.
Hired to raise the quality of F & A to match that of the Operation. Installed new computers, billing, control and reporting systems. Large Backlog recovery. Budgeting, property and secretarial work. Leadership through a difficult takeover.
1985-88 Financial Director - Allis Chalmers (GB) Ltd
$2bn US MNC. UK offices, Scottish plant, BS5750 Pt II. Leading industrial brand. Mineral processing machinery manufacture and distribution worldwide. Major turnaround following UK miner's strike. Used all previous experience to implement new custom accounting, IT and operating systems. 25% less staff, but comprehensive responsive planning, forecasting and reporting illuminated every area of operations, made management proactive, propelling strategy, new approach to product design, organisational change, etc. Maximised Treasury benefits of international trade; acquired company to add new product line. Detailed information and strategic advice to Board took company from losses and over-borrowed, to cash rich, with highest ROI in the industry. Obtained accolade of "cleanest audit in the Thames Valley" (Price Waterhouse).
1983-85 Pioneer Interim FD combining line and project responsibilities in (8) "Systems Recovery Management" exercises on collapsed accounts departments. Also:-
- Controller in an export/ import US MNC whilst managing Systems Recovery
- Install G/L and import/export procedures for a hi-tech pc distribution start-up.
- Treasury shipping and Europe-wide consolidations for a US semi-conductor firm.
- Costing and pricing systems for an engineering firm.
One year as Controller of MicroScope Ltd, systems & software provider to Holiday Tour operators, travel videotext and comms markets, whilst turnover quadrupled, prior to full London listing.
1980-1983 Management Accountant - GKN Vandervell Ltd
T/o £35m, automotive bearing manufacturers, leading industrial brand. Shop floor accounting. Accounts and systems (including MRPII) for a group of departments (£10m) lacking proper controls or reporting. Modelbuilding and large capital project appraisal of a new process, then monitor development. Significant cost reductions.
1979-1980 Financial Accountant - Dresser Wayne Inc
US MNC, petrol pump and meter manufacturers, formerly the market leader. High pressure position with very high quality computerised systems and extremely tight deadlines. 11 unionised staff.
Earlier
Cranfield MBA. Consulting and a period in Electronics
Early industrial career in Internal Audit and business reorganisation, with GKN and Wilkinson Match
Provincial articles (firm is now KPMG) then "Big 6" London experience.
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PERSONAL DETAILS, SKILLS AND INTERESTS
DOB: 9th February 1947
Nationality: British
Skills
Languages: English (mother tongue), French and some Russian
Recent training courses have included Casewise (BPR software), and Activity Based Costing software
Trainer: Dun & Bradstreet credit management & spreadsheet modelling
For a list of business skills please request details or see skills.
Interests:
Professionally active in ICAEW
FRSA (mainly for "Tomorrows Company", architecture, and industrial design interests)
Management Committee of Swarthmore old people's residential home
Sailing, skiing, long range safari.
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SOFTWARE EXPERIENCE
as Specifier, Implementor, Project Manager and User
Specific packages:
Accounts
Graffcom II, Sage Sovereign & Financial Controller, Tas Books, Sun, Tetra, Pegasus Senior Opera and Capital Gold, Impcon on DEC, Scala, Cfacs (Oracle), Squaresum Dream, Walker, Platinum, Oracle.
Desktop
Excellent Spreadsheet and Word Processing skills on Lotus and MS products. Some knowledge of their databases. Knowledge of many PC packages now considered "legacy" or outdated. Please click here for full list.
M R P
Mapcon 3000 on HP hardware, Kewill, Impcon on DEC and Custom packages
Operating systems
Unix, Dos, Windows, Novell, Appletalk, Lantastic Banyan and NT
Other
Uniplex, Smart, Symphony, Freelance, Act! contact software, CAD (Visio, Autosketch), LeaseTek, flow-
charting, WP & Mailing Systems, MS Project & other Project Management tools, EDI, Comms (including InterNet page construction), networks, Psion & US Robotics Pilot use & file transfer. Good knowledge of Scanning, OCR, EDM & Workflo technologies.
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