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    Technology & ProgrammingWriting & TranslationDesignDigital MarketingVideo, Photo & ImageBusinessMusic & AudioMarketing, Branding & SalesSocial Media
Technology & ProgrammingWriting & TranslationDesignDigital MarketingVideo, Photo & ImageBusinessMusic & AudioMarketing, Branding & SalesSocial Media
Paul Howarth

Paul Howarth

Chief Financial Officer / CFO / Finance Director / FD

Maidenhead, United Kingdom

English speaking

CV below but examples of ways I can help... 1. 2 year rolling weekly forecast templates - makes Next year budgeting much left painfiul 2. Aged debt analysis 3. SAGE help 4....Read moreCV below but examples of ways I can help...
1. 2 year rolling weekly forecast templates - makes Next year budgeting much left painfiul
2. Aged debt analysis
3. SAGE help
4. Better and quicker ways to report results
5. Better ways to question your financial controller
6. Xero help
7. VAT registrations, PAYE registrations
8. How to reduce the costs of your statutory accounts and corporation tax submissions (from £900 rather than much higher from auditors of accountancy firms)
9. Payroll
10. Pension Sacrifice
11. Finding efficiencies in your finance team

Finance Director/CFO with property, facilities management, recruitment, BPO, e-commerce, education, and logistics experience in FTSE100, private equity, SME and owner managed businesses. To date has delivered £1M plus savings, growth from £35M to £161M over 5 years and a £200M trade sale.

WNT – Finance Director – Residential and Industrial Property – T/O £9.5m SME Nov17-Apr18
Board member with influence. Yield analysis on properties. Purchased two properties with VAT complications (£2.9m). Arranged 4 property mortgages at 2.3% plus base (£2.3m). Savings £10k. ATED taxes. REIT/Shares/Wine investments. VAT partial exempt. Xero system accounting. Budget / forecast / cash flow models. Fundraising with Santander/Harrods/Tandem/C Hoare/Lloyds. www.clipstone.co.uk . Company secretarial & pensions.

wnDirect Geopost/DPD (eCommerce logistics - Owner managed)www.wndirect.com (Contract)
International Finance Director – JV from £1m loss to £1m profit in 3 years Dec 2015 – Oct 2017
International cross-border delivery specialist for eCommerce fashion retailers.
£110m t/o; 90 employees. Entrepreneur start up sold to Geopost after 3 years

Responsible for Finance Team, cashflow, duty recovery, weekly reporting, system implement SAGE200, supplier savings, rolling forecasts and FX mngt. Served on: Joint Venture Board and Change Boards. KPIs.
• Strategy roll out– grow inbound UK JV, win big names like Amazon & Ebay, leverage the reference to grow
• Served on the Joint Venture Board with influence and oversaw the international JV financially.
• Recovered £1.6M of contested costs throughout 2016 and early 2017.
• Added £140k extra revenues in six months through analysis, 2 years missed parcels.
• Reduced costs by over £400K in 6 months. Compliance, budgeting and Forecasting.
• Recovered £251K from suppliers over billing through analysis and fixing operational issues.
• Renegotiated historic late billing from suppliers to save Euro 80K.
• Drafted and agreed FX contract mechanisms to safeguard margin, also at a base rate that improved margin by £100K pa on £12m contract with Pitney Bowes USA for eBay.
• Managed the finance team of 12, supporting UK and international growth, staff changes and rotation and restructuring for quality and scalability. Sage upgrade from Sage 50 to Sage 200.

British & Irish Modern Music Institute (BIMM) with Sovereign Capital (PE): www.bimm.co.uk
Chief Financial Officer (CFO) – Extremely Fast growing, new Geographies, Prepare for sale 2014–2015 (Contract)
Private-equity-owned music industry university. Sovereign Capital.
£32m t/o; 250 employees.

Responsible for Finance, HR, IT, Property & Capex, Legal, Bank (£57m facility and fundraising) and Auditor relationships through complex legal restructure for new financing. Sage upgrade from Sage 50 to Sage 200.
Served on: Main Board, Remuneration Committee, Audit Committee. Compliance, budgeting and Forecasting.
• Strategy roll out – grow in UK with new sites, start oversees, gain finance and prepare for sale. Influence.
• Developed the 5-year modelling in preparation to facilitate business sale.
• Newly-implemented financing and funding structure held back £2m contingency cash in the business as a safety net on bank covenants for a £57m bank facility:
o Managed the bank relationship and covenants, cashflow, billing promptly and suppliers.
o Covenants achieved with 15% more headroom than previous year, giving the Board confidence to take back the £2m contingency.
• Expand overseas and set up new operations in Berlin. System implementation of SAGE200.
• Promoted over booking of classrooms (like airline industry) which resulted in £100k extra revenue.
Norland Managed Services (CBRE): www.cbre.com
Divisional Finance Director – Extremely fast growing privately owned business sold to Global giant CBRE (via Mckinsey analysis). 2008 – 2014
Facilities-management company.
£400m t/o; 1700 employees.

Responsible for 9 Business Units totalling £161m turnover.
Served on: Board for MD, Led monthly Business Unit Reviews and weekly meetings with BU Directors.

• Strategy roll out – maximise profitable growth and prepare for sale. Influence.
• Achieved business turnaround from an annual loss of £1M to £11M profit with growth from t/o £35M to £161M p/a in first year
• Oversaw Business Unit Directors and Finance Managers, with circa 1,700 staff in the division and 100+ staff under my direction. Compliance, budgeting and Forecasting.
• Negotiated £70K doubtful client debt over numerous meetings, merged two business units to save £200K p/a, closed one unprofitable office.
• Identified low performing contracts, improved negotiations with suppliers, changed/hired managers.
• Implemented new management bonus schemes across sites from Scotland to Bristol to drive performance. These self-funding schemes paid out £400k to £900k annual payments over 5 years. The business achieved above expectations/budget as a result.
• Hired and directed procurement staff and supplier tenders to generate saving of £350k+ p/a in Year One.
• Reduced debtor days from 67 down to low 40’s – releasing £3m of cash. Supply chain management.
• Successfully merger in of sister business - Integrated Reliance business acquisition of £15m t/o & £40m Managed Services, negotiating old debt to gain £47K.
• Awarded ‘Innovation Award’ at Annual Company Conference with 150 managers.
• Directed one Finance Manager and business unit to £800K over-achievement bottom line EBITDA with a combination of incentives, guided supplier negotiations and optimal staff locations.
• Presented the Norland business to CBRE top USA management to maximise value sale.
• Microsoft Dynamics ERP system development and controls.

Earlier Career: 1991 – 2008


Spring plc / Adecco: Recruitment 2005 – 2008
European Finance Director & Director of Commercial Finance
(Top sales person mentor, overhauled Commission scheme, 100 staff, £330k savings negotiated on Peopleclick CRM system, KPIs, Controls)

Hays plc: Divisional Finance Director / Financial Controller / Management Accountant 1995 – 2005
Recruitment / Mail / Logistics / Document storage
(Business Sale £200m, IM, Dataroom, Canary Wharf presentations, Analysis £600k back billing, £4m cash, SAP)

Macintyre Hudson Chartered Accountants: Auditors 1991 – 1995
Audit Senior / Trainee Chartered Accountant / Tax work / Expert witness / Budget controls

Education and Professional Training:

Ashridge Business School: Ashridge Senior Executive Training 2011
(Key modules – Essentials of Strategic Leadership, Leading Change & Growth)

ACA Chartered Accountant – First time passes at all levels 1995
Coventry University: BSc Combined Science 2:1 , Maths, Statistics, Economics 1988 – 1991
Lean Leadership course (in progress) 2017 - Date

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Skills

financial accountingfinance consultingfinancial managementxerosage developmentchief financial officer (CFO)financial forecastingfinancial modelingfinancial prospectus writingfinancial reporting
Industry expertise: Education, IT, Real Estate, Recruitment and Retail

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Skills

financial accountingfinance consultingfinancial managementxerosage developmentchief financial officer (CFO)financial forecastingfinancial modelingfinancial prospectus writingfinancial reporting
Industry expertise: Education, IT, Real Estate, Recruitment and Retail

Insights

Freelancer Buyer
Projects listed
53
Freelancers worked with
44
Last active
Jun 29 2020
Response time
within two days

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Freelancer Buyer
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Last active
Jun 29 2020
Response time
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Skills Insights

Insights

Freelancer Buyer
Projects listed
53
Freelancers worked with
44
Last active
Jun 29 2020
Response time
within two days

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Freelancer Buyer
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0
Buyers worked with
0
Last active
Jun 29 2020
Response time
within two days
Skills Insights
financial accountingfinance consultingfinancial managementxerosage developmentchief financial officer (CFO)financial forecastingfinancial modelingfinancial prospectus writingfinancial reporting
Industry expertise: Education, IT, Real Estate, Recruitment and Retail
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