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Work Background
Jigsaw Education GroupChief Financial Officer
Jan. 2023 - Feb. 2025Played a pivotal role in guiding a rapidly growing SaaS company in the Education sector, ensuring its strategic positioning for potential PE investments in the coming years. As the primary interface with stakeholders and core business areas, bolstered company transparency and effective decision-making. Introduced, streamlined, and monitored controls, processes, and procedures pivotal to driving business growth and ensuring fiscal responsibility. Fulfilled hands-on role in charting and executing growth plans, leveraging my prior experience in a Private Equity-backed environment. Successfully led and mentored a dedicated finance team, ensuring timely and accurate financial forecasting, management accounts creation, and budgeting processes. Regularly provided commercial commentary and insights based on financial data, enhancing strategic direction and decision-making. Oversaw VAT returns, ensured timely statutory accounts preparation and cash flow management, and coordinated annual audits, upholding high compliance standards. Cultivated and maintained relationships with external professional advisors, ensuring the company's strategic and financial health. Spearheaded implementation and enhancement of accounting systems, processes, and management information systems, driving efficiency and improved reporting capabilities. Led financial model preparation to predict and understand business financial trajectories. Contributed as a key member of an ambitious and dynamic management team, instrumental during a crucial phase of expansive company growth. Identified, evaluated, and successfully navigated potential M&A opportunities.
SMIP GroupGroup CEO & CFO
Sep. 2018 - Dec. 2022London, United KingdomSpearheading the financial management a PE backed publishing,market research and technology organisation, securing £40M in private equity financing and navigating the smooth transition through the acquisition of the UK leading LGBT publisher, Pride Life.
• Organising the trademarking of the Certificate of Diversity Practice – a gold standard of excellence – working with a growing network of committed blue chip employers.
• Preparing proposals and winning the rights to do the NFL and tennis official podcasts leading to distribution in the UK & USA markets through the development of the apps to engage with members and fans.
• Priming the organisation’s 20 finance staff and 300 employees to implement restructuring and alignment to public market standards, in preparation for IPO.
Programmemaster LimitedFinance Director
Jun. 2012 - Sep. 2018London, United KingdomLed the restructuring and rapid growth of the e-commerce business (reaching £70million in revenue), presenting winning bids for contracts with prestigious clients such as FA, Manchester United, Liverpool, Westham, Fulham and Spurs Football Clubs, including clinching the deal to be the sole publisher of NFL programmes in UK.
• Implemented a new forecasting process enabling faster decision making across the Group and improved business agility by transforming approaches to new business pitches and risk management.
• Oversaw investment committee meetings, supporting private equity investment decisions and liaising with legal advisors as well as strategic & capital partners during the raising of capital and issuing of shares.
• Reduced debtor days by 5 days to improve cashflow by £2.5m, using robust controls and efficient invoicing systems.
ICICI Bank UK PLCFinance Manager
Oct. 2010 - Jun. 2012London, United KingdomOwned the audit process, in addition to preparing and analysing the P&L and balance sheet of the bank, overseeing the forecasting processes, and ensuring company targets and objectives were achieved. • Delivered strategic plans to manage the impact of new accounting standards, while effectively coordinating internal and external audit relationships. • Led stakeholders to prepare the 3-year business plan and budgeting schedule, reporting to and advising boards and audit committees with articulate presentations of progress versus plan at regular intervals.
• Collaborated with multiple functions to collate and analyse data, summarising control accounts and intersystem reconciliation.
• Prepared the projections of net interest income for the bank, ensuring the Forex position arising from the various activities was reported to the treasury efficiently and effectively.
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