Flexmanager - CFO / CIO

CFO / CIO

Work Experience

Experience in Europe, US, Middle East & Far East – Telco/E-commerce/Software 18 yrs & Healthcare 5 yrs

Acquisitions, disposals, integration, investors & fund raising

• Buyout of 2006 US$100M 21 real estate/service businesses for US$51M debt (Shaw)

• Raised US$90M from 3 institutions to develop 10 specialist hospitals 2007 (Shaw)

• Steered successfully 2 US9$M projects to financial close in difficult credit environment Nov 2008, raising multi US$ project finance 2004 to 2008 (Shaw)

• Developed 30 year financial models for Group/projects 2003 to date (Shaw)

• Raised 3 VC funding rounds 1998, 1999 & 2000, US$2M, US$9M & US$26M, including two new investors 1999 & 2000; in 1999 raised US$5M non-recourse bank debt (Wireless)

• Managed investor relations as company went green-field / start-up to maturity (Wireless)

• Successfully managed 1994 disposal in 8 weeks of worldwide Group, at a profit, to Japanese Public Corporation, remaining as Group CFO with combined Japanese / UK Group for further 3 years, dealing with integration on 3 continents (Redac)

• Integrated worldwide & domestic acquisitions into existing operations (Redac & Shaw)

• Successfully managed due diligence and transactional requirements on acquisitions & disposals from 1989 to present (Redac, Wireless and Shaw)

Negotiation with customers & partners

• Successfully negotiated 2003 to 2005 with UK government as Project Leader US$950M service & real estate infrastructure contract now employing 700 fulltime equivalents, increasing company turnover by 25% and profits by 30%. Managed stakeholders & lawyers (Shaw)

• Successfully negotiated in 2000 with CzechInvest (Czech Republic) tax concessions and US$9M grant from UK government to build factories (Wireless)

• Successfully negotiated with suppliers joint developments & licensing (I.P) (Redac)

• Negotiated multi US$M R&D grants from EU and UK governments (Wireless & Redac)

Enhancing shareholder value

• Delivered in 2000 enhanced shareholder value to US$120M for US$11M investment in 4 years as operations moved from development to manufacture & sales (Wireless)

• Set up in 1997 & managed Employee Share Ownership Trust including regular communications to all staff to maximise motivation (Wireless)

• Within 12 months of becoming Group CFO in 1992 US$35M loss PA, after accumulated losses of US$125M incurred, turned into US$3M profit through analysis of loss-making activities, revised strategy & subsequent disposals, cost reduction & maximising revenue. Improved cash ratios, with DSO improving 60% (Redac)

• Sorted out successfully US management issues, including poor performance, leading to recruitment of new USA GM and CFO in 1995 (Redac)

Systems, controls and reporting development

• Identified financial issues & opportunities to maximise cash & profit for Group & projects, optimizing return on capital. Identified KPI's at Group & project level, introducing them into regular reporting resulting in focus on investing in higher return activities (Shaw / Redac)

• Successfully supported financially, control, system & process wise business growing at 50% every 6 months from 1997 to 2001 introducing & developing new systems as company went from development into manufacturing & sales, including recruiting, coaching & training of (non) finance staff, sometimes in an ambiguous environment (Wireless)

• Key financial person for all worldwide companies. Responsible for cash management, financial analysis, business case development & reviewing detailed plans for each company & all other financial activities, including
securing bank funding (Redac)

• Managed financial planning/analysis process for global group 1989 to 1997. Developed worldwide procedures for planning/capital budgeting process, provided direction & reduced close period, including group consolidation, from 10 to 3 days (Redac)

• Within weeks of joining in 1989 discovered 3 multi US$ frauds in 3 territories. Tightened up controls and sorted out management (Redac)

• Redesigned performance measurements, financial and non-financial, & related management systems through extensive process re-engineering initiative to drive efficiency 1994 to 1997. Successfully accomplished planning & to budget implementation of new systems across whole group covering sales prospecting, accounting, office, manufacturing & design tools, reducing costs by 15% (Redac)

Career journey

2003 – Present: Shareholder & Finance Director of Shaw Healthcare Group Ltd & Subs (healthcare infrastructure such as real estate and services, UK). Customers UK government (PPP and PFI), insurance companies & private payers. 80 trading locations. 4000 employees • Moved to Switzerland March 2008 & currently working notice (Nov 2008).

2002 – 2008: Founder & Shareholder in TickPC Technology Ltd (E-commerce, UK).

• Investment in interactive IT sales portal • Technology sold April 2008.

1997 – 2002: Shareholder, Financial & I.T. Director, Company Secretary & Pension Trustee of Wireless Systems International Ltd from start up (telecoms 3G & Edge hardware design, manufacturing, services & sales, UK, with 100% of sales overseas). Customers included Ericsson, Nokia & Siemens • One of first ten employees • Startup growing to 160 staff including moving from R & D to manufacture & sales. Opened new European factory

• Sold to the Andrew Corporation 2002.

1989 – 1997: Worldwide Group CFO, CIO, CTO & Pension Trustee of Racal Redac Group Ltd & subsidiaries. Merged with Zuken Inc - Public Company - (software & hardware development, manufacturing, sales & services with 90% of sales overseas, Europe, US & Far East via 20 subsidiary companies). Customers included Rohde & Schwarz, Schlumberger, Rockwell, Motorola, Hughes, Sony, ABB, Siemens, Philips, BAE, Toshiba, IBM, Matsushita, NEC, Ford, Alcatel, Samsung, Fujitsu, Thomson, Agilent, Panasonic, Racal Electronics, JVC & Hewlett Packard. Operations in USA, UK, Japan, China, France, Italy, Germany, Austria & The Netherlands. 1500 to 3000 employees • Sold 1994 to Zuken inc. of Japan but remained CFO with combined Group until 1997 • Responsible for HR for 6 months in absence of CEO.

1985 – 1989: Shareholder, Finance & I.T. Director and Company Secretary
of Sewells International Ltd (publishing, training & consultancy services, UK). Customers included Ford, BMW, Honda, SAAB, Unipart, GM & VW. 200 employees • Owned S.A sub.

1980 – 1985: Computer audit & management consultant with Arthur Young (now EY) (USA). Clients Saudi – Greek Petroleum shipping companies, ARAMCO & Mobil • Lived and worked in Saudi Arabia for two years in Jeddah, Riyadh & Al-Khobar.

Education

• Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales – passed exams first time including spending six months in The City of London on secondment with C.T Bowring • 1980 ACA Membership no 7186101 • Practising Certificate 1982 • FCA 1990.

• Programming, University of Phoenix-Northern Virginia Campus, Reston, Virginia, USA 1983.

• 3 ‘A’ levels (Physics, Biology, Geography), 1 ‘O/A’ (use of English) & 7 ‘O’ levels.

• Combined Cadet Force for 5 years (Army).

Skills

Specialties

Strategic planning
Commercial negotiation
Leadership
Dealing with ambiguity
Scaling
Growth management
Financial forecasting
Business valuation, acquisitions & disposals
Controlling & accounting
MIS
Investor & bank management
Equity & debt raising, grant, bank & VC
PPP/PFI
Legal
IP & OEM negotiations
Restructuring & turnaround
Established blue chip & start up
Risk & opportunity appraisal
Corporate governance & compliance
Project management
Corporate taxation & transfer pricing

I.T. skills

• Responsible at Director level for IT from 1985 to 2003 covering accounting, manufacturing, CAD/CAM tools including ASIIC design, simulation tools, many Microsoft applications & operating systems (Novell and Microsoft) on servers & PCs with good understanding of Word, Powerpoint & Publisher.

• Specific experience of following accounting packages including installation – Sun, SAP, Cognos, Sage, Pegasus, Navision, Solomon & Excel.

Languages

• English (native) • French • German (learning).

Other

Interests

• Business / travel / swimming / tennis / cycling / music memorabilia & writing published articles in `Record Collector`/ playing jazz & acoustic guitars.