Associate Director Finance
Chartered Management Accountant & Finance Director
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Office:  Colchester

Help for your business: The availability of timely, relevant and reliable financial information is a ‘must have’ for any business. Often this quality information is lacking when a business is under strain. Graeme works with management and K2 colleagues to identify the key financial strategies required to bring about change. He then concentrates on the management information requirements needed to help restore financial stability. Graeme often becomes closely involved in providing continued financial management support to help ensure that financial stability once restored can be maintained.

Skills and expertise: Graeme has significant experience of managing change and corporate restructuring having spent over 20 years operating at director level in numerous industries in the SME sector. He helps managers and business owners understand the financial implications of their decisions, by explaining the ‘numbers’ that are relevant to their business in a way that they can understand. Reporting systems are then focused on providing information to assist them to manage their business all year round not just to enable their accountants to produce year end accounts.

Track record:

• Assisted an established business (Water Direct) suffering ‘growing pains’ and inadequate MI systems. The implementation of a new accounting system with reporting disciplines and the provision of part-time financial management support, enabled the business to turn from a ‘6 figure’ loss to a ‘6 figure’ profit within a year.
• Managed a pre-packaged liquidation and purchase in a turn-around capacity (The East India Company). Successfully merged two business entities; new share structure, articles and shareholder agreements. ‘High level’ corporate strategy developed and ‘Angel’ fundraising completed to finance the development phase at an ‘aspirational’ valuation.
• Acting as Director of Finance for a loss making business with poor systems and internal controls. (Ashbys Tea & Coffee Catering). Stabilised reporting system to produce credible management accounts and recommended cost saving/survival strategies to gain continuing support from bankers and shareholders.
• The turnaround of a retailing/manufacturing group (SwaineAdeney Brigg) was effected following significant rationalisation and re-focusing on core activities via hands-on management control as Joint Managing Director/Finance Director.
• Assisted the Chief Executive with the rationalisation and sale of assets of a merchant banking group (Robert Fraser) which owned two authorised banks. One bank was sold for net asset value and the other was closed with all depositors repaid.

Other: Graeme is a Business Studies graduate and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants. When not helping business owners and managers run their businesses, Graeme is often found sharing his financial and business experience in the classroom when lecturing to undergraduate and professional accounting students.