Richard’s skills are focused on introducing sound financial systems and processes and ensuring they remain in place but are flexed as the business changes, adapts and grows. He has seamlessly implemented new accounting and enterprise management software, successfully tackled poor debt management, raised additional equity funds and taken businesses through mergers both as the acquired and the acquiring party. He led significant growth and profit improvements as FD by identifying the areas of weakness and tackling them head-on.
He is passionate about understanding the business, so that the advice given and the plan of action arising will be relevant and practical – and then communicating that plan effectively to the stakeholders, including investors, bankers, auditors and fellow directors. To help him achieve that, he identifies the KPIs that light on the areas of concern and produces management accounts that are as simple as possible while highlighting the important issues.
Having advised businesses in many sectors, including agriculture and agricultural processing, technology, early stage start-ups and professional services firms, he is used to transferring his approach to other sectors.
In addition to his FD skills, he is a trustee for a closed final salary pension scheme and has helped close its funding deficit from over £5M to less than £1M in five years.
Outside work, Richard focuses on his family, playing tennis, golf and cricket and lately singing in a choir.
