Financial professional to help you navigate corporate changes

About

A personal approach to business challenges

Experienced financial professional to help you navigate your way through corporate changes

I have worked as an advisor with the Big 4 (KPMG), within an owner managed business (Scarborough Group), a private equity owned business (Valad Property) and a public company (Cromwell Property Group). My 25 years of experience cover a wide range of business types, giving me a unique perspective of the challenges facing growing businesses and the value of effective change management. I have worked extensively across Europe as well as managing transactions in the Australian and Asian markets.

Strategy

I am a clear communicator who can condense complex issues or lengthy discussions into a handful of key decisions or actions. My approach is proactive and collaborative. I strongly believe in the value of understanding differing perspectives to come to solutions which best fit the requirements of key stakeholders. To achieve this, I listen and allow space to understand the specifics of the issues at hand.

I have played an active role on multiple corporate boards as well as key decision-making groups such as Investment Committees, Risk Committees and Debt Committees. I am an assertive and engaged board or committee member who keeps the meeting’s objectives in mind when testing assumptions or interrogating risk assessments.

At Valad, my responsibilities included a Head of Risk role with a specific mandate to create the process and policies necessary to formalise and standardise the company’s approach to risk for the better understanding of staff and stakeholders across 13 countries and 20 offices. Having gained this experience, I have an excellent understanding of how best to generate buy-in and the necessary levels of engagement to make corporate risk management meaningful throughout a business.

Capital

In my most recent role as European CFO of Cromwell Property Group, I managed a portfolio of €1.4bn of borrowing from 15 lenders. I developed strong relationships with financing partners through a collaborative approach to negotiation. Providing high quality information, quickly identifying and raising potential issues and understanding the agenda of my counterparts have been key to founding and maintaining these relationships.

Structure

I have led large internal teams (in one role 55 finance personnel across Europe) and large external teams (notably multiple legal, tax and corporate finance advisors across a €1bn joint venture financing). A skilled project manager, I manage complex situations with clarity and accountability, setting milestones and proactively anticipating where issues may arise. Having worked as an advisor and a principal, I take particular care to proactively manage engagements to set mutually agreed expectations around timelines, outputs and costs.