As a collaborative and trusted finance director, I specialize in driving growth and achieving strategic objectives by fostering relationships within companies. Throughout my career, I've secured financing, worked through due diligence processes, and facilitated ownership transitions and system migrations. My expertise includes budgeting, forecasting, management reporting, P&L analysis, and variance reporting. Additionally, my strong leadership and interpersonal skills empower me to implement operational change effectively.
Head of Finance, Oct 2018 - July 2021 In my capacity as Finance Director and previously as Head of Finance I've spearheaded diverse initiatives, guiding the finance team to support overall revenue growth of over 20% year on year. Collaborating closely with the CEO/Founder, I've contributed strategically to Wholesale Operations, Logistics, and E-commerce, driving financial improvement and operational efficiency. Key Responsibilities: • Provide strategic financial leadership to optimize the brand's performance, including developing a comprehensive 5-year plan and cash flow forecasts to align with Saloni's budgets and strategic objectives. Ensure compliance with accounting standards and tax regulations, collaborating closely with external accountants and auditors. • Successfully managed to secure company bank loans and CIBIL loans while extending credit to support the financial needs of the business. • Guide the company through the challenges of the pandemic, supporting the CEO in navigating HR and commercial decisions while managing tight cash flows effectively. • Oversee day to day Wholesale Operations and Logistics, including acting as the primary contact for the US agent and distributors regarding all wholesale terms, negotiation, and communication. • Source a new logistics partner to enhance the efficiency of the e-commerce channel, resulting in streamlined deliveries, minimal customs delays, and significant growth of the e-commerce business. • Review all commercial and legal contracts, conduct due diligence, and provide guidance and support to other departments in interpreting contract terms and conditions. • Provide main HR support for Operations, Logistics, and E-commerce, overseeing recruitment and onboarding processes, and collaborating with senior leaders to implement employee engagement and retention strategies. • Manage the financial aspects of the first store launch, from planning and modeling before the launch to overseeing profit and loss during operations. Develop the "Retail Store Excellence" handbook tailored for the launch of the pop-up store, support with set up of POS and lead the hiring process.
Key Responsibilities: • Directly report to the CFO, providing strategic financial insights and recommendations to enhance the company's financial management. • Lead a team of four accountants, overseeing all accounts payable (AP), accounts receivable (AR), and reporting activities with a focus on accuracy and timeliness. • Develop and maintain robust cash flow forecasting models to manage working capital and liquidity effectively across the business. • Collaborate with the Group CFO to create comprehensive five-year forecasts, guiding annual budgeting and forecasting processes across all channels. • Manage the preparation and review of statutory accounts, coordinating annual audit planning to ensure compliance with regulatory standards. • Define, refine, and oversee operational finance processes, including payment approvals, project budgeting, and financial reporting, to optimize efficiency and accuracy. • Engage in continuous financial modeling, particularly during due diligence processes by major groups, providing comprehensive financial insights and supporting decision-making. • Successfully lead finance and system transition initiatives during the strategic sale of the business to new company owners, ensuring seamless integration and continuity of financial operations. • Work closely with the legal team on the closure of the US entity across all financial matters and its transfer under the new group.
During my six-year tenure at Jimmy Choo, I held various roles, engaging in strategic partnerships across departments such as Retail, E-commerce, Shared Services, and IT. This involvement extended to significant initiatives including system migrations (SAP), warehouse transitions, and the launch of new websites. I also played a pivotal role in tax restructuring efforts. Key Responsibilities: • Directed the budgets and profit and loss statements for UK retail and E-commerce, collaborating closely with the VP of Retail and business partners, including the Retail and E-commerce Directors, to efficiently meet targets. • Witnessed remarkable growth from £8 million to £24 million in E-commerce revenue, with UK retail achieving £50 million overall. • Worked alongside other teams during the SAP migration, moving from internal operations to a group shared service while the company at the same time was going through an IPO. • Oversaw the preparation and submission of E-commerce and UK Retail annual budgets, Prepared monthly management accounts with commentary and variance analysis, quarterly packs, and year-end accounts, including full balance sheet review for UK, E-commerce, and UK Retail Head Office. • Analyzed UK and E-commerce Capex spend versus budget, liaising with project managers and store development to track spending, estimate year-end accruals, and provide Capex spend commentary. Supported Head of Finance in Capex budget preparation. • Led the registration and filing of thirteen US State Taxes for the US E-commerce Distribution Centre, ensuring compliance and timely filing requirements. • Managed UK and E-commerce Monthly Stock Reconciliations, working closely with fulfilment partners to understand stock variances. • Oversaw E-commerce Accounts Payable and provided Group Finance with E-commerce monthly cash flow forecasts and cash balances. • Fostered relationships with UK shared service providers to achieve service standards and ensure anticipated efficiencies. Acted as a key contact on all E-commerce and UK accounting matters, including external and internal annual audits.
Key Responsibilities: • Collaborated closely with the Head of Finance and VP of Finance to manage $80 million in revenue across 7 EU Countries and E-commerce platforms. • Provided Management Pack commentary on margin and all sales-related costs for 60 retail stores across the EMEA Region, ensuring timely and efficient delivery of tasks related to financial reporting. • Supported the Head of Finance on the EMEA Budgeting Process, including reviewing occupancy contracts and providing forecast estimates for all turnover-related costs. • Collaborated as a strategic business partner with the Retail, Group Finance, and Marketing departments to effectively manage budgets and optimize costs. • Assisted in the UK Retail and E-commerce SAP Migration, reviewing the quality of data migrated and ensuring all financial controls were in place. • Led the E-commerce EU VAT registration process for 18 countries, working closely with Legal and Tax advisors to ensure timely registrations and implement automated monthly VAT reporting.
Key Responsibilities: • Ensure accurate processing and reporting of Retail Sales for 5 directly operated stores, 9 concessions and E-commerce. Improve Daily and Weekly Sale reporting to the business. • Support Finance Manager with monthly closing and variance analysis of UK and E-commerce P&Ls. • Responsible for the timely and accurate balance sheet reconciliation of UK and E-commerce accounts including bank reconciliation across three currencies, Head Office Debtors and Fixed Asset Registers.
Small privately owned movie exhibitor with four sites across New York City, collecting revenues of $12m. It employs 50+ people, with 900,000+ client visits a year. Key Finance contact to CEO/Owner.