Abby Wilkinson
London
Summary
Commercial Finance Manager with over 5 years of post qualified experience and 3 years experience leading the finance team in a challenging, fast paced and high growth SME. Highly collaborative individual who works with teams across businesses to analyse financial performance against budgets and forecasts and ensure controls are adopted and maintained within a growth environment. Being a detail oriented team player with strong organisational skills and willingness to adapt to new challenges has proven essential in past experience.
Overview
8
8
years of professional experience
Work History
Group Finance Manager
Statera Energy Limited
12.2020 - 12.2023
- Developed and closely managed the monthly group cashflow model to reflect historic and forecast cashflow expenditure over a 5 year period, ensuring it aligned with the long term company strategy model and reflected the complex and fluid funding structure
- Lead the financial and company secretarial due diligence procedures completed over 2023 ahead of the sale of the Group to new investors, and supported the CFO and CEO with bidder queries and engagement with existing and potential investors
- Managing c£200m debt financing, covenants and drawdowns across the group, ensuring continuous compliance and regular reporting on asset performance to financial syndicates across the group
- Developed the financial, development pipeline and group KPI reporting from scratch to meet the requirements of each stakeholder, including engaging with all business teams to collate materials and ensure consistent, accurate and relevant messaging and supporting the CFO in presenting these packs to all stakeholders
- Managed tax compliance and engaged with specialists for transactional and operational compliance whilst ensuring the group benefited from efficient tax structures
- Hired, trained and supervised 4 team members in the finance team and developed a strategic plan for the 3 year growth of the team to align to the company targets following new investment, whilst fostering a collaborative work environment focused on continuous improvement and professional development
- Spearheaded the development and monitoring of the annual group budget that aligned with company goals and objectives
- Facilitated timely communication between departments regarding budgetary concerns or discrepancies
- Ensured accurate financial record-keeping by implementing best practices in accounting policies and procedures across all departments as the group became more complex
- Responsible for preparing payroll and ensuring HR policies and documentation were developed and maintained in lieu of a HR department
- Assisted the CEO in developing and costing the resourcing plan for the entire business over a 3 year period to meet strategic goals
- Analysed business processes to identify cost savings and operational efficiencies, specifically in overhead and people costs
- Successfully managed multiple audits with no significant issues raised by our external auditors in their report whilst ensuring a timely and accurate completion whilst maintaining positive relationships with the auditors
- Prepared consolidated and company financial statements in line with FRS102
- Implemented and regularly reviewed financial controls to generate accurate and reliable financial data
- These controls were reviewed by third parties in the sale and found to perform well
- In my final months I led initial discussions with software developers to implement a HR/payroll tool and a new accounting software that would better suit the group size.
Audit Manager
BDO LLP
04.2019 - 12.2020
- Client portfolio includes listed and large groups, such as Palace Capital plc, Galliford Try plc, Willmott Dixon, and the Topland Group
- Managing large teams across clients
- This involved organising workloads to ensure that assignments were staffed with the appropriate mix of knowledge and skills required to complete projects in very short timeframes, whilst also supporting staff development and progression
- Excellent communicator having lead internal and external meetings with clients
- These included contract meetings held with commercial directors and finance teams aimed at challenging accounting and commercial estimates and judgements
- Leading property valuation meetings with major valuation houses aimed at understanding the judgements behind large property portfolio valuations
- Adding value to clients by identifying areas of improvement in operations as well as ensuring that financial reports are in compliance with relevant financial reporting framework, both IFRS and FRS102
- Analysing and stress testing client models including; cash flow, borrowings, and debt covenants forecasts and challenging model assumptions
- Preparation and presentation of audit committee reports
- Running sector wide specialist training sessions in long term contract accounting.
Audit Trainee to Audit Manager
BDO LLP
09.2015 - 04.2019
Education
ACA -
ICAEW
BSc: Chemistry And Mathematics (2:1) - undefined
University of Leeds
A Levels: Chemistry A, Biology A, Mathematics A - undefined
Reepham High School
Skills
Stakeholder management (including C Suite, existing and potential Investors, and financial syndicates)
Managing teams throughout my career with strong time management and organisational skills
Working with teams to build P&L, capex and cashflow budgets and forecasts whilst encouraging budget ownership and challenging outturn performance against targets
Developing group wide systems and controls to ensure efficient and relevant processes are in place, whilst refreshing those that become redundant
Excellent attention to detail and ability to understand companies quickly from time spent in audit
Strong accounting technical knowledge (FRS/IFRS) with experience in complex judgmental areas
Timeline
Group Finance Manager
Statera Energy Limited
12.2020 - 12.2023
Audit Manager
BDO LLP
04.2019 - 12.2020
Audit Trainee to Audit Manager
BDO LLP
09.2015 - 04.2019
ACA -
ICAEW
BSc: Chemistry And Mathematics (2:1) - undefined
University of Leeds
A Levels: Chemistry A, Biology A, Mathematics A - undefined
Reepham High School