Anthony Payne

Following the acquisition of BizSpace by Sirius Facilities I was asked to migrate to BizSpace to facilitate the integration into the Group including financial reporting aspects to the Stock Exchange which were not previously done by BizSpace as they were a private company. Duties included:

• Developed and implemented data management strategies to improve data quality and accessibility, especially for reporting to the market at large;
• Creation of the yearly rental income budget with analysis and monthly comparisons to actuals;
• ESG reporting;
• Initiatives to enhance data governance processes and ensure compliance with organisational standards;
• GDPR compliance and workshops to educate stakeholders on data management policies and promoting adherence across teams and the company;
• Collaborated with cross-functional teams to identify data requirements and optimise data workflows;
• Conducted regular audits of data management practices to identify areas for improvement and ensure accuracy.

My role within Sirius was cross-team functional, dealing with Finance, Marketing, Sales and HR. The role incorporated the implementation, maintenance and improvement of the systems (ERP, CRM, Conferencing and add-ons). Further, I was responsible for the contract entry team and the Yield Management Team who dealt with the KPI's, renewals, rent protections and analytics.

For a period of 2 years I was also asked to manage the IT Department.

Duties included:

• Implementation and customisation of a new CRM system including software for marketing purposes;
• Implementation and customisation of a new Conferencing system;
• Monthly reporting of KPI's and other analytics;
• Strategic system planning for 1-5 years;
• Half year and year end reporting to the Stockmarket;
• Providing information to Banks and the market for Bonds and and other finance raising;
• Developed strategies to optimise yield management processes across various departments;
• Collaborated with cross-functional teams to analyse data and enhance decision-making related to pricing and inventory;
• Utilised advanced analytics tools to assess market trends and forecast demand effectively;
• Created comprehensive reports to communicate yield performance and identify areas for improvement.

For a period of approximately 8 months I travelled through Asia, Australia, New Zealand and South America.

I was responsible for the whole Finance Department covering monthly reporting to the Board, half year and year end reporting to the Stock Exchange, Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable

• Led financial reporting processes to ensure accuracy and compliance with regulations;
• Budgeting and forecasting activities to support strategic decision-making;
• Oversaw month-end closing procedures to maintain timely financial statements;
• Analysis of prospective acquisitions.

This role was managing the ERP, CRM, Contract and Conferencing systems. My team were required to maintain, train and enhance the systems. The role required continuous communication cross-department for the purpose of enhancing the data capture. Duties included:

• Creation and implementation of a new client contract system with full approval system and connection to the ERP system to limit re-keying of the contract;
• Implementation of the newly acquired ERP system including how to programme the system for new reports and modules;
• Introduction of a fully automated PO system with approvals;
• Created a help-desk for users;
• Led cross-functional teams to implement innovative systems that enhanced operational efficiency;
• Developed strategic plans to for the systems for 1-3 years;
• Managed system audits for internal and external purposes;
• Collaborated with stakeholders to design and deploy new software solutions tailored to organisational needs.

This was my first foray into systems having qualified as an accountant. Duties included:

• Managed system performance and availability to ensure optimal operations across diverse environments;
• Answering user queries;
• Training Users;
• Resolution of technical issues;
• Discussing with users improvements to the system;
• Maintained documentation for system configurations and operational procedures.

After University, my first role was training as an accountant with NatWest in the City. I started in the Card Services Department preparing the monthly accounts and analysis as well as the yearly budget. Further, I was given responsibility of the accounts for the card creation department.

I then transferred to Group Finance as part of the UK Retail reporting team before becoming Head of the Group Wealth Management Reporting Team.