Darren Brown

• Ultimately responsible for effective running of financial operations across the EMEA region, which generates circa $100m in annual revenues
• Regularly interacting and communicating with business owners, to ensure that financial objectives are aligned to their vision
• Member of the Executive Team, setting and influencing key strategic decision making and helping to build and enhance the culture within the organisation
• Collaborating with key stakeholders across the business, enabling them to set, monitor and ultimately deliver their financial commitments to organisation
• Ensuring timely compliance with statutory and regulatory financial reporting requirements

• Led the development and progression of team of 10 finance and accounting professionals. Creating high performing, inclusive and collaborative environment, with excellent staff retention rates
• Established effective financial controls and processes, to safeguard assets, improving accuracy and reducing the risk of fraud and mismanagement
• Instrumental in the preparation of monthly financial forecasts and annual budgets and the ongoing monitoring and reporting of performance against them
• Completed meticulous monthly balance sheet reconciliations, achieving and maintaining financial accuracy
• Developed and introduced comprehensive suite of financial reports, ensuring improved transparency in internal communications and facilitating informed decision making across the organisation

• Prepared monthly management accounts, including commentary and in-depth variance analysis against forecast and budgets
• Analysed financial data, providing valuable insights into business performance, across multiple business units
• Key contact and liaison for external auditors
• Overseeing purchasing and payment controls and treasury function
• Managing inter-company accounting and reconciliations
• Mentoring and developing team of 9 finance professionals

Working in practice, allowed for invaluable experience and knowledge to be gained, giving broad exposure to wide range of industries and client businesses. Continuing professional development, understanding and complementing ongoing accountancy studies. Day to day tasks included; book-keeping, payroll, statutory accounts preparation, taxation and audit. The role also involved supervision of junior staff members.

A move to ensure that work experience kept pace and was relevant to accountancy studies. Allowing for more exposure to entry level accounting tasks, data entry and reconciliations. Learning from and supporting a team of Accounts Seniors, Financial Managers and Partners.

A first foray into accountancy, performed simple administrative tasks and basic book-keeping, for the sole accountant who was also the business owner.

Acting as the face of the organisation in a customer facing role. Informing customers about a range of savings, mortgage, insurance and investment products and assessing the suitability of products for them. Whilst also being responsible for large sums of cash and conducting various internal audit tasks