Gareth Driffill

• Work collectively with the Chief operating officer to implement processes and controls to return the company to operating profit after nearly 15 years of operational losses. This includes all key strategic and day to day activities requiring FD approval.
• Building a new strategy for the site including the introduction of a balanced scorecard
• Manage the Finance department which includes Payroll, Accounts Payable, commercial, cash management and all statutory submissions.
• Manage the IT department for the site including upskilling the department and investing in new systems to improve automation.
• Implement several processes that the business has been unable to implement historically including better financial forecasting, better project management, new IT 24/7 cover and changes to travel expense policy
• Drive improvements in the finance department including changing processes to improve financial accuracy, removing poor performing individuals and hiring new individuals with more qualified experience.
• *Introduction of new grading structures within both IT and Finance which has been rolled out and will become the framework for recruitment, performance management and salary structures for the company for the future.
• Developed comprehensive business plans for company growth.

Key achievements:

• Integral part of changing the company strategy, culture and processes to deliver an operating profit in 2025 which is the first profit delivered by the company for 15 years.
• Changing finance personnel to improve performance and remove individuals with long history of performance and behavioural issues
• Changing Auditor from PWC to grant Thornton due to audit. Along with improvements to internal processes the time to complete the annual audit has reduced from 12 months to 3 months.

.

• Finance lead for AWM Hull manufacturing site
• Responsible for managing the manufacturing accountants for hull and Warwick
• Drive productivity projects and waste opportunities on site.
• Provide Regular site performance updates to the Franchise operations Vice president.
• Part of Site leadership team including playing a key role in building and driving the strategy for the site.
• Lead the wider site leadership team to build collaboration and develop an inexperienced leadership team
• Deputy for Operations Director (site leader) of Hull manufacturing stepping up to lead factory in his absence.
• Finance and operations lead in several key strategy projects from New product developments to major productivity investment projects
• Heavily involved in NDA strategy project to build future manufacturing portfolio (project announced by S&N to relocate Hull manufacturing to new purpose built facility in melton)
• Heavily Support the Operations Director with all key business decisions for manufacturing (largely non finance operations support and including finance support and challenging decisions where required i.e labour headcount, spend)

Key achievements:

• Restructure the UK/US finance teams to provide a better service to operations including development of teams, creating efficiencies between sites and delivering HC reduction
• Overhaul of the process and controls for Full factory cost Standards roll in Hull manufacturing (Key process for S&N business decisions) simplifying, making more value added and ensuring a process which can be retrained easily for longevity.
• Create efficiencies in the finance department that reduced the team from 4 to 3 whilst taking on additional global responsibilities
• Coaching and development of management accountant to become my successor upon departure

• Reporting Weekly key finance metrics with meaningful commentary and analysis to senior management.
• Integral part of core project team for all new production lines in Hull including implementation of 3 new production lines
• Responsible for product costing
• Support production managers with direct labour headcount/ capacity modelling to ensure alignment with labour costs to volume demand.
• Train operators to understand variances to standard costs and what drives such variances
• Playing integral part of all shift and production meetings proactively involved with financial performance improvement.
• Support continuous improvement team to scope productivity opportunities and support in driving productivity improvements/waste reductions.

Key achievements:

• Implementation of new production line including setup of all financial processes required for successful implementation

• Create new cost model/system for European region and implement to standardise all costing models, costing systems across all of Europe.
• Train all cost model accountants on new standardised cost model.
• Drive efficiency, consistency, and improved decision making throughout European (plant) costing function:

- Core Process (cost model builds and modifications)

- System

• Improve the overall level of costing understanding throughout the region while maintaining the required costing competency level at each individual plant
• Train all new cost accountants in region and support the regional plants on all costing decisions/issues.
• All month end accounting responsibilities