Gordon Chong
London
Summary
Accomplished finance professional with extensive expertise in advanced bookkeeping, financial reporting analysis, and management accounting. Demonstrates proficiency in a wide array of software including Excel, Sage, Sage Payroll, Xero, Churchsuite and Oracle. Adept at statutory accounts preparation and VAT return submissions, with a strong aptitude for profit-and-loss analysis and cash flow management. Proven track record in not-for-profit accounting and team leadership, complemented by skills in data analysis and economic awareness. Career goals include leveraging financial acumen to drive organisational success and enhance fiscal performance.
Knowledgeable finance professional with background in financial forecasting, budget administration and cash-flow management. Uses strong analysis and research to develop comprehensive annual budgets. Drives continual improvement in department processes and workflows. Business-minded Finance Manager promoting more than 20 years of expertise overseeing transactions and reconciling monthly financial reports. Highly collaborative individual with track record of effectively training and coaching staff members. Offering confidence, team collaboration and decision-making skills.
Overview
22
22
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work history
Finance Manager (Core)
Ruach City Church
London
06.2016 - 04.2025
- Company Overview: Second largest BAME Community Church in UK and a Not For Profit with a Gross Turnover of £4m
- Production of Monthly Management Accounts, Balance Sheet & Income Statement reporting as per Charity Commission
- Monthly preparation of Management Account to Bank Loan agreement
- Creation of Departmental & Events Variance Analysis between Actual vs Budgets/Historical
- Prepayment, Depreciation/Fixed Asset, Accruals, Accrued Income, Gift Aid and Bank Reconciliations
- Preparation of Year End Statutory Account, Income Statement and Working Paper for Audit as per FRS102
- Cash Management - Daily Cashflow reporting, 3 months forward forecasting annual forecast
- Monitor Weekly Cashflow and total Bank Balances to Bank covenant
- Income analysis report and graph variances
- Property P&L analysis and budgeting/forecast, Consumption calc for each of the Properties
- Preparation of Courses Age Debtors and calculation of Deferred Income
- Accounts Payable and Receivable on Sage 50, including coding, processing and payment
- Supervisory Company Credit Card, Expenses and Petty Cash Reconciliations/Control
- Implementation of 'ThankQ' CMS Gift Aid system to replace Sage
- Mortgage Interest calculation
- Gift Aid (Offerings and online) calculation and journals
- Monthly Salary Journal
- Responsible for the commercial arm (OMS) & the production of its P&L & monthly management accounts.
- Income recognition for Bookstore, Tuck-shop & raising AR invoices & credit control for Hall Hire
- Preparation of Quarterly VAT Return
- Completion Statement (Annual Returns) to Companies House
- Capturing of commercial income activities
- Age Creditors analysis and reconciling all key control accounts
- Second largest BAME Community Church in UK and a Not For Profit with a Gross Turnover of £4m
- Organisation had no Management accounts and the Accountancy firm provided annual year end journals. Therefore created the Organisation's monthly accounts including Income Statement and Balance Sheet from scratch including KPIs.
- Completed all the Working papers for year end audit which had not been completed for 12 months.
- Creation of Fixed Asset Register and Depreciation method (reducing balance) as company policy
- Recognise an annual loss from £270k and achieve profitability to £192k (by Targeted costs and new Commercial Income Activities)
- Recognising Income from differing Charitable system - Tithe.ly & Churchsuite
- Currently changing Charity status from unincorporated to CIO (Charitable Incorporated Organisation)
- Preparation of Departmental Budgets based on current bank covenants.
Tax Consultant & Bookkeeper (weekend few hours)
LL Contractors Ltd
02.2025 - Current
- Company Overview: Provision of Telecommunication services. Turnover £120k
- Preparation of VAT Return and Submission
- Monthly preparation of payroll for 3 staffs, including payslips & automatic enrolment (Sage Payroll)
- Preparation & Submission of Statutory Accounts to Companies House
- Preparation & Submission of Confirmation Statement (Annual Returns)
- Preparation & Submission of Corporation Tax Return
- Preparation & Submission Self-Assessment return for Directors
- Provision of Telecommunication services. Turnover £120k
- Creation of Statutory Accounts & Income Statement
- Source best pension providers for size of firm
- Create and register with HMRC for company to become an Employer
- Advised client to minimise personal taxation and corporation tax
Financial Accountant
Wall London
01.2015 - 04.2016
- Company Overview: Online mail order clothing & retail. Gross Turnover £3-4m
- Responsibility for Payroll for over 30 staffs on Sage Payroll including implementation of automatic enrolment for Pension
- Production of Monthly & Quarterly Management Accounts, Balance Sheet & P&L reporting as per UK GAAP
- Creation of Departmental Variance Analysis between Actual vs Budgets
- Prepayment, Depreciation/Fixed Asset, Accruals, Accrued Income, Returns, Stock take calculation, WIP and Bank Reconciliations for 3 banks
- Preparation of Year End Statutory Account, Balance Sheet Reconciliations and Working Paper for Audit
- Liaise with Auditors regarding any audit questions & providing workings for Deferred Tax
- Cash Management - Daily Cashflow reporting & 2-3 months forward forecasting
- Ensure Daily Overdraft facility and Import Loan Facility within permitted limits
- Negotiate with Supplier to ensure short term cashflow funding
- Weekly Sales report and graph variances
- Research on other Banks and Lending institutions regarding better funding facilities
- Import Loans reporting
- Accounts Payable and Receivable on Sage 50, including coding, processing and payment
- Year End Close for both Sage Line 50 & Sage Payroll
- Response for Company Credit Card, Expenses and Petty Cash Reconciliations/Control
- Age Creditors analysis and reconciling all key control accounts
- Preparation of Quarterly VAT Return including looking at reclaiming EC VAT
- Calculation of CT61 interest on Directors Loans and submission to HMRC
- Calculation and Submission of P11Ds
- Annual Returns to Companies House
- Negotiation of Leasing and Suppliers Contracts
- Online mail order clothing & retail. Gross Turnover £3-4m
- Fully integrated into Accounting systems
- Streamline preparation of Quarterly and Monthly Management accounts to 4-7 days with new Accounts templates and checks (previously accounts were unaudited and Management Accounts prepared quarterly)
- Creation of Daily Credit Card Sales reports using via Elavon/Cybersource & uploaded directly to Sage (previously manually inputted)
- Implementation of Payroll uploads to bank and email Payslips (1st week) and the introduction of Pension automatic enrolment.
Finance Manager and Team Lead - for London and Cyprus
Malvern House (FE College)
10.2010 - 11.2014
- Company Overview: Subsidiary of AEC Plc (EFL Education and Student Accommodation). Gross Turnover £4 - 18m.
- Responsibility for HR & Payroll for 60 staffs (previously 200) on Sage Payroll including writing macro for 40 zero hour contract staffs timesheet to upload to sage.
- Payroll report, PAYE payment and journals
- Implementation of Automatic Pension Enrolment and company Pension scheme
- Cashflow, Cash projection as compared with actual Sales
- Purchase Ledger, reconciliation, approval & expenses forms
- Calculation of Profitability for each individual Accommodation providers
- Age Debtors reporting for London and Cyprus operation – turnaround targets established
- Monthly Sales Recognition reconciliation as per IFRS against Daily Taking and Sales Database
- Collection of National Statistics data
- Intercompany reconciliation between London, Ireland and Cyprus
- Bank Reconciliation for 6 accounts
- Exceptional reporting on Departmental costs
- Organise working papers for annual audit
- Responsible for health and safety, training and policy and annual data for HTS inspection
- Subsidiary of AEC Plc (EFL Education and Student Accommodation). Gross Turnover £4 - 18m.
- Creation of an Accounting Department (previously this was outsourced to an accounting firm)
- Identification of Accommodation losses and capacity issues and advise stakeholders of necessary change to stem annual losses of £200k pa.
- Oversee Payroll & HR solely and writing up of a macro for payroll upload to Sage Payroll thus making a saving to the company of £100k pa. (previously 3 outsourced staffs working on Payroll)
- Implement automatic enrolment and new company pension scheme
European Financial Accountant
Equinix Plc
09.2007 - 01.2010
- Company Overview: World largest Data Centre IBX Centres. Gross Turnover $1 billion
- Daily Bank Reconciliation of Sterling & Euro account via HSBC Hexagon for 6 companies
- Purchase Ledger, reconciliation, weekly payment schedules & expenses forms
- Age Debtors report for all European countries
- Cashflow & cash projection
- Monthly Accrual & prepayment
- Fixed Asset & Depreciation under local UK & US GAAP
- P11D calculation & Salary & PAYE journals
- Quarterly VAT reconciliation
- Intercompany reconciliation between all European countries
- Local audit for 6 local companies
- Quarterly audit/report to comply with SOX (Sabine & Oxley) rules for the US
- Awarded with 2nd prize for European Accountant for all European countries regarding SOX
- World largest Data Centre IBX Centres. Gross Turnover $1 billion
Accountant
Various accountancy roles
07.2003 - 10.2007
- PI Design International (Packaging & Museum of Brand). Accountant
- General Electric Plc (taken over as of Mar 02), formerly City & West End then Security Capital, London (Property management & development), Turnover £160m.
- TOTALFINA ELF Plc, London (Oil & Gas). Deputy Assistant Leader
- Stonehage, London (Wealth Management). Accounts Assistant.
- London Clubs (Casinos). Accounts Assistant.
- NLC (Catering), Wembley (Portsmouth). Accounts Assistant.
- Wellers Accountants (Auditor), London. Audit Assistant.
Education
Bachelor of Arts - Economics & Business Administration
University of Leeds, Trinity & All Saints College
LeedsACCA Accountancy Level 2 - Financial Reporting, FMC & Level 3 Advanced Taxation
Certificate - Receivable Accounting & Billing Operations
Skills
- Excel
- Word
- PowerPoint
- Sage Payroll
- Sage 50
- Xero
- Churchsuite
- Peoplesoft
- Oracle
- Sun
- Rebus
- SPS
- TOMs
- Thankyou (Gift Aid DBS)
- Advanced bookkeeping
- Profit-And-Loss aptitude
- Financial reporting analysis
- Balance sheet review
- Fixed asset accounting
- Account reconciliation
- Excel proficiency
- Payroll administration
- Cash Flow analysis
- Statutory accounts preparation
- Management accounts reports
- Financial statement preparation
- VAT returns
- Management accounting
- Not-for-profit accounting
- Cash flow management
- Revenue recognition
- VAT return submissions
- Data analysis
Certification
First Aid and Fire Marshall certificate
Custom
- Badminton
- Tennis
- Jogging
- Rowing
- Volunteer for the Chinatown Chinese Community Centre
- President of the British Chinese Society for social events
Languages
Cantonese
Native
Affiliations
- Tennis, Badminton, Pickleball, Padel, Karaoke, Football, Dragonboating
Timeline
Tax Consultant & Bookkeeper (weekend few hours)
LL Contractors Ltd
02.2025 - Current
Finance Manager (Core)
Ruach City Church
06.2016 - 04.2025
Financial Accountant
Wall London
01.2015 - 04.2016
Finance Manager and Team Lead - for London and Cyprus
Malvern House (FE College)
10.2010 - 11.2014
European Financial Accountant
Equinix Plc
09.2007 - 01.2010
Accountant
Various accountancy roles
07.2003 - 10.2007
ACCA Accountancy Level 2 - Financial Reporting, FMC & Level 3 Advanced Taxation
Certificate - Receivable Accounting & Billing Operations
Bachelor of Arts - Economics & Business Administration
University of Leeds, Trinity & All Saints College
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