Neil Thomson

As board advisor has worked with the management team to restructure where needed and develop new business opportunities via referral agreements, partnerships and wider offerings

Neverland is an award winning independent advertising agency based in London. As part time CFO I have worked with the founders and CEO to enhance finance operations and reporting by bringing in a new Finance team , improving the quality of information available to business leads re staff utilisation, project and client level reporting and improving budgeting and cost control. Led commercial discussions with clients, key suppliers and partners.

AnalogFolk is an independent digital innovations agency group with offices in London, New York, Sydney, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Amsterdam and a developer hub in Costa Rica. When I started, AF had 40 employees based in London. This increased to 150 with another 150 people in the other countries and a combined revenue of £ 30 million. Our offering expanded to include digital communications, social media, editorial, analytics, site and app development, film production and AI.

Leading a finance team of eight people I had overall responsibility for the Finance operations of the group including:

• Driving business strategy through organic growth, acquisition and new business ventures, as we expanded into product development, AI tools and film production.
• Monthly financial reporting to the board and compliance with multi national statutory requirements.
• Introduced a new global production and accounting system to ensure standard reporting for each business and greater business efficiency with improved reporting of client and project profitability, staff utilisation and billability.
• Managed cash globally to finance expansion via existing operations.
• Financial oversight and cost reductions where needed.
• Secured over £ 2 million in R&D tax credits to fund platform and AI tech developments

After the sale of adam&eve to DDB we merged the two operations. With different ways of working, differing internal and external production capabilities and systems I had responsibility for merging the offerings to maximise flexibility and creativity and delivery while at the same time enhancing profitability and bringing adam&eve's ways of working to a much bigger operation with Omnicom's reporting and approval requirements.

Founded in 2008 adam&eve was the most widely acclaimed advertising start up in the last decade. I joined as a board director and shareholder when the agency had less than ten people and build up financial and commercial operations and processes from scratch. I contributed to turning growth of 50% plus per annum into exceptional profit margins averaging 30/40% by implementing a resourcing template that highlighted key hires and led to employment costs as a % of revenue falling each year. Negotiated client contracts, hourly rates, fee proposals and performance agreements. Set up joint ventures and enhanced offerings to improve profitability. For the sale process of adam&eve to Omnicom led due diligence in a two way process which greatly enhanced earnout potential. Negotiated terms of sale for an initial £30 million with five year earnout increasing final sales proceeds to in excess of £105 million, Led finance and commercial operations through the transition through to full merger.

As a result of its work on the advertising for such clients as Nike and Coca Cola, W+K was considered the world's most creative agency group. The Amsterdam office was the European hub for this operation with over 250 employees. In addition to leading all Financial, Legal and Operational activities I supervised the Euro 4 million building spend and move of the agency to new offices in Amsterdam.

St Lukes was founded as a result of an employee buyout from Omnicom owned TBWA/Chiat Day. I led the buyout team that agreed the sale and also set up the innovative employee ownership scheme. As described in the business best seller "Open Minds: 21st Century Business Lessons and Innovations from St.Luke's" St Luke's was a fore runner in establishing new ways of ensuring employee engagement and ways of working.

Pearson Paul Haworth Nolan was a venture capital (Apax) funded marketing and data analytics start up. I set up the Finance systems and reporting and was a member of the board with the four founders and the Apax nominee. After three years we were purchased by the Engine network.

Courtaulds was a FTSE top 100 manufacturer or fabric, clothing and coatings. Based in the head office I was Finance Director of the Far East operations and had overall responsibility for all treasury and foreign management of the Coatings division.

Working in head office of PA Group, managing treasury and consolidated reports for board. Involved in internal investigations/audits and acquisitions

Running Finance department of a £ 90 million turnover offshore drilling company, reporting to head office in Houston Texas.

Serving a 4 year apprenticeship, qualifying as a Chartered Accountant. Carried out audits of local businesses and mutinational groups mainly in the oil business.