I work with a specific kind of company. Not because I can't help others, but because I've spent 25 years getting very good at this one context, and that specificity is where the value is.
The companies
PE and VC-backed businesses in the UK mid-market. Typically post-first institutional funding — Series A and beyond for VC-backed companies, or any stage of PE ownership. Companies where an investor is involved, where finance reporting matters to someone beyond the management team, and where the finance function needs to perform to a standard that would survive scrutiny.
Geography: primarily London, Bristol, and Cardiff, with engagements across the UK.
The situations
I'm usually brought in at a specific inflection point. The most common ones:
Post-acquisition. The deal has closed. Now two finance functions need to become one, and nobody quite knows how long that's going to take or what it's going to break. I've led enough of these integrations to know the sequence, the pitfalls, and the things that need to happen in the first 100 days.
Pre-exit. There's a transaction on the horizon — 12 to 24 months out, sometimes less. The finance function isn't where it needs to be for due diligence, and there isn't time to learn by trial and error. I've been through this process multiple times, on both sides of the table. I know what buyers look for, what questions they ask, and what costs sellers real money at completion.
Finance function underperforming. The close is taking three weeks. The board pack is consistently late or inconsistently accurate. The PE sponsor has started asking questions that should have easy answers. Controls that looked fine in the last audit are starting to feel fragile. The finance team is doing their best, but the system around them isn't working. This is where I spend most of my time — diagnosing what's actually wrong and fixing it.
First institutional hire. The business has grown to a point where the founder's spreadsheets aren't enough. There's institutional money in, or about to come in, and the finance function needs to grow up quickly. I've built finance functions from scratch in this situation — chart of accounts through to board pack through to successful exit.
Covering a gap. The CFO has left, a replacement hasn't been found, and there's a board meeting in six weeks. I can step in, hold the function together, and hand over cleanly to the permanent hire when they're in place.
What I'm not the right fit for
I work best where there's a mandate to change things. If the brief is "don't rock the boat and keep the numbers ticking over," that's not where I add value. I build things and fix things. That requires authority to do so.
I'm also not the right fit for businesses that need a full-time permanent CFO from day one with no transition plan. If that's the situation, I'll tell you, and I'll help you think through what you actually need.
The honest version
The companies that get the most from working with me are the ones that already know something needs to change, have the appetite to change it, and want someone who will do the work — not just tell them what to do.
If that sounds like your situation, the right next step is a conversation. No pitch, no obligation. Just an honest discussion about where things stand and whether I can help.