Hiring An FD in the South Just Got Easier

Ambitious business owners in the south will now find it easier to increase profitability, improve cash flow and maximise the valuation of their SMEs with a part-time finance director.

That’s because the UK’s premium provider of part-time Finance Directors, The CFO Centre has just created a regional centre to serve more businesses along the South Coast.

The Solent regional office will cover an 85-mile area that stretches from Bournemouth in the south-west, Winchester in the north, to Bognor in the south-east and incorporates the four distinct cities of Southampton, Bournemouth, Chichester, and Portsmouth.

The CFO Centre’s 250 part-time FDs work with more than 600 clients across 20 regions in the country. Typically, The CFO Centre clients are SMEs with turnovers of between £3 million to £25 million. They’re companies that need the professional services of a dedicated part-time strategic FD with big business experience, who can guide them through the next stage of growth.

Matt Fernandez, who was born in Havant and has lived and worked throughout the region for most of his life, is the newly appointed South Coast Regional Director.

He says The CFO Centre’s part-time FDs have been working with clients in the region for some years, but an increase in demand for help from local business owners led the company to decide to establish more of a presence here.

The government has identified the Solent and South Coast as an area of potentially strong economic growth and increased job opportunities, so it makes sense for The CFO Centre to have a base here, he says.

His ambition for the next three years is for The CFO Centre regional office to become the go-to resource for growing SMEs along the south coast.

He also wants to expand The CFO Centre’s network of strategic business partnerships, including regional banks, accounting firms, corporate financiers, solicitors, and challenger banks.

“Our Finance Directors want to be able to offer best-in-class solutions to our clients along the South Coast. So, part of our strategy is to identify and build relationships with the best professional service companies in the region.”

Fernandez also plans to increase his team of hand-picked part-time FDs. Although the team is small, the breadth of experience of the FDs is vast. They’ve held senior leadership roles across most sectors including working for tier 1 brands such as Oracle, Homebase, B&Q, Ben Sherman, and Farrow & Ball.

In the future, he’ll be looking to find part-time FDs to work with SMEs involved in the region’s major industries including maritime and marine, advanced manufacturing, aerospace, defence, life sciences and health care, and IT.

“Our FDs are exceptional generalist CFOs or FDs with very strong relationship-building and interpersonal skills. Some have worked as interim MDs too, so they really understand the decision-making process their clients’ experience.”

Successful candidates go through a five-stage interview process and then a five-day residential onboarding process.

“We really want to be sure we choose the right people to join our network of part-time FDs,” says Fernandez.

The CFO Centre FD’s agree a bespoke plan to maximise their value to the client, typically engaging 2-4 days each month depending upon the needs of the company.

To find out more, send an email to Dave Paton, UK Head of Operations.