Gary McDonald

FD/CFO

I am a CFO with over 30 years’ experience, mainly in the retail sector but also in transport and distribution, waste management, full maintenance leasing, food product manufacturing and consulting. I have experience in turning around challenged businesses, finance functions and driving major cost savings. I empower decision making through improving accessibility and reliability of management information, overcoming customer satisfaction issues, driving operational transformation, and implementing effective controls. I have many attributes of value for an organisation, including the ability to lead through my persuasiveness and positive attitude. I am naturally assertive and motivated by challenging situations and likes a variety of challenging assignments. I am curious about the world around me and I love to travel with friends and family embracing new sites and experiences. In my free time I love to be outdoors, that can be hiking up a mountain or braaiing with friends and family under the stars in the bush.

Track record highlights

An experienced finance director bringing a diplomatic and involved approach, turning around challenged businesses, finance functions and driving major cost savings including businesses in distress.
Joined The CFO Centre in October 2020 to provide freelance finance director services for SME businesses.
Industry experience includes retail, transport & distribution, car fleet management, waste management, chemical manufacturing and consulting.
Founder and director of a successful financial management consultancy.
Finance Director for Avis Fleet Services, NCP Food Products division and Waste-Tech ltd.
Various finance director roles in the Steinhoff UK Group – furniture & beds.
BCOMM & BACC – University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg South Africa.
Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and the South African Institute for Chartered Accountants.
Empowers decision making through improving accessibility and reliability of management information, overcoming customer satisfaction issues, driving operational transformation, implementing effective controls, enhancing audit functions, and ensuring robust corporate governance.
Ability to lead through persuasiveness and positive attitude. Naturally assertiveness and desire to win, will result in adding value to an organisation's bottom line.

Sector Experience

Retail & Consumer Products
Transport and distribution
Waste Management
Not for Profit: Charity
Full maintenance Leasing
Food Product Manufacturing
Consulting

Gary's specialist skills

Management information

Harvey's Furniture - Enhanced management information quality and consistency through improved weekly reporting and implemented a product profitability analysis.

Business Planning & Change Management

Steinhoff UK - Program Director for Customer Satisfaction Programme - Identified and dealt with the root causes of dissatisfied customers and introduced process and system improvements. Improved NPS scores for the business and reduced customer care costs by £7mil over 3 years. Achieved £3.5mil to date in 2020.

Profit improvement and Cost Savings

Responsible for the Steinhoff UK Retail goods not for resale cost saving program. Achieved £0.5mil savings in 2018 and a further £0.3mil in 2019. This included restructuring the company car fleet.

Governance & Compliance

Trustee of the Dean Close Foundation – Member for the Finance & General Purpose Committee – Chair of the Remuneration Committee - Chair of the Steinhoff UK Group Defined Contribution Pension Fund Governance Committee.

Financial Operations

Harvey's - Restructured the Finance function to enhance governance and risk management, recruited to address skills gaps and increased reconciliation standard and frequency.

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