“As a Regional Director, I’m able to structure my days however suit me. With a team of highly skilled FDs and the support of the wider team I feel like I’ve finally achieved the right balance.”

Michael Burton, RD at the FD Centre in the North and West Yorkshire (part of The CFO Centre Group)

Back in 2018, Michael exited a small medical device business that he had set up with his business partner.  There were no hard feelings and the decision was theirs – they had set up the UK operation for an Indian manufacturer and had agreed on an exit plan for when they’d built it to a certain size.

With a wealth of experience in pharmaceutical and medical sales, Michael has led national and international sales operations for different businesses, all building long term relationships within the NHS. After exiting the business, he was finding it tricky to decide on his next move as he knew he didn’t want to commit to 3-4 nights away from home as he had done in previous positions within the corporate world.

Looking through LinkedIn, he stumbled across the RD role with the FD Centre. The name rang a bell and Michael realised that he’d worked with a principal from the FD Centre when he helped to set up a contract sales division for a recruitment company over ten years ago. He called up his old contact and the rest is history.

Michael now enjoys the autonomy to run his own region and as his contacts are all local, there’s a lot less travel than he was used to in his old role. He’s also in control of his own diary:

“As a Regional Director, I’m able to structure my days however suits me. With a team of highly skilled FDs and the support of the wider team, I feel like I’ve finally achieved the right balance.”

When reflecting on the interview process, Michael describes how the job is everything he expected it to be:

“Everything I was told before I joined is absolutely true – I’m surrounded by good people and there’s a supportive structure. Without all the corporate clutter, my mind is free to focus on the positive things.”