James Owen

Several progressive roles covering a mixture of business and financial planning and analysis projects, regional financial controllership, transformation projects and owning the global reporting, budgeting and forecasting processes:

• Interim CFO (from May 2025) leading the global Consult business (circa £750m turnover, £110m profit) through a time of significant change.
• Dealing with external advisors / banks.
• Member of the Consult SLT responsible for all finance activities globally.
• Finance representative on the International Senior Leadership Team. Owning the complete financial reporting for the International business (circa £300M turnover, £55M profit). Business partner to the International Managing Director.
• Directed finance operations, delivering summarised insights to various boards
• Led design and global rollout of Oracle Fusion ERP implementation including two shared service hubs
• Defining and rolling out a global Project forecasting process in Oracle / TM1. This pushed the ownership of project plan forecasts to the Project Directors / Managers. The process embedded IFRS15 revenue recognition compliance and bridged the gap between project knowledge and financial reporting. This increased visibility of project performance throughout the business.
• Defining and embedding new and improved accounting processes within the Country finance teams, including the training of local staff where necessary.
• Set debt KPIs, monitored performance to improve working capital cycle, achieving a 30% reduction in overdue debts within six months
• Worked with financial institutions in London and the Middle East ensuring business credit availability
• Partnered with European MD in understanding financial results, forecasts and budgeting
• Managed European Finance Managers to deliver thorough and punctual financial reports
• Challenged Country Leads, finance and project teams on balance sheets and forecasts, consolidating results for Group submission
• Led design and implementation of new Cognos planning and reporting system
• Designed and implemented global consultancy KPIs, reporting weekly to Group Board
• 2 direct reports, 5 dotted line reports covering a wider International finance team of circa 25.

Client based consultant.

Project manager on four main Middle Eastern clients:

• Conducted a comprehensive review of Saudi Aramco 's capital planning and expenditure processes. Analysed current state processes, removed inefficiencies, and developed enhanced KPI monitoring systems.
• Developed Management Information System for ADIA 's Real Estate Department. Designing a new forecast model, KPI library, and updated Chart of Accounts.
• Conducted current state assessment, gap analysis and improvement recommendations for TDIC 's finance department across the project accounting, corporate accounting, feasibility, and treasury functions
• Developed five-year strategic and two-year operating plans including KPIs and financial models for Al Ain Wildlife Park and Resort (AWPR)

Client based consultant within the Finance Business Performance Management practice. This role was 100% project based advising clients on leading practice and assisting in the delivery of financial and business process improvements.

Delivery of projects across three major clients:

• Led functional design for SAP management information in Shells global downstream businesses
• Directed financial planning, forecasting and reporting initiatives in a major Unilever project using SAP BCS and SAP BW
• Managed finance and organisational transformation project at Department for Work and Pensions

The roles included:

• Managed SAP EDW/BI project for financial and management reporting in Shell's Downstream business
• Led benefits review for an Oil and Gas project, created business case for further improvements
• Defining and implementing Global KPIs for Shells Trading business.
• Developed operating model and process design for new government Planning and Performance Management department
• Created and delivered the global SAP BW training for over 2000 users within Unilever.
• Facilitated readiness of Europe region and headquarters for SAP BCS and BW roll-out
• Project managing the implementation of Net Debt reporting for Treasury use
• An end to end finance review
• Organisational design for a new finance department
• Provided career mentoring and guidance to CIMA students and graduates

• Design, specification and implementation of a new Global and Regional cost allocation system.
• Directed financial planning and cost distribution for Shell's global marketing activities
• Two direct reports, one Part Qualified CIMA accountant and one qualified Credit Controller.
• Managed global cost-sharing debt, ensured payment, created bad debt provisions and write-offs
• Handled complex cost allocation models and performed controlling steps
• Collaborated with tax and legal experts for a tax-defensible, compliant system
• Coordinating the quarterly external audits.
• Ad hoc projects such as calculating divestment buy outs and improving internal controls

• Finance business partner for the brewing and engineering facilities at the UK brewery
• Responsible for setting the annual budgets for sales, cost of sales and departmental overheads. This includes controlling and amending the budget model and compiling and reporting a re-forecast of predicted year end costs/profits on a monthly basis.
• Compiled and reported financial performance packs for senior management in the UK and US
• Analysed departmental cost centre reports and identified budget variances
• Responsible for implementing and testing the second phase of Sarbanes Oxley Testing (SOX), documenting all testing and reporting any failures with recommended actions
• Calculated product standard costs and developed budgets and variances for cost centre managers
• Responsible for supplying temporary and contract staff with work assignments, monitoring progress and approving the completed work.
• Full reporting of stocks for all brewing materials.

Two Roles covering the following areas:

• Assisted Operations Managers in preparing annual budgets, rolling forecasts, and variance analysis
• Produced cost of sales for all products, analysed and reviewed variances
• Involved in setting transfer prices and product costs for UK and exported goods
• Control of stock balances and costs on the balance sheet
• Produced and reviewed cash flow forecasts on a monthly basis, including the export sales forecast
• Produced production volumes and KPIs which were presented to and used in Board Reports
• Financial liaison for calculating capital expenditure proposals and financial control of ‘live' projects
• Developed an activity based costing model to give products a ‘true reflection' of cost. This involved allocating costs to activities and production lines to gain a better insight into the way costs were derived.

• Managed diverse activities, including all aspects of head office accounts preparation
• Generated head office trial balances through SAP, consolidated monthly with Hyperion
• Assisted in consolidating 28 European business units with combined turnover of £300m
• Prepared monthly performance reports and other ad hoc projects for Finance Director and Group Accountant