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Andrew qualified as a chartered accountant in 1980 and spent ten years with Ernst & Young in Sheffield, London and Canada and with Ensors in Suffolk. He audited multinational companies, but also provided advice to and prepared accounts for many smaller companies.
He joined Schering Agrochemicals in 1986 and then took his first FD role with Chartham Papers, a paper manufacturing company within the Rexam group in 1988. Chartham had strategic difficulties, with its main product in decline due to technology changes. He became actively involved in developing and implementing a strategy to reverse the fortunes of the company. This involved developing new products and markets, including opening a plant in China to access the Chinese domestic market.
Andrew acted as general manager of the business for two years and helped Rexam to sell it to a competitor in 2000. The new owner, Arjo Wiggins, retained Andrew to integrate the business, which included responsibilities for managing the two Chinese plants, sales teams and production planning teams across Europe.
Rexam invited Andrew to re-join them in 2001 as FD of their healthcare packaging division for Europe and Asia. When Rexam sold that business in 2003 Andrew re-joined Arjo Wiggins as FD of their Fine Papers division. In 2005 he set up his own company to provide interim and flexible part-time FD services.
Recent assignments have involved companies struggling with profitability and cash flow problems and with inadequate financial reporting systems and controls. Andrew made rapid improvements in systems and visibility of financial information to stabilise the situation and provide a basis for improvement. This has involved implementing new IT systems and helping a company through a Company Voluntary Arrangement.
Sector experience includes continuous process and batch manufacturing industries such as chemicals, paper, packaging and metal fabrication. He also has experience in the construction industry with a design, build and maintain contractor.
Andrew joined FD Solutions in 2009.
Andrew is a consummate professional in finance and accounting. He stepped into difficult situations for us on more than one occasion, and delivered every time. He was able to coordinate a mostly clerical level staff across several European countries and produce timely and accurate high-level reporting to our corporate headquarters in the USA. Andrew was also quick to identify, and most importantly communicate issues to corporate in a timely manner to avoid surprises and initiate corrective action plans.