Since co-founding FD Solutions with Malcolm Durham in the early 1990s Richard has developed from a flexible FD to various businesses, to overseeing the growth of the firm as the leading provider of flexible FD services. In particular he has developed and implemented innovative approaches to financing and management information systems.
Specialist sectors include technology start-ups, food, retail, manufacturing and not-for-profit.
Current activities at FD Solutions include:
- Board member of Future Route, a company using artificial intelligence techniques to mine and analyse data.
- Board member of the Bio Industry Association Finance and Taxation Committee.
- Guest lecturer and presenter on entrepreneurship workshops for scientists and engineers around the globe.
- Non-exec director of PraxisUnico, the educational not-for-profit organisation supporting innovation and commercialisation of public sector and charity research for social and economic impact.
- Chairman of widely-acclaimed The People’s Supermarket.
- Member of the advisory board of the London Chamber Orchestra.
- Representing FD Solutions at Atlantic Accelerator which matches companies developing potentially disruptive technologies with investors, customers and potential acquirers.
- FD of Cellcentric, a dominant discovery platform in epigenetics.
Richard gained a BCom from Edinburgh University in 1981 and qualified as a CA at Ernst & Whinney in 1984.
Prior to joining FD Solutions, Richard had finance director roles with Samuelson Communications and Laserpoint Communications.
Richard’s achievements since the inception of FD Solutions include helping:
- an entrepreneur turnaround his manufacturing business from a loss-making operation to £35m turnover in four years.
- establish a VC-backed invoice discounting operation with turnover of £100m and a back office of only 30, by designing and implementing a system based on Systems Union Sun.
- an NHS organisation to treble in size by negotiating an outsourcing contract with the Department of Health.
- a small specialist engineering manufacturer turnaround its business from loss making to profitable, completing a sale and buyback, followed a few years later by a further sale to a European manufacturer.
