Paul Smith

Experience

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  Just for Fun Limited

  Mar 2004 - Feb 2005

  Assistant Manager

  Assistant Manager of a fancy dress and party goods store

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  Ernst and Young

  Sept 2006 - Jul 2007

  Auditor

  As part of a sandwich degree, I worked for Ernst & Young as an auditor. We were required to provide independent verification of our clients' compliance with accounting principles. By doing so, we played an important role in helping them to accurately reflect their financial results and position.

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  Ernst & Young

  Sept 2008 - Dec 2014

  Manager, Transaction Advisory

  I assisted clients seeking to make an acquisition or divest their business (or part thereof). The role involved the analysis of management information to identify key business drivers and risks to the business, and challenging the appropriateness of assumptions made in the preparation of forecasts. This required a detailed understanding of management accounts and forecast modelling, and the translation of these into corporate strategy. The Manager role included all aspects of project management including: - Leading teams, identifying and leveraging the skills of team members and unlocking their potential- Managing relationships with key clients and acting as the primary contact during projects- Acting as an approachable mentor to junior colleagues, sharing experiences and encouraging an open environment of coaching and development- Review of work with responsibility for quality of reports- Responsibility for time and cost management with a brief to deliver efficient and profitable projects- Specialist in TMT industry, reporting to large corporations such as Microsoft, Vodafone, Sony, Hitachi, AVG, and Verizon, as well as a large number of small and medium sized technology businesses in Thames Valley and LondonExecutive, Transaction Advisory Services (September 2010 - June 2012)As an Executive, I had responsibility for identifying and communicating (both verbally and in written reports) insights and advice that matters to clients. This includes:- Identification of key financial and business risks- Building a detailed understanding of clients' business practices and a broad range of industries- Testing the integrity of key management information and challenging unusual trends- Developing a detailed knowledge of drivers of revenues and costsAnalyst, Transaction Advisory Services (September 2008 - September 2010) Show less

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  EY Foundation

  Jan 2015 - Dec 2015

  Head of Programme & Finance

  I joined EY Foundation in January 2015 on a one year secondment from EY. The charity is pioneering ways to engage employers in social mobility, youth employment and social enterprise, with an aim to tackle some of the major problems affecting young people today. My role included:- At the forefront of the creation of a finance team in a new charitable organisation - Leading on the development of a three year strategic and financial plan- Responsibility for the success of Our Future, an innovative new programme offering training and work experience opportunities with leading employers to young people that might otherwise be at risk of unemployment- Development of performance and evaluation tools, including a KPI dashboard Show less

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  Virgin Media Business

  Jan 2016 - Sept 2018

  Finance Business Partner; FP&A

  - Leadership of financial forecasting, identifying areas of risk and opportunity, with overall responsibility for the accuracy of the consolidated financials- Communication and presentation to senior stakeholders- Integrating market insight to add context and enhance the quality of budgeting and long-range planning - Development of automated monthly reporting packs to deliver timely performance insight- Line management responsibility

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  Virgin Media O2

  Oct 2018 - Jul 2022

  Senior Finance Business Partner; Business case appraisal and Wholesale commercials

  - Responsibility for effective allocation of funds and resources, balancing cost control with alignment to company growth ambition - E2E P&L responsibility for Wholesale deals (multi-year, £50m+ Dark Fibre delivery programmes)- Business case appraisal of large commercial deals, new product development, and corporate transformation initiatives- Leadership of process redesign, driving more accurate and timely reporting - Line management responsibility (team of 5)

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  Liberty Global

  Jul 2022 - now

  Director - Liberty Global Ventures

  Director, Liberty Global Ventures- I lead finance business partnering for Liberty Global's investment portfolio (80+ businesses with a combined valuation of >$3bn); Partnered businesses include Egg, Believ, Nexfibre, UPC Slovakia, Formula E, and AtlasEdge- Responsible for driving profitable growth for key portfolio businesses across Infrastructure, Energy, and Content sectors- Executing against key performance metrics, including portfolio valuation, investment returns, and Free Cash Flow generation- Connecting entrepreneurial teams to Liberty Global's broad range of corporate expertise - Board-level advisory and benchmarking- Leading a team of experienced business partners- Public speaking as representative of Liberty Global Ventures at events Show less