Why I became a Virtual CFO

I was introduced to Azure Group almost four years ago, and immediately saw merit in being involved in the Azure Group virtual CFO service offering to Small and Medium Enterprise market (SMEs). I felt it was time to put my own experience and expertise out to the market as an added value to Azure Group’s clients.

What is a Virtual CFO?

A Virtual CFO is all the traditional functions of an accountant or finance manager, but most importantly a Virtual CFO is a key person in the business providing business growth, strategic direction, execution and implementation of commercial strategy, both operationally and financially.

The Azure CFO has come from the coalface of operating businesses at senior levels. My colleagues and I deliver successful commercial and entrepreneurial outcomes because we immerse ourselves in the enterprise.  We take time to get to know the business, the challenges, the SWOT of the business and then we enthusiastically engage and go about making a difference.

SMEs are often limited by access to capital; hence find it difficult to budget for the crucial investment of engaging an external experienced advisor with proven financial and strategic management expertise around the business. The Azure Group Virtual CFOs do come at a cost; however, the Azure Group Virtual CFO can be very cost effective and deliver value straight to where it counts – to the financial performance of a business.

The Azure Group Virtual CFO will actively contribute to:

  • Increasing revenues
  • Improve operating margins
  • Controlling costs
  • Increasing earnings
  • Increasing business value

This in turn increases the personal wealth of the shareholders and owners.

 

 

 

An Azure Group Virtual CFO will directly engage in and impact the growth of your business, and will have an unwavering commitment to deliver successful commercial outcomes, across all elements and functions of the enterprise. 

This added value of having someone in your executive team who has vast commercial and corporate experience and understands the needs and challenges of SME’s can be invaluable.

I have successfully helped businesses operationally and financially for over 28 years, the last 15 of them at the hard edge of SME advisory and financial and operational management.

Applying my technical and experience skills developed over the years, I have delivered successful outcomes across a number of diverse industry segments, at CEO, COO and CFO level (the “chief” suites).

       My technical and experience skill set includes:

       My industry experience and expertise includes:

  • Transactional services including managing all aspects of acquisition, divestment & capital raising due diligence
  • Negotiating, structuring and pricing capital raising strategies from seed capital to public offerings
  • Financial modelling, feasibility of transactions and enterprise valuations
  • Results focused approach to commercial negotiations
  • Managing exit strategies in the form of IPOs, trade sales, investor / management buy-ins and buy-outs
  • Treasury management including effectively working with very challenging cashflow/limited capital
  • Financial management and reporting
  • Business and investment structures, factoring tax strategies & planning, corporate governance & financial controls
  • A builder of high performance finance and accounting teams

        Expertise:

  • Telecommunications
  • Media and Technology
  • Online and physical retailing
  • FMCG
  • Financial Services
  • Property and Construction
  • Agribusiness

         Experience:

  • Mining Services and Resources
  • Freight and Transport
  • Hospitality and Leisure
  • Health and Medical
  • Manufacturing

 

All the Azure CFOs are commercially astute, confidential, disciplined and value driven professionals with a proven history of delivering successful commercial outcomes.

Want to learn more? Contact us today (02) 9238 1188 or ourteam@azuregroup.com.au

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About Author

Anthony Harris
Anthony Harris

Anthony Harris has 25 years experience in accounting and finance. His extensive experience generated from his diverse roles including a partnership role in public practice, having co-founded a boutique investment bank with a focus to SME corporate finance advisory services, and more recently a combination of CEO, COO and CFO roles with a range of SMEs.

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