Dom Rivers

***Head of Finance recruitment*** Old market assumptions no longer apply. I recently partnered with the CFO of a high growth listed business to recruit a Head of Finance. It’s a critical hire. Lots of acquisitions driving growth. Knowing how year-end pressures can impact candidate engagement, I advised starting the search early. We moved quickly and delivered a strong shortlist. The candidates were technically sound, all capable. But something didn’t click with the CFO and I agreed. Rather than settle, I suggested bringing in a professional contractor. It gave us breathing room to find the right long-term fit. When we re-ran the search just weeks later, the difference was night and day. Many of the candidates didn't surface during our first round. The only thing that changed was the timing. Pre-COVID, I wouldn’t have expected high-calibre candidates to consider a move during year-end. But today, the market is less predictable. Old assumptions no longer apply. So my advice is this: Don’t rush permanent hires. If needed, run the search twice. Use interim solutions to protect business continuity. In this case, the CFO now has real choice and full confidence in the decision ahead #cfo #GMFinance #reogroup

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Three Financial Controllers I placed a couple of years ago have all stepped up to CFO recently within the same business. No external search needed, they got the job because the leadership believed they were ready. A few common themes came through in what they did and how they made it happen which I thought would be useful to share: -They knew trust and advocacy from senior leadership wasn’t optional. Each of them identified the key decision makers early and built strong working relationships. Without that, they knew it would never happen. -They created a personal brand around always making marginal improvements, however small, what ever it is, how can we make this better? -They started winning over the wider team that would eventually report to them, long before they got the promotion. -They weren’t afraid to respectfully challenge how things had always been done, but they made sure they had the facts to back it up (always!) -They aligned their own priorities with the business, showing executives they cared about what the business cared about. -They immersed themselves in the business for the first few months, then wasted no time demonstrating capability and driving outcomes, even if it upset the applecart. They needed a bit of luck on timing for the role to become available, but everything else was entirely down to them. They took control and made it happen. If anyone else wants to share pieces of wisdom that helped them make that internal promotion happen, please share in the comments!

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Yesterday the Department for Education published its latest Employer Skills Survey. The headline? We’re still underinvesting in skills across the UK workforce. 📉 Only 59% of employers provided any training last year — the lowest level in a decade 📉 Training investment per employee has fallen from £1,960 in 2022 to £1,700 in real terms For accountants, standing still isn’t an option. AI, digital tools, sustainability and constant change within the external environment are changing the game fast. Without the right training, it’s hard to stay sharp and deliver great work. But it’s not all bad news: ✅ 70% of training is now online, a shift we’ve backed at AAT ✅ More employers are investing in tech and management skills — critical areas for accountants too ✅ And the number of employees identified with a skills gap is falling, with over 450,000 fewer than in 2022 Every day I see how investing in people pays off — not just in productivity, but in confidence, retention and long-term resilience. That’s why we’ll be doing more in the months ahead to shine a light on where the gaps really are in accountancy, what’s working, and what needs to change. AAT

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📈 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿 - 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗨𝗞 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝗺𝘀 𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝗘𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲 🚀 For decades, many #UK accountancy practices have been seen as 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀 making sure clients file their tax returns, stay HMRC compliant, and meet Companies House deadlines. ✅ But here’s the shift: Clients no longer just want a “number-checker.” They want a 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿. Someone who helps them: 💡 Navigate cash flow challenges 💡 Improve profitability 💡 Plan for expansion 💡 Build resilience in uncertain economic times ⚠️ 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗽 The problem? Too many firms get stuck spending 80–90% of their time on low-margin compliance work: 📌 Bookkeeping 📌 Payroll 📌 VAT returns 📌 Annual accounts That leaves little time for advisory services the very thing clients are willing to pay more for. And when your best people are tied down with admin-heavy tasks, growth becomes impossible. 🌟 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗮𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗼 𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿 1️⃣ 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀 Stop burying your senior staff in compliance work. Their time is better spent in client meetings, reviewing business strategies, and identifying tax-saving opportunities. 2️⃣ 𝗟𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗢𝘂𝘁𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 By outsourcing routine, repetitive tasks, you free up your in-house team to focus on client-facing, high-value work. This isn’t about cutting costs it’s about unlocking growth capacity. 3️⃣ 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗧𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀 Use dashboards, forecasting tools, and benchmarking reports to give clients real-time insights. Firms that deliver proactive advice will always stay one step ahead. 4️⃣ 𝗦𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘆 Market yourself as a strategic advisor, not just an accountant. Clients want someone who helps them make smarter decisions, not just file paperwork. 🤝 𝗛𝗼𝘄 AccountsBytes Private Limited 𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗽𝘀 : At AccountsBytes Private Limited, we support UK accountancy practices by: ✅ Handling compliance tasks with 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 ✅ Creating more time for your team to 𝗳𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀 ✅ Helping firms transition from compliance 𝗳𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗻 The result? You build 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀, increase profitability, and position your firm as an indispensable partner in your clients’ success. 👉 The big question for every firm: 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻𝘁, 𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄? 🌱 #UKAccounting #Advisory #BusinessGrowth #Outsourcing #AccountancyFirms #StrategicPartner #Accounting #Outsourcing #Bookkeeping #Payroll #VATReturns #TaxCompliance #YearEndAccounts #UKAccountants #BusinessGrowth #Bookkeeping #Accounting #TaxReturns #Outsourcing #UKAccountants #FinanceSolutions

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𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁𝘆 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝘂𝗿𝗯𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 🔧🏠 Not all refurbishment expenses are treated equally by HMRC - and getting this wrong could cost you thousands in lost tax relief. As a landlord or property investor, knowing whether a cost is “revenue” or “capital” is key to understanding your tax position. Here’s how to tell the difference 👇 1️⃣ 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗲 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 (Tax-Deductible Against Rental Income) These are repairs and maintenance done to keep the property in rentable condition. These can include things such as fixing a broken boiler, repainting walls, replacing carpets or windows like-for-like and roof or plumbing repairs. ✅ These are deductible in the year they occur, reducing your rental profits. 2️⃣ 𝗖𝗮𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 (Claimed When You Sell) These costs 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲 the property beyond its original condition or prepare it for first-time letting. These can include converting a loft into a bedroom, replacing single glazing with double glazing, complete renovations before first tenancy or even adding an extension or en-suite. ❌ You can’t deduct these from rental profits - but you may claim them to reduce Capital Gains Tax (CGT) when you sell. 🔍 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝘆 𝗔𝗿𝗲𝗮: 𝗜𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗿𝘀 If you buy a property in poor condition and refurbish it 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴, HMRC may classify those “repairs” as 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹, not revenue. 📌 Why? Because they’re considered part of the acquisition cost - getting the property into a usable state. 🎯 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 Misclassifying these expenses could trigger an HMRC inquiry, lead to backdated tax bills or penalties or could even miss out on legitimate deductions that could save you thousands. 📅 Need help reviewing your refurbishment strategy and understanding what you can claim? Let’s make sure your upgrades don’t turn into tax headaches. 📅 Book a free consultation today and let’s protect your profits. 💬 Have you ever been unsure whether something was capital or revenue? 👇Drop a comment below. 👤 Follow me, Usman Butt, for more practical property tax advice UK landlords can actually use. Video Credits: All rights are reserved by the rightful owner. Please DM for credits or removal.

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What do M&A professionals get paid? Early in the career it's pretty comparable to other areas of finance but there is quite a bit of variability. Some analysts are literally taking home twice as much as others. As you progress through your career, it starts to pull away from standard finance role, with the average manager taking home ~$200k all in. At that point the total rem starts to shift towards being performance based. It's not unusual to have 30-50% of your pay tied to bonuses at the Manager / VP level. The chart below is for boutique firms, which pay less than bulge brackets - add 30–50% more for BB roles. Corp. Dev. pay closely aligns to boutique advisory pay, which surprised me given the better work/life balance. There wasn't enough data on PE pay but I suspect a lot of it is tied to carry and there is a lot of variability based on fund performance. All in all, it's pretty solid. --- P.S. I'm running an M&A Case Competition Perfect if you're looking to break into M&A or wanting to test your deal knowledge. Completely free. Finalists present in front of top tier M&A firms & attend an exclusive networking event. Registration closes this week: https://lnkd.in/gZd_VjZr

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What’s keeping Finance Directors up at night? That’s what we dug into at this week’s SME FD roundtable in Bristol. Here are the common themes... – Cash flow is tight. A single late client payment can derail payroll. – Revenue concentration is too high. One-third of income from one source isn’t sustainable. – Data is messy. Especially for export-heavy businesses trying to forecast with any confidence. – AI is both impressive and risky. Yes, it can build a cash flow model in 20 minutes. But, it won’t take accountability for the numbers. – Teams are at capacity. Everyone’s too busy doing the work to improve how it gets done. The reality is... SME FDs are being asked to play strategic partner, firefight operational gaps, and transform processes, all at the same time. And that’s before we talk about funding rounds, legacy systems or hiring freezes. It’s not all doom and gloom. Resilience is building. But it’s a grind. What we’re really saying here is... the gap between what’s expected and what’s resourced is growing. Quietly, but dangerously. It can only continue for so long before you and your team burns out. It's time for a rethink... whether its your team, AI, Automation or Offshoring... we have some answers. Reach out if you'd like to pick my brains on what is working right now to give Finance teams room to breathe. If you’re leading a finance function... what’s playing on your mind? Thank you to Peter Beard ACA BFP for shining a light on what is possible with AI to help finance teams 3-5x their productivity, and to Alexei Garan to help us understand the realities and opportunities of debt financing in the current climate.

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There has been alot of news about LME's versus Restructuring Plans and/or formal insolvency procedures. I am not sure everyone understands the basics - this thought process can be applied to large and smaller businesses....some smaller ones will only use a few of the LME structures described below. So a quick overview. A "LME transaction" typically refers to a Liability Management Exercise, a type of financial transaction where a company restructures its debt obligations to improve its financial health, often without resorting to formal failure. These exercises can involve various strategies like debt refinancing, bond buybacks, or amend-and-extend agreements. They are often employed by distressed borrowers to avoid traditional restructuring or formal failure.  Here's a more detailed breakdown: What it is: • LMEs are out-of-court restructurings focused on managing a company's liabilities.   • They are designed to improve a company's financial standing, often by addressing liquidity concerns or reducing debt burden.   • LMEs can be controversial because they can benefit some lenders (the "haves") at the expense of others (the "have nots"), potentially leading to "lender-on-lender fights".   • While LMEs are becoming more common, they are not without risks and potential litigation.  Examples of LME strategies: • Debt refinancing: Replacing existing debt with new debt, potentially on better terms.   • Bond buybacks: Repurchasing outstanding bonds, potentially at a discount.   • Amend and extend: Renegotiating existing loan agreements to extend maturities and/or modify covenants.   • Up-tier transactions: Creating a new class of senior debt that sits above existing debt, potentially disadvantaging the original lenders.  Why they are used: • To avoid formal failure: LMEs can be a way to avoid the costly and disruptive process of formal failure proceedings.   • To improve liquidity: LMEs can help companies raise capital and improve their cash flow position.   • To restructure debt in a more flexible way: LMEs allow companies to tailor their debt obligations to their specific needs and circumstances.   Potential issues: • Creditor-on-creditor fights: LMEs can create conflicts between different groups of creditors, as some may benefit while others are disadvantaged.   • Litigation risks: LMEs can be challenged in court, particularly if they are seen to unfairly disadvantage certain creditors.   • Reputational risks: Companies engaging in LMEs may face reputational damage if the transactions are perceived as unfair or opportunistic. Hope this helps Andrew Special Situations and Restructuring S&W Turnaround Management Association (TMA UK) R3 Association of Business Recovery Professionals The IFT Squire Patton Boggs Druces LLP DLA Piper Shoosmiths DWF INSOL International Insolvency Lawyers' Association Independent Growth Finance (IGF) Arbuthnot Latham Cambridge & Counties Bank British Private Equity & Venture Capital Association (BVCA)

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