Alan Hemsley FCA – alan.hemsley@fdsolutions.uk.com

Alan is a chartered accountant whose professional experience includes seven years with KPMG, including two years as the National Professional Development Manager of the Australian practice of KPMG in Sydney.

On returning back to the UK, Alan joined the project team charged with privatisation of the railway industry, and took the lead role within a £1bn sector of the industry in implementing finance team structures and people capable of supporting the many franchised businesses within the private sector.

He finished his period in the sector as Finance Director of one of the train operating units charged with negotiating and implementing the framework of regulatory contracts required for the franchise process, and working with the Franchise Director and his team in franchising the train operating unit. He also raised over £3m in equity and debt for an attempted MBO of the train operating unit.

After leaving the railway sector Alan spent five years in the BPO and Financial Services sectors, including roles as the Deputy Group FD of a listed PLC, and the Finance Director of the UK operations of the public company. During this period Alan introduced a number of effective treasury and working capital management systems to stabilise and improve relationships with bankers, assisted in the renegotiation of £25m of bank facilities including debt-to-equity swap and related public transaction, worked with due diligence and valuation exercises of PLCs resulting from change of ownership, and in the disposal of non-core activities.

Having left the public company environment in 2002 to set up his own BPO financial service centre business (which now forms part of the Unity business services group) Alan works with many clients in the SME sector in improving financial administration to fund raising and stabilising relationships with bankers.

Alan undertakes regular part-time FD work and brings to the benefit of his FD Solutions assignments the breadth of his experiences in team development and fund raising and due diligence processes, and bridges the gap between large PLC disciplines to the benefit of growing SMEs.