I took a temporary assignment in December 2006 to cover as Financial Controller at Eynsham Hall in Witney. In March I became self employed and was working at Eynsham Hall and also at Sundridge Park Management Centre in Bromley. I am now fully responsible for all aspects of the accounts office at Sundridge Park and assisted the General Manager to shut down a large proportion of the business including redundancies and cancellation of contract due to its sale to a property developer. The short term assignment has since lengthened and I am now based in Bromley four days a week.

Temporary contract covering all duties of the Financial Controller

After four weeks I discussed my role with the GM and it was decided that I was not really suited to the position. In hindsight, the decision to move was based on travel time and not the role and the hotel was a little too small to present an adequate challenge to me and hence the above decision.

All duties associated with the position of FC of a self accounting hotel including all responsibilities in my previous role and in addition, VAT returns, bank reconciliations and contract negotiations. I made a hasty decision after my redundancy from QMH UK and took the first job I was offered but the travel in and out of Birmingham at the irregular hours I was working made it an easy decision to move on when the Paramount job offer was made.

November 1998 – December 1999 Financial Controller West Brom MH
December 1999 – December 2000. Joint FC West Brom MH/Solihull MH
January 2001 – September 2001 Joint Commercial Manager Solihull MH/Grand Hotel
September 2001 – April 2006 Commercial Manager Stratford Moat House

Responsible to: General Manager and Operations Accountant. Responsible for: Team of five
General Scope & Purpose.
To provide Financial Support, advice and expertise to hotel management team with the aim of maximising value. Develop the quality of the financial function in the hotel.
Key Responsibilities
Investment in People. Develop the financial skills of the departments ensuring development plans and specific objectives are set and monitored. Provide training to the hotel management team in order to improve their commercial awareness and management skills.
Management Reporting. Develop the production of high quality management reports with the hotel team to incorporate identification and measurements of Key Performance Indicators, Competitors comparison and benchmarking
Looking Ahead. Take a lead role in business planning to identify value opportunities. Manage the formulation, review and approval process of the annual budgets. Develop more accurate forecasting techniques and develop confidence in the forecasting process.
Business Support. Support and advise on financial and commercial matters to the GM and hotel team. Provide financial and commercial skills to support business development initiatives and be prepared to challenge risks and threats.
Financial Management and Control. Develop best practice accounting and control procedures and engender continuous review and improvement that solves cause. To oversee the production of the monthly management accounts.
Systems and Processes. Ensure the successful implementation of SAP to the hotel and support its ongoing development to leverage future benefits.

In my position as Financial Controller I was fully responsible for the accounts function of this self accounting hotel. The hotel has a budgeted annual turnover of £1.8million with profits of £538,000. My duties included; Monthly Management Accounts, Payroll, Purchase Ledger, Cash Book, Stocktaking, Prepayments/Accruals, Cost Control, Quarterly VAT return & Credit Management.

In my position as Financial Controller I was fully responsible for the accounts function of this self accounting hotel. The hotel has a budgeted annual turnover of £1.8million with profits of £538,000. My duties included; Monthly Management Accounts, Payroll, Purchase Ledger, Cash Book, Stocktaking, Prepayments/Accruals, Cost Control, Quarterly VAT return & Credit Management.

Responsibility for all aspects of accounts up to trial balance except Bought Ledger payments. My duties included; Daily Revenue Audit & banking reconciliations, Credit Control, Stocktaking, Purchase Ledger, Monthly Management accounts, weekly forecasts and budgeting.

My duties were; Cash book postings & balancing, bank reconciliations, banking, invoicing & credit control, coding and posting purchase ledger invoices, monthly purchase ledger cheque runs, Food Gross profit calculation & assisting in the preparation of the monthly management accounts pack. The systems used were Sage Sovreign & Lotus 123.

As retail controller I was fully responsible for Food, Liquor and Health & Beauty stock takes and profit margins. I completed weekly Food & Liquor Stock takes and Monthly Health & Beauty Stock takes. Liquor and Food respectively broke down into four and five cost centres and each had an individual result produced.
As I joined Village Hotels, Boddingtons, the parent company was taken over by Greenalls and shortly after Christmas it was decided to make my position redundant.

I started at The Chesford Grange as Food & Beverage Controller with a view to moving into the accounts department within nine to twelve months. I finally did this in February 1995 but I continued to look after the Food & Beverage control function as it was decided not to recruit for the position. My additional duties comprised of Payroll, including PAYE, NI, SSP & SMP and preparation of the BACS schedule for payments, banking, purchase ledger input and revenue audit. Systems used were Innsite Computers Front and Back Office and Lotus 123.