Dave Harpur
Verified Expert in Management Consulting
Management Consulting Expert
London, United Kingdom
Toptal member since January 24, 2018
A chartered accountant with more than 15 years of experience, Dave has directly led double-digit EBITDA growth and over £1 billion in debt, equity, and M&A transactions while at leading private equity and consultancy firms (Global Infrastructure Partners, Octopus, IFM, and Deloitte). As a freelancer, he enjoys advising clients on strategy execution, debt and equity capital fundraising, corporate finance, and complex financial transactions.
Career Highlights
Education Highlights
Certification Highlights
Case Studies
Spiralite Business Sale Presentation to Potential Investors
Industry Expertise
- Accounting Services
- Construction
- Finance
- Banking
- Venture Capital & Private Equity
- Manufacturing
- Building Materials
- Real Estate
Other Expertise
- CFO
- Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A)
- Fundraising
- Infrastructure
- Private Equity
- Three-statement Modeling
Work Experience
Vice President of Finance
ESW Capital
- Led the financial planning & analysis (FP&A) and financial accounting teams of 50+ people across the globe.
- Oversaw the corporate development and relationships with banking groups.
- Spearheaded the M&A strategy and execution for multiple SaaS and enterprise software transactions in North America and Europe ranging from $10-$100 million.
Chief Executive Officer
RHT Business Advisory
- Founded RHT Business Advisory, a boutique advisory firm focused on providing strategic financial advice to clients across a range of industries.
- Secured and currently delivering a significant contract with IFM-owned Stansted Airport to provide strategic financial leadership regarding their five-year financial plan, pricing structures, business strategy, and £500 million capital investment program.
- Provided strategic advice on airports and the aviation industry to major global equity houses on diverse topics such as regulation, revenue optimization, airspace capacity, and capital investment strategy.
- Built a financial model for internal business planning and external fundraising efforts for a London-based construction firm to help it access growth capital of £1.5 million.
- Created a rapidly growing enterprise with clients across the UK and in mainland Europe, managing all the client relationships and quality of services delivered.
Financial Strategy and Business Plan Modeling Lead
Kreo Software
- Built a financial model for internal projections and external fundraising efforts.
- Constructed a SaaS business performance dashboard.
- Developed a fundraising strategy with the CEO.
- Led a scenario analysis review and assessment of the impact on the business plan.
- Created a detailed sales forecast/budget for driving performance of the sales team.
Chief Financial Officer and Chief Commercial Officer
Spiralite Group (Octopus Capital Portfolio Business)
- Delivered annual revenue growth of 50% and led the expansion of the business into North America, Europe, and the Middle East.
- Built a long-term financial model, prepared marketing materials, constructed strategy and led the execution of a £2.5 million equity funding round.
- Reviewed the existing debt structure of the business, designed alternative debt funding strategies, engaged with corporate banks and successfully completed the refinancing of the existing debt facility (£1 million) and raising of a new, more flexible £2.5 million debt facility.
- Conducted a gap analysis of the overall organizational structure, and redesigned the structure to align it with the strategy of the business.
- Led the equity sale process on behalf of Octopus Capital, prepared investor decks, led investor meetings and completed the sale of the business to a Middle Eastern family office.
Head of Finance, Sales, and Operations Planning
Gatwick Airport (Global Infrastructure Partners Portfolio Business)
- Delivered the strategic business planning, demand planning, and capacity utilization; and as Chair of Capital Executive Committee led the allocation and investment decision process for the airport’s £2.5 billion capital program.
- Led all the commercial negotiations with airline customers in relation to growth plans, demand, capacity, price, and operational performance. Served as the chair of the airport's scheduling committee.
- Created and implemented the business-wide financial planning process and model to support Global Infrastructure Partners' growth strategy for the airport. Responsible for driving and delivering EBITDA growth from £220 million to £400 million over four years.
- Executed successfully a £650 million debt refinancing and corporate bond issuance, including drafting of prospectus and bond documentation, cash flow forecasting, dividend planning, investor decks and presentations.
- Led all aspects of the financial planning and analysis (FP&A) and financial performance improvement. Within this role, closed the defined benefit pension scheme (£20 million EBITDA benefit), transitioned the business to IFRS (£200 million reserves benefit) and completed a complex group restructuring to access previously trapped tax losses (£50 million cash benefit).
Senior Manager
Deloitte
- Provided audit and advisory services to multibillion-pound international groups such as Kerry Group plc, Doosan, CRH plc, Greencore plc, and EirGrid plc.
- Delivered all aspects of IFRS financial reporting standards and led the UK GAAP and US GAAP transition to IFRS for a number of blue-chip clients as the "go-to" expert for the firm.
- Provided corporate finance advisory services to EirGrid plc on the debt financing of the East-West Interconnector, a £600 million project to connect the electricity grids of Ireland and the UK.
- Led the independent financial review of the Quinn Group following its administration, and subsequently led the restructuring of the business on behalf of its bondholders.
- Worked as a member of the firm's people board with a specific responsibility for creating a great place to work, and was successfully recognized for this by external bodies for four consecutive years.
Education
Certificate in Next Generation CFO
Deloitte - London, UK
Certification in Fundraising
Association of Corporate Treasurers - London, UK
Master's Degree in Accounting and Finance
University College Dublin - Dublin, Ireland
Bachelor's Degree in Commerce
University College Dublin - Dublin, Ireland
Certifications
Certified Public Accountant (CPA)
Institute of Chartered Accountants, Ireland
Skills
Finance
Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), Capital Investment Appraisals, Private Equity Valuation, Operational Finance, Commercial Finance, IFRS Adjustments, Accounting, Financial Accounting, Revenue Management, Cost Management, Budgeting, Financial Management, Cross-border M&A, Debt Restructuring, Debtor & Creditor Management, Intellectual Property Valuation, Finance Structures, IFRS Audit Planning, Financial Model Auditing, Internal Audits, UK GAAP, Financial Advisory, Financial Restructuring, External Financial Reporting, Discounted Cash Flow (DCF), Debt Workouts, Private Company Valuation, Financial Modeling, Revenue Optimization, Valuation, M&A (Buy-side), M&A (Sell-side), Due Diligence, Cash Flow Forecasting, 13-week Cash Flow, Property Investment, Project Finance, Three-statement Modeling, Debt Raises, CFO, Convertible Debt, Senior Secured Debt, Venture Debt, Equity Financing, Equity Valuation, Growth Equity, Venture Funding, Business Taxation, Cash Flow, Cash Flow Modeling, Credit/Debt, Audit Management, Financial Reporting, Corporate Finance, Financial Systems, Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), Private Equity, Fundraising, Capital Budgeting, Taxation, Capital Structuring, Cash Management, Cost of Capital, Capital Raising, Financial Options, Finance Strategy, Forecasting, Cost Reduction & Optimization (Cost-down), Market Research
Output Software
Microsoft Excel, Microsoft OneNote, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint
Data & Analysis Software
NetSuite, Capital IQ, Bloomberg
Industry Expertise
Software, Real Estate, Financial Markets, Banking & Finance, Building & Construction, Building Materials, Venture Capital, Pensions, Consumer Products, Transportation & Shipping, Aviation, Confidential Information Memorandum (CIM)
Geographic Expertise
South Korea, Germany, United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Belgium, Spain, United States
Other
Software as a Service (SaaS), Strategy, Audits, Management, IFRS Financial Reporting, Consulting, Strategic Planning & Execution, Early-stage Venture Capital, Financial Statements, Corporate Development, Financial Presentations, Bonds, Information Memoranda, Company Analysis, Company Strategy, Family Office, Due Diligence Consultant, Pitch Decks, Oracle, SAP, Sage Online, Infrastructure, Airports, Property Management, Financial Closing, Financial Reporting Dashboards, Investment Cases, Business Planning, Investment Strategy, Investor Presentations, Investor Reporting, Debt Issuance, Debt Financing, Equity Investment, Tax Returns, Treasury Management, Treasury & Liquidity Management, Cash Flow Analysis, Project Delivery, Project Tracking, Project Review, Internal Control, Business Cases, Investment Consulting, Manufacturing, Projects, Project Controls, Auditing, Investor Relations, Reporting, CAPEX, Capital Advisory, Equity, Finance Director, Financials, Search Fund, Finance, Interim Finance Director, SaaS, Business Models, Excel Modeling, Excel Expert, Target Operating Models, Reorganization, Corporate Governance, Sourcing, Vendor Selection, Vendors & Suppliers, CIM, Pitch Deck Consultant, Offering Documents, Investment Banking
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