Paul Davies
Verified Expert in Management Consulting
Management Consulting Expert
London, United Kingdom
Toptal member since December 28, 2021
Paul is a commercial and marketing finance professional with a decade of international experience and influence when partnering with C-suite executives, which he has done at Diageo, one of Great Britain's largest consumer goods companies. Paul gained his CA designation while working in M&A at Deloitte, and his areas of expertise include pricing and business strategy, FP&A, and finance business partnering. Paul freelances to help clients find innovative solutions to financial questions.
Career Highlights
Certification Highlights
Case Studies
Diageo Australia Trade Strategy
Nokia Siemens Networks Divestment of Business Support Systems
Diageo and Endeavour Drinks: Trading Terms Negotiation
Expertise
- Business Plan Consulting
- Business Strategy
- Finance Strategy
- Financial Analysis
- P&L Analysis
- P&L Forecasting
- Pricing
- Sales Forecasting
Work Experience
Finance and Operations Director
Caleno Drinks
- Led the financial plan due diligence process for annual fundraising with key investors.
- Developed a three-year business plan for acquisition and aligned with key investors.
- Led the total finance and operations function for a leading non-alcoholic spirit startup in the UK market.
Global Head of Marketing Finance
William Grant & Sons
- Took end-to-end P&L responsibility for a global marketing function, acting as a key business partner to the chief marketing officer and as the finance lead for the product innovation process.
- Led a team of eight across Dublin and London and reported directly to the finance director.
- Managed the allocation of marketing investment across WG&S portfolio of brands. Charged with leading marketing input into the corporate 5-year plan and taking full P&L ownership for the overheads of the Global Marketing team (180 FTEs).
- Collaborated as a business partner to the chief marketing officer on key strategic projects, including creating a direct-to-consumer Whisky Cask sales channel.
- Drove measurement and evaluation of marketing spending globally to ensure best practices and maximum ROI.
Head of Marketing Finance
Diageo Great Britain
- Oversaw the development of the Diageo Great Britain 5-year business strategy and operationalized year one through the marketing business planning process.
- Partnered with the marketing director to identify key opportunity areas to deploy the total advertising and promotional budget of Diageo Great Britain.
- Embedded a marketing effectiveness process to analyze the ROI of key marketing vehicles more impactfully, including media, social posts, and out-of-home advertising.
Head of Marketing Finance
Diageo Australia
- Led the FY 2022 strategic planning process, identifying priority growth categories for Diageo Australia and allocating marketing resources to key brands within these categories.
- Led the project to rationalize fixed costs in the Diageo Australia advertising and promotion spend, leading to a target saving of 18% for the next financial year (subject to procurement negotiations).
- Served as the finance business partner to the marketing director of Diageo Australia—a member of the marketing and finance leadership teams and broader Diageo Australia leadership group with P&L ownership of $100 million promotional spend.
Senior Commercial Finance Manager, National Accounts
Diageo
- Led the trading terms negotiation between Diageo and Endeavour Drinks, part of Woolworths Group and the largest alcohol retailer in Australia. This negotiation lasted four months and was praised by executives as best-in-class for both parties.
- Served as the finance lead in the team that redefined Diageo Australia’s commercial trade strategy during COVID-19.
- Delivered sales and profit growth ahead of the annual operating plan in each financial year I was in this role.
Assistant Manager, Transaction Services
Deloitte
- Performed M&A transaction services, including financial due diligence (buy- and sell-side) and vendor assist services with corporate and private equity clients.
- Supported the listing of a large financial services firm during the four months I was in Deloitte's executive remuneration practice. Prepared prospectus entries and assisted in preparing the analyst's presentations for the IPO roadshow.
- Focused on engagements in the tech, media, and telecom (TMT) sector, including Nokia Siemens Networks, BT, and British Sky Broadcasting (BskyB).
Education
Bachelor's Degree in Management and Spanish
University of Leeds - Leeds, England, UK
Certifications
Chartered Accountant (CA)
Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW)
Skills
Finance
Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), Financial Modeling, Commercial Finance, Data Analysis, Chartered Accountant (CA), Budgeting, Forecasting, Revenue & Expense Projections, Profitability Analysis, Accounting, Pricing, P&L Forecasting, Finance Strategy, Big 4 Accounting, Revenue Management, Revenue Modeling, Revenue Optimization, Startup Funding, Fundraising, Value Creation, Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), Due Diligence, M&A (Sell-side), M&A (Buy-side)
Data & Analysis Software
Financial Data, Anaplan
Output Software
Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint
Geographic Expertise
United Kingdom
Other
Financial Analysis, Finance, P&L Analysis, Business Cases, Business Models, Business Modeling, Financial Forecasting, Business Plan Consulting, Financial Ratios, Business, Growth Strategy, Sales Forecasting, Business Strategy, Value Chain, Strategy, Customer Analysis, Financials, Commercial Strategy, Commercials, Consumer Trends, Consumer Branding, Finance Reports, Accounts, Partnership Analysis, Strategic Planning, Strategic Planning & Execution, Revenue Analysis, Revenue & Pricing Support, Revenue Projections, Revenue Strategy, Startups, Business Planning, Financing, Spanish-English Translation, Annual Budgets, Marketing, Analysis, Business Partnerships, Contract Negotiation, Consumer Insights, Planning, Startup Growth Strategy Development, Operations, Sales Operations, Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP), Finance Director
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