Paul Smith, CFA, CFM
Verified Expert in Management Consulting
Management Consulting Expert
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Toptal member since January 25, 2023
Paul is a financial modeling expert whose knowledge and experience cover the nexus of accounting, finance, and financial models through his CA, CFA, and CFM qualifications. He has received the FMWC Top Newcomer Award twice. He possesses proven experience building integrated financial models. As an ex-Big Four accountant, Paul was selected to teach the Advanced Financial Modeler tuition sessions for the FMI.
Career Highlights
Education Highlights
Certification Highlights
Case Studies
Sapphire Systems Model
Expertise
- Corporate Finance
- Debt
- Due Diligence
- Equities
- Financial Modeling
- M&A Due Diligence (Financial)
- M&A Strategy
- Microsoft Power BI
Work Experience
Financial Modelling Expert Consultant
Financial Modeling Institute
- Charged with, as the first remote hire, creating FMI exam questions, marking papers, and providing various technical support, all discussed over weekly calls with Ian Schnoor, the founder of FMI.
- Directly charged with providing detailed exam feedback for corporate clients who highly value actionable technical advice.
- Participated in the select panel that determines exam outcomes, which, it goes without saying, is a highly important role of FMI.
Project and Innovation Director
Bespoke Data
- Led the development of our financial models. A highlight was the financial model for a £30+ million EBITDA SaaS company as part of their M&A sales process. Their CFO kindly offered to provide me with a reference.
- Spearheaded the development of our Power BI models. A particular highlight is the development of the automated accounts model that can take TB data and turn it into management accounts that are board-pack ready.
- Performed M&A work, including preparing IMs and locked-box calculations for a company that was successfully sold to a private equity buyer at a significant premium after EBITDA adjustments to what they expected.
Executive
Springboard Corporate Finance
- Conducted thorough research to complete various international market maps to create an as complete as possible buyers list for a high-profile pitch. The prospective client noted some buyers they had not thought of looked promising.
- Recommended an alternative source of M&A transaction data with a more complete source of transaction multiples. This was ultimately adopted and aided our pitches where we had data competitors likely did not have.
- Triangulated various data sources to create accurate valuations of companies presented in our pitches. Prospective clients were appreciative of seeing how the valuation was justified.
Research Analyst
Messari
- Delivered detailed structured cryptocurrency research published on the Messari website.
- Developed the tokenomics template file, so it was simpler to input but retained sufficient complexity and flexibility to cover multiple tokenomic models.
- Acted as the only analyst retained from the 84 people who started the scheme.
Assurance Senior
EY
- Developed a long-term value framework to assess companies holistically. This financial model evaluated FTSE 350 companies’ ratios against their peers. It gained international appeal, with EY US requesting me to adapt it to their market.
- Delivered a successful audit of a £50 million revenue client through effective multi-channel communication between the manager and the two junior staff members. The client requested I return the following year.
- Assessed SOX controls for around £500 million in revenue. Direct involvement with senior client management, including CFO, to understand and test the SOX controls. Recommendations for the controls were implemented by the client.
Education
Finance and Investment Banking in Finance
The University of Reading - Reading, UK
Certifications
Chartered Financial Modeler (CFM)
Financial Modeling Institute (FMI)
Advanced Financial Modeler (AFM)
Financial Modeling Institute (FMI)
Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA)
CFA Institute
Chartered Accountant (CA)
Institute of Chartered Accountants Scotland
Skills
Finance
Financial Modeling, Equity Research Analysis, Forecasting, Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), Equity Valuation, Revenue & Expense Projections, M&A Modeling, Valuation, Budgeting, P&L Forecasting, Three-statement Modeling, Cash Flow Modeling, Corporate Finance, Debt, Due Diligence, Big 4 Accounting, Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), M&A (Buy-side), Market Research, Fundraising, Accounting, M&A (Sell-side)
Output Software
Microsoft Excel
Data & Analysis Software
Financial Data, Tableau, Zebra BI
Industry Expertise
Venture Capital, Retail & Wholesale
Other
Microsoft Power BI, Excel 365, Business Modeling, Business Models, Pitch Decks, Equity Markets, Scenarios, Scenario Analysis, Corporate Finance Consultant, SaaS, Operating Models, Excel Expert, Dashboards, Reporting, Monte Carlo Simulations, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), Board Presentations, P&L Management, Training, Financial Statements, P&L Analysis, Analytical Dashboards, Sensitivity Analysis, Equities, M&A Strategy, M&A Due Diligence (Financial), Excel VBA, S&P Capital IQ, Startups, Web 3.0, FMCG, Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG), Manufacturing, Board Decks, Business Plan Consulting, Capacity Planning, Manufacturing Strategy, Derivatives, Financials, Finance, Financial Analysis, Research, Crypto, Blockchain & Cryptocurrency, Cryptocurrency Exchanges, Logistics & Supply Chain
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