Finance Director & Financial Controller

Two engineers standing in a field with Hi-Vis Vests and hard hats.

What Does a Financial Controller Do?

A financial controller is in charge of the finance function of a business. They manage the finance team and implement and maintain controls and procedures. They also oversee month-end processes, producing management accounts and financial reports. In medium-sized businesses, they may also take responsibility for VAT, payroll, and tax submissions.

Most SMEs, however, find that they can’t justify hiring a full-time financial controller.

Some try to get around this by expanding the role to cover day-to-day transactional duties. In our experience however, the skill sets are different — and that can be hard to sustain. That’s where we can help.

At Composure, we offer flexible, fractional financial controller services, giving your business access to trained and experienced accounting professionals. This negates the the financial risk of hiring in-house. We can customise our service, scaling our support up or down depending on your needs. And, as your team grows, we’re happy to hand over to your in-house resource. We’ve done exactly this with one of our long-standing clients. In the past, we used to handle their entire finance function. Now, we work alongside their financial accountant, who prepares their management accounts, forecasts and budgets. Our role now is to provide support as and when it is needed.

What Does a Finance Director Do?

A finance director takes a step back and looks at the bigger picture. They offer financial insight that supports strategic planning and decision-making. Typically, they are part of the leadership team.

Our managing director, Carolyn, can step into this role on a fractional basis. She brings:

  • 30 years of experience as a chartered accountant
  • A dual qualification as a chartered tax adviser
  • 15 years of experience running her own business

This combination of commercial awareness, hands-on experience, and technical expertise is something our clients really value. Examples of Fractional Finance Director support we’ve provided:

  1. Developing growth plans, supporting funding applications, and evaluating financial models
  2. Advising on mergers, acquisitions, and business restructures
  3. Acting as a sounding board for business owners
  4. Participating in board meetings. This is especially valuable in businesses run by families or close friends, where a neutral third party makes a real difference

Carolyn’s presence at board level also helps leadership teams hold themselves accountable — which can be the difference between making plans and following through on them.

Why Fractional Support Works

Hiring a full or even a part-time financial director is out of reach for most small businesses. Our fractional FD service gives you the benefits of a non-executive director, but with added advantages. You’ll have someone who understands the moving parts of your business and has a deep working knowledge of its finances.

Leveraging the contribution of a financial controller or finance director on a fractional basis could be exactly what you need to take your business to the next level.

Finance Director Services in Horsham

Although we are based in Horsham, we provide financial director services to clients throughout West Sussex and the surrounding counties. Do you think your business would benefit from an experienced professional to bring financial insights to your business? Or perhaps you would benefit from a third-party perspective to help you make important financial decisions? If so, then we’d love to hear from you.

Call us today on 01403 780858, send us an email or fill in our form.