For senior Finance specialist Kirk Siderman-Wolter, leading Finance functions and projects at all stages of business growth is often about the ability to simplify the complex – both in terms of how he approaches his work, and how he communicates financial information to key stakeholders and team members.

But behind the simplicity lies a proven track record of transforming systems, processes, and financial outcomes in fast-moving innovation environments and start-ups, across sectors as wide-ranging as hospitality, insurance, telecommunications, and education - as well as Government agencies and departments including the UK Border Agency, the Ministry of Justice, and the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office.

ACA- and BFP-qualified, with an MBA from London Business School, multilingual Kirk is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA) and a former accountancy tutor, so he combines outstanding credentials with a love of articulating Finance and financial management to audiences of varying levels of ability and seniority.

This has stood him in good stead in dealing with diverse stakeholders in his past roles – or, as he memorably puts it, in “being able to explain the financial controls I’m putting in place, how they work, and why they’re necessary, to Senior Justices on the one hand and a duty clerk in a County Court on the other.”

About Kirk

Kirk’s view is that whatever an organisation’s financial situation, and whatever its current performance looks like, “there’s always a way forward.”

This pathway starts with the numbers, which, he says, always tell “a fascinating story about the health of the business, what the business believes it is delivering, and what it is delivering.”

This clarity then forms the basis of the way forward, “where you and the operational, systems, and process changes which need to be made, ensure the business delivers, so that the company as a whole delivers.“

And even though Kirk champions simplicity, complexity doesn’t faze him at all. A natural multitasker, he’s perfectly at home managing strategic change projects at the same time as overseeing compliance, revenue assurance, or systems implementation. 

Despite appearances, Kirk doesn’t conform to the stereotype of the ‘typical accountant’, preferring to work approachably, collaboratively, and supportively – with a ‘hands-on’ attitude that drives both timeliness and results.

What Kirk will help EFM to do

Kirk brings several key skills to the EFM table, including strategic planning, analytical thinking, team building, transformation, and growth.

His focus on simplification is at the forefront of the benefit he’ll deliver to EFM’s clients, as he helps them implement and integrate new systems and processes, and streamline or merge others.

This will enable his clients to reduce manual intervention and error, produce actionable information and insights to give a clearer picture of critical metrics such as cash flow, revenue realisation, and profitability, and support the creation of effective business plans.

Kirk’s background in the innovation sector means he’s practised in deploying these skills in embryonic and new businesses, but he’s also highly experienced in using the same methods to turn struggling businesses around and reverse their losses.  He is also practised at working with academia and universities, blending the start-up world of grants and investment with research and innovation.

Targets and key performance indicators (KPIs) figure strongly in Kirk’s approach, and by helping his EFM clients to understand these - and be accountable for them - he’ll set solid foundations both for modelling Finance performance and delivering continuous improvement.

As he explains it, “Set the right targets and KPIs, and the money will follow them.”

In his own words

Kirk says: “My background in strengthening Finance within organisations has shown that, far from being simply an accounting function, it is a force for positive change and a catalyst for success.”

“I’m absolutely delighted that, thanks to EFM’s part-time Finance Director and CFO services, I can deliver pay-as-you-go financial management to SMEs, freeing them from the cost of a full-time FD - and in a way that enables me to work flexibly for an excellent work-life balance.”

Click here to view Kirk’s EFM Profile.