Mark Leighs may have started his career working in audit for KPMG, but for this ACA-trained accountant, and experienced Finance Director (FD) and Chief Financial Officer (CFO), understanding the business is just as important as understanding the numbers - and he has a varied and wide-ranging track-record of hands-on business involvement to prove it.

From managing, marketing, and promoting large resort and leisure projects, to developing business plans, models, and strategies for both pre-startup and start-up companies, Mark’s skill set is broad and his approach is collaborative – “Out and about in the business and not hiding behind a desk”, as he puts it.

Working across sectors including property, construction, manufacturing, and direct marketing, with stakeholders as diverse as Board members, junior staff, investors, bankers, and other sources of external finance, and even architects and designers, Mark immerses himself in every facet of the business and keeps eye firmly on commercial outcomes.

Mark’s knack for “putting in place what works, and fixing what doesn’t” has also seen him bring real value as a consultant to small and medium enterprises (SMEs), delivering Finance and financial management problem-solving where it’s needed most, achieving turnaround where required, and acting as a growth advisor to help the business reach its potential.

And when it comes to taking decisive action to stabilise or strengthen a business’s financial position, Mark is experienced in major programmes from restructuring to disposal of project sites and other assets.

About Mark

If there’s one word that describes Mark, it’s ‘adaptable’ – a quality that has seen him take on responsibility not only for Finance but, as CEO, for the business’s wider performance and reputation.

He relishes challenges and copes ably with issues, having gained much of his experience in fast-moving, high-stakes environments where change was a constant and hurdles and obstacles were the daily norm.

A natural organiser of projects to improve systems, processes, and structures, Mark brings the same methodical and ordered approach to Finance procedure, closely monitoring and analysing cash flow, forecasting costs, risks, and opportunities, and reporting regularly and clearly to stakeholders on the business’s performance.

At the same time, his experience outside pure Finance roles enables him to, as he describes it, “see things in the round”, and this wins him the confidence and trust of the teams he works with, who appreciate his recognition of the contribution their work makes to the business’s success.

What Mark will help EFM to do

Mark’s dual background in the property sector and as a Finance specialist in SME environments is an exciting addition to EFM’s range of Associate specialisms.

His SME consultancy background means he is particularly familiar with Finance’s role in addressing the many challenges that companies at this stage of business growth typically experience.

Funding, cash-flow improvement, change projects, operational strategy, and preparing for acquisition, exit and sale all rank highly in Mark’s SME skill set, but he also brings some important complementary strengths to the table.

A committed mentor, he is patient with those learning from him and builds respect and trust by ensuring that tasks he asks team members to perform are only ever those whose execution and outcomes he clearly understands.

Together with his honest and open, but sensitive, communication, honed working abroad in cultures very different to his own, this strengthens Finance’s reputation within the business and helps to counter objections to its recommendations.

Forward thinking and preparedness are also key to the value Mark brings to EFM and its clients – “Do it before it’s needed!” is his mantra, and though he likes nothing better than to unpick a problem, he’s also resolute that avoiding the problem in the first place is a far better course of action for the business.

In his own words

“Getting Finance right early on is a must for SMEs,” says Mark, “and EFM’s part-time Finance Director services make this both possible and affordable, which is why I’m delighted to have become an Associate.”

“At the same time, EFM enables me to engage with multiple interesting clients, yet work flexibly as an outsourced Finance Director to suit my lifestyle and priorities – the best of both worlds, you might say!”

Click here to view Mark’s EFM Expert bio.