1. Lorna Reece
4 Nene Road, Burton Latimer, Northants, NN15 5QZ
Tel: 01536 356416 Mobile: 07941 413908
Email: lorna.reece444@googlemail.com
PERSONAL PROFILE:
I am an experienced and QBE Qualified International Accountant and Finance Project Manager with sound knowledge of financial and
management accounting and systems. Experience has included working within USA, European, Asia-Pacific and UK GAAPand IFRS markets. I
am a proven professional and conscientious individual with the ability to demonstrate a high level of stress tolerance. Proven leadership and
management skills including working with both staff and processes whilst demonstrating excellent mentoring, coaching and trai ning
capabilities. Self-motivated with a track record of business re-engineering and end to end process mapping, Project, Change and LEAN
management including the use of PRINCE2 principles whilst always championing a continuous improvement philosophy to deliver and drive
robust controlsandefficiencies that meet businessneeds.
KEY SKILLS:
Proven ability to effectively communicate and customers, stakeholders, management and staff as demonstrated in my daily running
of Greggs Restaurant/shop, the Casinowithincreasedproductivityof sales andreducedwaste.
I am extremely honest and trustworthy, Integrity and loyalty is of paramount importance to me and my professional reputation
which is evident fromthree of myemployers entrusting me as a main keyholder.
Financial Control – Controlling all cash income and expenditure for Casino and Greggs restaurant with no variables ce. relevant costs
including salaries to respective cost centre in line with budgets and tight deadlines. Turned an expected deficit of £232K on
expenditure to bringinonbudget.
Managing monthly/quarterly reconciliation, Royalty and Technology fees, interest, LTIP in line with European legislation and
percentages to Financial TimesLibor rates andrisk assessment analysis.
Financial Reporting - Created and reconciled Intercompany monthly balances for 50 offices in multi-currency for reportinhas been
recognition bymyemployers as a keyholder in3 seniour rolesg to US withno marginof error coveringbalances of£56m.
Assessed collated Balance sheet reconciliation’s from the business to assess potential risk and loss of revenue and controls which
adhered to Sarbanes Oxley(SOX) testing.
Financial Processes - Responsible for creating monthly recharges and cross charging intercompany ate invoices for UK, European, US,
Africa and Indiain50 offices, worldwide inmulti-currencyheld inIntercompanyandinter groupto legislationand tax compliant.
Financial Advice – Represented finance department in TUPE transfer, ensuring all contractual terms and conditions, custom and
practices were met in line with ACAS guidelines and undertaking diligence testing and time and motion studies, creating SLA,
contract andcompliance to costings for our client.
CAREER HISTORY:
Corporate Finance Northabalancing to banking and inhouse sysstemsmptonshire Country Council
2008 Present
Utilising well developed interpersonal skills to establish effective relationships with Heads of Service, Clients, Stakeholde rs and
External Agencies.
Business Intelligence and the Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA) Use of Resources (UoR). Researching external audit
requirements and grade 4 performing Council’s (4 four being the best) to identified gaps in organisational services delivery to
increase ourexisting score from a current 1 to 3 in a 2 yearplan. Colla ting, reviewing and monitoring returned improvement plans
and strategies organisational wide on a monthly basis. Communicating with external Auditors, Heads of Service and with vari ous
levels ofmanagement andpersonnel to reviewprogress onimprovements ensure theywere compliance withAudit requirements.
Delivery of the VfM Conclusion Self-Assessment and Executive Summary on behalf of the organisation. Meeting with Heads of
Service and management at all levels including partners and stakeholders to demonstrate our 2010 - 12 in year improvements.
Collaborative working with partners and communities in REIP’s and NEIP’s, and all front line service improvement to ensure audit
compliant to the 2 criterionof “Financial Resilience.
Completion of a 3 month CYP project to address a £6.3m overspend in quarter 1, 2010, tasked to review “end -to-end” processes
throughout the directorate to identifycost efficienciesandrobustness froma finance perspective onLookedAfter Children(LAC).
Working with the front line service deliveryand the systems that support it, communicating with the project working group an d with
others including Heads of Service to obtain background information to ascertain a definitive LAC data set by child, supplier and unit
cost and care package. Reviewing marketing campaigns, foot fall, advertising campaigns, include using the “ESD” toolkit, mos aic.
Reviewing of recruitment and retention of our in house and new foster carers. This was delivered to CYP DMT, the Section 151
Officer and was used in the OMT Star Chamber challenge process. Advising on the need for the proactive changes in utilising the
Care first/cost system, service register andthe collaborative commissioning of blockpurchase agencyfoster care placements.
Project Manager EMEA 1997- 2008
International Management Accountant, Balance Sheet Accountant, Reconciliation Team Manager
Centralising 17 EuropeanFinance Operations into the UKunder difficult circumstancesof closure, redundancyandlanguage barriers.
2. Utilising PM framework, utilisation of Prince 2 principles, analysing, interpreting and reviewing of each process and documen t.
UtilisingExcel workflowcharts researching eachcountries statutoryfinancial andlegal regulation to facilitate seamless transfer.
Re-routing reports, writing and delivering the “to be” outcome by re -engineering finance functions end to end process by mapping
the double entry flow charts of each country, writing the “Chart of Accounts”, a comprehensive training manual, desk top
procedures andprovided all inhouse trainingfor senior management to sign-offto operational user staff.
Effective understanding of resource planning, and supported the development of business cases, carrying out cost benefit and risk
analysis. Delivering efficiencies a of approx £13m saving in overhead costs and a proficient 80% mapped process across all countries
processes with 50% reduced resource and retained specialist knowledge at just 10% accommodated by the relocation of key
Europeanstaff and delegationof some administrative bi-lingual workto the Europeancall centre heldinIreland.
Managing business support teams and giving effective team management, undertaking continuous improvement philosophy.
Continuing to develop and improve processes over a two year period through software and technical changes using access and
revisedelectronic banking procedures.
Full responsibility for two teams of 11 FTE’s that successfullyand accurately prepared and produced monthly reconciliations for 600
General Ledger, Balance Sheet and Control accounts to trial balance including; the reconciliation of 40 bank accounts which adhered
to tight deadlines, audit requirements, Service Level Agreement (SLA’s) covering a £16 million turnove r monthly in 17 currencies.
Responsible for the personal management of staff, including training, coaching and support through change and aligned to thei r
personal development plans with clear organisational and personal objectives and effectively delivering 1-2-1 meetings and
appraisals.
During transfer period based in Paris for six months and Germany for two months mapping the process and overseeing the transfer
and staff, covering an impromptu recalled for a fiscal audit. Irrespective of the complicatio ns of legislation successfully and
effectively met centralisation deadline deliverable. Travelled across European business units to review, develop and standardise all
operational accounting and call centre procedures to maximise efficiency in relocation. Extensively travelled and worked
internationallyincludingthe US, Hong Kong, Singapore and China.
ADDITIONAL WORK HISTORY:
Bardex Systems LTD Assistant Financial Accountant
Nationwide Building Society Mortgage Control Representative/ Property Management Supervisor
Whilst at Nationwide Building Society for ten years I held numerous roles including; propertyletting, I centralised 10 UK fi nance offices to one
central site and restructured and streamlined the accounting functions for Property Management including responsibility of 3 staff and
Financial Management of 5,000 rental leases. Controlled and reconciled bank and dilapidation accounts monitoring tenant rent receipts and
transfer offunds lessmanagement fees onmonthly/quarterlystatements to clients. The centralisationmade savings of approx £1m.
Within Bardex, a manufacturing industry I was responsible for 2 staff providing Financial Management support, Bank reconciliation, and
Purchase Ledger control and managing the weeklyand monthlypayrolls for 100 manufacturing and 50 salaried staff. Also analys ed production
material usage to aidinaccurate purchase of supplies and facilitatedbetter stock controls.
EDUCATION & TRAINING:
Our Lady’s & Pope John O’Levels
English Maths RSA Typing 1 & 2
Work Related Qualifications and Training:
Tap – Trainthe Trainer
LEO – Leading andEmpowered
Organisation
Pride Leader Workshop
Project Management (PRINCE
2)
Introductionto Change
Management
Change Management and
Service Transformation:Lean
Thinking
ManagingPeople 1 & 2
Managingpeople 360 –
FeedbackTime Management
LeadershipSkills
InterviewSkills
Customers Service
Diversity
Coaching for Performance
IT Literate:
SharePoint/PMPoint
Performance Plus
BOP/ERP/Oracle/Discoverer
Intermediate Microsoft
Excel/Word/PowerPoint
Care First
QMF Reporting StructuredQuery
Language (AS400)
Gained Computer literacyon
numerous systems including
Oracle, JD Edwards, EVS1,
Logotech
Alpha/Numeric Accuracyand
speedkeywriting
Payroll & Compliance, Share
Point, Performance Plus, Oracle,
EDS, CIPFA/PWCBenchmarking
toolkit.
References: Available on request