I have been the CFO of technology-based businesses for over 20 years, covering businesses in the UK, US, Europe, and New Zealand, and in founder/ PE and VC-backed situations. My roles have been in businesses undergoing material change - be it growth, turnaround, or fundamental business realignment.

My roles as CFO have encompassed all matters of normal financial activity (reporting, financial planning and analysis) and capital raising activities (including building financial models, preparing presentations for investor meetings, and carrying out investor presentations). My CFO roles have also been broad; examples include taking on the General Manager role of an AgTech business in New Zealand, working closely with an Account Management team whose revenue represented 75% of the total for the company, and having a 65-person Call Centre report to me.

As a previous CFO, the sectors I have worked in have mainly utilised technology to increase the user experience and / or to reduce the manual processing of data and systems - in the end, to improve profitability and value of the underlying business. These sectors include telecommunications (mobile and fixed line), pensions administration software, financial services software for banks and credit card providers, online home insurance, print advertising software, and agricultural hardware and technology

I built Seasmoke fm out of all the experience I have built up over the years covering operational financial matters and corporate finance considerations. I’ve replaced financial projection tools in all the companies where I have been the CFO because I needed something that was so comprehensive that I could use it for multiple purposes and could be customised as the business evolved. I knew that not just the finance team would need the outputs; the needs of management teams, boards, and external investors would also need to be considered.