Build
Creating structure where processes, reporting, ownership, or controls are unclear.
Roland Sutton | CIMA-qualified finance professional
Finance leadership for clarity, control, and momentum.
Strategic thinking, financial insight, and transformation support for growing SME businesses.
I build. I stabilise. I elevate.
Stabilise
Improving cash visibility, financial control, reporting rhythm, and confidence.
Elevate
Developing people, improving systems, and preparing businesses for growth or investment.
About
Practical finance transformation, grounded in operational reality.
Roland Sutton is a CIMA-qualified finance professional with over ten years' experience across hire, retail, e-commerce, service, and operationally complex SME environments.
A consistent theme throughout his career has been joining businesses during periods of growth, change, or pressure and helping create structure, visibility, and control around the finance function.
Roland has worked across financial control, management reporting, cashflow forecasting, payroll improvement, stock and asset reporting, refinancing support, board packs, SLT reporting, systems change, and operational process improvement.
Finance should not just report what happened. It should help the business understand what is happening, what could happen next, and what needs to improve.
Finance Leadership
Focus Areas
Commercial finance leadership for businesses where reporting, cash, ownership, processes, systems, or controls need to become clearer and stronger.
Financial Control
Month-end close, reconciliations, accruals, prepayments, fixed assets, nominal structure, and reporting discipline.
Cashflow and Working Capital
Cash forecasting, supplier planning, VAT tracking, invoice finance, lender reporting, DSO, DPO, and scenarios.
Reporting and Decision Support
Board packs, SLT reports, departmental P&Ls, KPIs, margin visibility, pricing support, and operational reporting.
Systems and Process Improvement
Sage, Syrinx, Sage HR, Sage Payroll, Employment Hero, SwiftTime, Shopify, eBay, and process redesign.
People and Team Development
Training, ownership, escalation routes, role clarity, manager responsibility, superuser development, and confidence.
Scale, Sale and Investment Readiness
Forecasting, business planning, lender discussions, refinancing support, PE readiness, and investor evidence.
Transformation Stories
Evidence from complex SME environments.
01
Building Reporting Rhythm in a Growing Hire Business
At JPS Platforms / UK Hire Group, Roland supported the business through fleet growth, new revenue streams, and multiple refinancing projects.
- Created regular SLT reporting rhythm
- Strengthened board pack information
- Improved cashflow and debt visibility
- Connected operational and financial performance
02
Payroll and HR Process Transformation
Roland improved a manual payroll process by moving ownership closer to line managers, clarifying sign-off, and supporting Sage HR adoption.
- Reduced dependency on informal manual processes
- Improved payroll ownership and escalation routes
- Created clearer training and sign-off routes
- Reduced finance team pressure
03
Cashflow, Debt and Refinancing Control
In a finance environment with HP funding, multiple lenders, invoice finance, VAT deferrals, and cash pressure, Roland created stronger visibility.
- Improved debt schedule visibility
- Supported refinancing decisions
- Built stronger cashflow scenario reporting
- Supported board-level cash discussions
04
Stock, E-Commerce and Operational Finance at Van Hage
At Van Hage, a multi-site retail and e-commerce business with approximately GBP 22m turnover, Roland worked across stock, online sales integration, FX, audit, and completion accounts.
- Supported stock valuation and completion accounts
- Improved understanding of e-commerce stock issues
- Worked across retail, online, and finance operations
- Managed FX-related accounting and reconciliations
05
Making Businesses More Investor Ready
Roland has contributed to PE and sale-readiness work by building forecasts, assumptions, board-level information, and financial evidence.
- Built stronger business forecasting
- Created clearer financial narrative
- Helped explain assumptions to prospective investors
- Connected operational reality to future plans
Operating Philosophy
I build. I stabilise. I elevate.
Map Before Automate
Technology does not fix a broken process. Before automation, the process needs to be understood, mapped, owned, and improved.
People Are Agents of Information
Better reporting requires better ownership, better communication, and better operational behaviour across the business.
Accountability Creates Discomfort
What finance sees as clarity can feel like exposure. Good finance leadership requires structure, empathy, and explanation.
Responsibility Needs Authority
People need clear roles, decision rights, escalation routes, and authority that matches their responsibility.
Buy-In Makes Structure Real
A process only works if people understand it, use it, and believe it matters.
The Stabilising Work Is Often Hidden
Reconciliations, process fixes, system clean-up, training, definitions, and ownership clarity create better decisions.
Career Experience
Commercially useful experience, not just a CV.
Access hire / equipment hire
JPS Platforms / UK Hire Group
Financial Controller / Finance Leadership
- Financial control, management reporting, SLT and board reporting
- Cashflow forecasting, debt and refinancing support, lender schedules
- Payroll and HR process improvement, Sage HR, Sage Payroll, Sage 50 and Syrinx
- Fixed assets, hire fleet reporting, pricing support, team leadership and training
Multi-site retail and e-commerce
Van Hage
Finance / Operational Finance
- Stock valuation and reporting across retail and online channels
- Shopify, eBay, FX reconciliations, audit support, and completion accounts
- Process and system explanation, team handover, and operational finance support
Wider experience
Readiness, Forecasting and Finance Improvement
Growth, sale, refinancing, and investment support
- PE readiness, sale-readiness support, five-year forecasting, and investor information
- Management accounts, statutory and tax support, systems improvement, and process clean-up
Skills
Finance, systems, controls, and operational improvement.
Financial controlManagement accountsBoard packs
SLT reportingCashflow forecastingWorking capital
Debt schedulesRefinancing supportHire-purchase reporting
Fixed assetsPayroll improvementHR systems
Sage 50Sage HRSage Payroll
SyrinxShopifyeBay
Stock reportingFX reconciliationsProcess improvement
Systems implementationTeam trainingRole clarity
Operational financePE readinessSale readiness
ForecastingScenario modellingKPI reporting
Contact
Let's talk finance transformation.
For finance leadership, transformation support, or interim finance projects, send a message and I will come back to you.