about

Ms Ran LI – FCCA MA BA BSC

A highly motivated senior finance professional with a proven track record of delivering change and business transformation projects. Broad and in-depth experience in Financial Services, Technology, Manufacturing, Utility & Infrastructure blue chip organisations; public sector experience in Medical and Higher Education. Experienced in all round corporate finance functions incl. MI reporting, budgeting, cashflow forecasting, financial control, tax and treasury; business partnering to Executive teams, management reporting process improvement & automation, statutory & regulatory reporting. Extensive experience in commercial finance, strategic financial planning & forecasting, financial modelling, ERP systems implementation and transformation project management; Finance and business consulting; experienced in working with blue-chip and PE backed businesses, incl. US, European and Chinese businesses. A successful leader who can accelerate in a significant change environment within large business groups.

Key Skill Highlights

• ERP System evaluation and implementation. Experience in Workday, SAP, Oracle & Hyperion, Unit 4 Business World, Business Intelligence, Open Accounts, Sage, Dynamics.
• Design and implement data strategy for large organisations to deliver business insights.
• Building complex financial models, at strategic and operational level, providing analysis and dashboard for business decision making.
• Shape data strategy of a business to support executive teams’ decision-making process.
• Making process improvement to monthly financial & management accounts reporting, KPIs, monthly/ quarterly forecasting, budgeting process implementation and statutory and regulatory reporting.
• Business partnering to executive teams to give business insights; working across multiple cultures to achieve results and manage internal and external stakeholders’ expectations.
• Managing resources and developing teams; identifying team needs and abilities; building enthusiasm and commitment. Coaching team members to achieve their potentials through transformation projects.
• Improve & automate business management reporting processes, including system implementation and process automation.
• Strategic planning, annual budgeting, monthly rolling forecasting; weekly, monthly and year-end financial reporting as well as regulatory compliance reporting.
• Strong organisational and problem-solving skills; ability to adapt and drive changes quickly and effectively.
• Deep dive into existing business processes to understand fundamentals and root causes, to form solutions to deliver agreed outcomes.
• Fluent in Chinese
  
  

Past delivered projects and work experience

2019 April – July 2021: University of Central Lancashire (UCLAN) – Finance Consultant, focusing on Financial Modelling & Finance Process Improvement, ERP system improvement to underpin MI reporting needs, data and dashboard reporting framework design

Lead design and build  5 year strategic and operational financial model to underpin UCLAN transformation project for cost efficiency and outlook of the business.

Following completion of the modelling project, continue providing consultancy service on finance process improvement project and lead reporting workstream for Finance department to develop a fit for purpose corporate reporting framework, through EPR system redevelopment and reimplementation.

2018 Nov – 2019 Feb: Manchester Airport Group –  R2R Transformation Project accountant

Lift and Shift R2R transformation project from Stansted Airport to Manchester Airport Group to create central excellence.

Scope, develop, process mapping, process documenting existing R2R function in Stansted Airport Finance team and life and shift to R2R team in Manchester, the project involves assessing,  mapping out and document the current operational model and creating Targeting Operation Model (TOM), process improvement recommendations and provide gap analysis to bridge to the optimised TOM for the next stage, also involving in resourcing management, team recruitment, structure change, roles and responsibilities optimisation, as well as developing opportunities and highlight risks.

2018 May – September: BNN Technology Plc – Finance consultant for Group Finance Consolidation  (5 months)

BNN was going through a potential reverse merger with a US listed company, this role is to head up the group finance function to liaison with BDO auditors and assist Dual Diligence before the merge taking place. BNN has a group of companies in China, the consolidation and group account function are based in UK and forms part of my responsibilities

2015 May – April 2018: MoneySuperMarket.com Group – Interim Project controller (3 years)

The role is primarily responsible for setting up a 3-year £60m capital delivery financial processes, managing the month end capital spend forecasts for the group, tracking project performance and conducting post investment reviews. Then expended to quarterly forecast, depreciation forecast, and group capital spend management & reporting, in the last 18 months, extended to ERP system (Board, workday) evaluation and implementations.

2014 Nov – 2015 Mar: Alcoa BCS Europe HQ – Interim Business Controller (5 months)

The interim business controller role is to lead and transit changes to BCS Europe sites after the business structure change, to transit BCS Europe HQ’s function to BCS HQ directly. The role involves reviewing the existing reporting processes, drive automation and synergy to be consistent with the North America’s reporting process; to work alongside BCS HQ finance vice president, act as the central contact for the 5 European sites daily performance and reporting, as well as the major capital projects. The transition is completed successfully financially and operationally.

2014 May – 2014 Oct: Greenery International Ltd – Interim infrastructure controller (6 months)

The interim infrastructure controller has the central responsibility of financial control and business partner for Greenergy infrastructure business, known as terminals. Terminals as standalone enterprise hold infrastructure to blend, store and supply fuels to UK market. Greenergy operates a vertical reporting model, the infrastructure controller acts as financial controller for all aspects of the terminal business and takes ownership of director level reporting to the Board. I proposed and drove changes to the existing management reporting methodology, improved the system reporting tool and rectified the wrongly charged contract rate to recover additional £75k revenue and established the new reporting process to avoid future revenue loss.

2014: H&R International Services – Finance Director (Part-time) (18 month)

Consultancy service offering international business entering UK market. Working closely with lawyers and other professionals to deliver the turnkey project for customers.

2009 – 2012   Electricity North West Limited – Regulatory Finance Manager / FP&A manager (2.5 years)

I joined the business during its commercial contract renegotiation and regulatory price review stage. I was heavily involved in the commercial contract negotiation and regulatory price review submission to Ofgem. Immediately after that, I was in the steering group of taking over UUES in house and integrating the new business. At the same time, acted as the finance business partner to sit in the steering group, which lead the new IT system provider bidding and selection process. I led the shareholder valuation reporting as well as regulatory reporting and financial modelling, to automate the business reporting process.  By the time when I left, the business was in a good shape with a new business operating model in place, one highly automated and integrated reporting model (both statutory and regulatory) and successfully switched IT system provider with bespoke SAP system reporting tools. I have successfully led and completed the different projects while I was in the position. The task I have involved can be highlighted as below:

2005 – 2009   Yorkshire Water Services Ltd (5 years)

Yorkshire Water is a water supply and treatment utility company with turnover of £800m, 2200 employees at the time. The parent company was Kelda Group in 1999. In February 2008, Kelda Group was bought by a consortium of infrastructure funds. The time when I served the business, the company was awarded the title “Utility Company of the year” by Utility Week magazine three years in succession. I have grown and developed a great part of my professional skills in this business during the 5-year period. I was involved in the financial services sector, commercial contract management, management accounting and financial accounting month end process.  Mostly valuable, the regulatory finance framework to take the responsibility for the business 5-year price review financial modelling and submission to OFWAT. I was heavily involved in terms of process automation, system improvement and reporting process improvement.

1998 – 2005 Various Finance roles

Professional Qualifications & Education

2005         ACCAqualified since 2005

2002         MA in Accounting, Finance and Management – School of Management, Bradford University, UK

2001         BSc in Business Management Studies (year 3) – School of Management, Bradford University, UK

2000         BA in Finance – Heilongjiang University, China

Native Mandarin speaker, culture experience both in China and England.