Quick-start FD

Over at AccountancyAge, they've featured the story of 27 year old Charis Walsh who's stepped up to become finance director at Black Sun, "a small public company specialising in marketing and communications advice". BS didn't have an FD, so when she became finance manager and subsequently proved her worth in the business over the next 18 months, it was a relatively simple decision to move her up to board level. Great story - and a reminder that small, growing companies offer finance executives a fast-track to greater responsibilities and exposure to board-level experience. And as Walsh tells AccyAge, it's not about the beancounting: "I do a lot of human resources stuff, which is obviously not what you would think is within an FD’s remit, but actually it helps you understand a lot more about people and how they work. That does have an influence on things like utilisation capacity, staff turnover and what you’re paying." Good stuff.

Incidentally, Black Sun is an interesting company in its own right. It does a lot of work with companies on narrative reporting, and it's well worth poking around at its web site if you're trying to get to grips with this increasingly regulated area. But Walsh's appointment as FD might in part be related to the company's need to practice what it preaches: "As a partner to some of the UK's leading businesses we recognise the fundamental importance of good practice in Corporate Social Responsibility. We manage our own environmental and social impacts through communicating and reporting our progress simply and transparently. The intelligence, knowledge and experience of our people brings competitive advantage to our clients - as such we are committed to their continual growth and development." Having a finance manager running that all-important function perhaps shows a little less commitment to its people than having an FD do it...