Craig Plowden
About Me
Senior Finance & Commercial Leadership — CFO / Finance Director / Head of FP&A
I am a senior finance and commercial leader currently exploring my next executive opportunity in London. I understand your firm specialises in placing senior financial management talent, and I believe my background spanning CFO level P&L leadership, sophisticated deal structuring, financial governance, and SaaS enabled business building may be of genuine value to several of your current and future mandates.
I am a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (FCMA, CGMA) and hold an MBA from the Graduate School of Business at the University of Cape Town. My career spans over 20 years at the intersection of finance, commerce, and governance. Most recently, I have operated within the B2B division of AICPA-CIMA )one of the world’s largest and most respected professional accountancy bodies) where I lead end-to-end deal structuring across a portfolio of licensing agreements, corporate partnerships, and joint ventures collectively delivering more than £1M in annual contracted value. Alongside this, I serve as a Non-Executive Director providing board-level financial advisory and governance counsel to SME and growth-stage businesses.
What I bring to a senior finance role
My experience is most differentiated where financial leadership intersects with commercial accountability and governance. I have owned full P&Ls, built finance functions from scratch, structured complex commercial agreements, and operated as a trusted partner to boards, investors, and executive teams. Key highlights from my track record include:
· Commercial deal structuring & financial modelling: At AICPA-CIMA, I create tailored financial models to support deal pricing and test commercial assumptions for over 50 multinational deals each year. I work in partnership with legal counsel, applying detailed knowledge of UK contract law and legal frameworks to translate complex opportunities into structured, executed agreements.
· Board-level governance & financial advisory: As a Non-Executive Director at Apex Accountants, I provide strategic counsel to boards on financial planning, tax structuring, governance frameworks, and commercial direction while stress-testing business plans, scrutinising financial models, and introducing reporting and accountability structures that support sustainable growth.
· Turnaround & post-merger integration: At BAX Global I led the full financial and operational turnaround following an international acquisition by DB Schenker while operating without a permanent CEO, rebuilding financial reporting disciplines, managing the post-merger integration, and delivering record US$30M performance, (the best results in the company’s history).
· Scaling supply chain and SaaS enabled businesses: I founded and built Revlogs over 14 years into a national SaaS enabled managed services platform and built the finance function from scratch, owning all budgeting and forecasting, and generating a 12.5% return on equity while reducing operational costs by 8–10% annually
· Commercial finance impact: I delivered £1.5M in annual savings for Walmart (Massmart) within 12 months; improved client profitability by an average of 30% through financial modelling, customer economics analysis, and commercially led intervention
· International finance leadership: I reported into EMEA at Energizer Holdings presenting consolidated budgets and strategic plans to executive leadership across Asia, Dubai, and Australia; advised multinational clients across EMEA and the Americas at Deloitte
Roles I am targeting
I am open to senior finance and commercial leadership appointments, with a preference for technology, supply chain, scale-up, or professionally governed environments including not-for-profit and public sector organisations where financial leadership drives institutional mission. The roles I am actively considering include:
· Chief Financial Officer: ideally within a growth-stage or founder-led business at the £20M–£100M revenue level
· Finance Director / VP Finance: with genuine commercial scope, governance responsibility, and board-level exposure
· Head of FP&A or Commercial Finance Director: in a larger business where finance is a true strategic partner to revenue, product, and executive leadership
· Executive Director of Finance: within a public sector, not-for-profit, or education institution where financial transformation and business partnering are central to the agenda
I am based in London, available to move quickly, and open to both interim and permanent opportunities. My full CV and references are available on request, and I would welcome a conversation at your convenience to explore where my experience may be relevant to your current portfolio of mandates.
I look forward to the opportunity to speak with you.
Kind regards,
Craig Plowden
FCMA, CGMA | MBA
craig.plowden@gmail.com | +44 7432 867815
linkedin.com/in/craigplowden