Vistage Alliance Programme

Vistage works with a small number of trusted, specialised business partners to bring expert know-how, tools and advice to our Members. Our chosen partners share our passion for business success and support our values of trust, challenge, caring and growth. The result? Our members gain access to best-in-class business services and expert advice, within a safe a trusted environment. To inquire about opportunities to sponsor Vistage events, webinars or find out about customised marketing programmes, please contact us.

FD Centre

The brainchild of CEO Colin Mills, former Finance Director of large multinationals and Plc companies, the FD Centre was established in 2001. It was the first business to provide Part-time Finance Director services in the UK. The original concept for the FD Centre was to provide the skill sets of experienced Finance Directors of large corporations to the small and medium sized enterprise (SME) sector, allowing smaller organisations to benefit from the expertise of a highly experienced Financial Director without incurring the expense of hiring someone full-time. The concept caught on quickly and the business has grown rapidly on a national scale. Over the last seven years the FD Centre has become the largest and most respected provider of part time Finance Director services in the UK.

The FD Centre aims to build long-term relationships with its clients through the provision of its range of added value services and by establishing a basis of trust and confidence. Trust provides the platform for providing clients with additional products and services, either directly via the FD Centre or through connections with trusted and recognised financial and business advisors. FD Centre clients include business owners and Managing Directors, who value the services of professionals who have good financial and management knowledge and have the real hands-on experience to deliver.

The FD Centre ensures that all its Finance Directors meet stringent recruitment requirements to secure quality of service delivery. All FD Centre Finance Directors are professionally qualified Accountants from major UK Chartered Institutes, all have held Finance Director positions in both mid sized and large organisations, all are extremely commercial and business savvy. High quality expertise is gained through working with large organisations across all business sectors, such as; Mothercare, Dell, Oracle, Threshers, Tesco and Laura Ashley.

The FD Centre is structured regionally and therefore is able to provide an immediate service that has real impact for Vistage members.

Examples of some FD Centre programmes that have been developed to address some common SME issues include:

• Keeping control in fast growth companies
• Survival solutions for companies under pressure
• Business owner mentor and support programmes
• Cashflow improvement systems
• Raising business finance
• Preparing for business exit or sale

www.thefdcentre.co.uk

Smith and Williamson

Smith & Williamson is a leading financial services group, with around 1,500 people operating from 10 offices in the UK and Ireland, and an international capacity in over 100 countries. They focus on wealth creation, wealth management and wealth preservation.

 

The entrepreneurial and growth business sector is one of the firm’s key areas of focus and clients include private and quoted businesses, as well as their owners and investors. They aim to be ‘accountants plus,’ using their energy and expertise to help clients grow, working alongside emerging and established entrepreneurs and management teams seeking to succeed and make a difference.

 

The firm’s services include accountancy, tax, corporate finance, investment management, private banking and financial advisory services.

 

To find out more about Smith & Williamson visit www.smith.williamson.co.uk, or alternatively call Sancho Simmonds, Director at Smith & Williamson on 020 7131 4590 or email sancho.simmonds@smith.williamson.co.uk.