Interim Finance Director, South Caernarfon Creameries
The Client
South Caernarfon Creameries is a Welsh dairy co-operative, owned by the farmers who supply its milk. It operates in a manufacturing sector where raw material costs, production efficiency, working capital and market conditions all have a direct effect on financial performance.
Co-operative ownership adds another layer. Financial leadership has to take account of the farmer members who own the business, as well as the needs of the senior team running it.
The Requirement
The interim Finance Director role required someone who could combine rigorous financial control with a practical understanding of food manufacturing. Managers needed clear information to support commercial and operational decisions, and the business needed a finance lead who appreciated its obligations to its members.
Credibility had to be established fast, with senior colleagues and other key stakeholders.
The Solution
Financial leadership in manufacturing, food production and other operationally intensive businesses was the starting point for Novo’s search, which drew on our work across the consumer products and FMCG sector.
Areas of assessment included:
- Cost control, budgeting and cash flow
- Management reporting
- Inventory and margin analysis
- Working capital in a business exposed to raw material prices
- Interpersonal skills and the ability to turn financial information into decisions managers could act on
The Outcome
South Caernarfon Creameries kept strong finance leadership in place throughout the period of interim cover. Management received clear financial insight to support its decisions, from a Novo appointee who understood both the numbers and the co-operative behind them.
