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Howard Gant Consulting

Incorporating financial improvement and recovery, financial modelling, analysis and reporting, risk management, internal audit and assurance, tax and regulatory compliance, commercial and corporate structuring, and all key elements of effective governance.

Extensive experience includes 20 plus years in CFO/FD financial management leadership roles, over 5 years in internal audit with a global corporate, over 3 years in accounting, 2 years in financial governance consulting and 6 years in corporate auditing assurance roles.

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Key Competencies and Consulting Areas

Financial Performance, Recovery and Sustainability

Knowing how your financials are really tracking is critical for staying alive and thriving
Business managers and owners need to focus on KPI’s that really matter
Finances should not be an area that delivers nasty surprises
Timely and accurate accounting and reporting of all business transactions is a cornerstone of business success

My key services that are critical in improving financial performance, recovering a difficult trading situation, and ensuring financial sustainability include:

Profitability, cost and overhead analysis – to ensure the business is on a sound profitable footing
Balance sheet review and optimisation, asset validation and realisation, and liabilities assessment, validation and confirmation – to ensure that assets are fairly stated, liabilities are all accounted for, and owners equity is adequate to secure long term viability and solvency
Financial reporting, dashboards and KPI’s that matter – to ensure that reporting to shareholders and stakeholders includes all critical measures underpinning success and prosperity
Financial modelling, forecasting and budgeting – provides shareholders and bankers with a sound financial plan everyone can support and believe in
Funding, liquidity, hedging and cashflow management – is a critical area that ensures bills and salaries can be paid on time
Structure and resource efficiency and optimisation – helps ensure costs and resources are appropriate and waste is minimised
Business case preparation and review – helps ensure that project approvals by boards are subject to effective review and validation

Risk Management

In Jim Collins’ book “How the mighty fall”, he sets out the Five stages of decline. Stage three is “denial of risk and peril”, which emphasises how important managing risk is for long term survival and prosperity
Risk management need not be complicated to be useful. All it needs is regular thought and consideration, making sure obvious risks are assessed, with appropriate steps taken to address and mitigate the risk

The following are some of the key areas I consider in ensuring an effective risk management framework is in place, and that mitigations are identified and actioned

Policies, processes and documentation
Risk identification and assessment (impact and likelihood matrix)
Risk mitigation
Risk registers and reporting
Risk governance and risk and audit committees
Insurance programme evaluation, documentation and reporting

Internal Audit and Assurance

IA helps ensure all company activities and priorities consider the safety and wellbeing of the company and its staff
IA should always be geared to the risks and needs of the company
IA can be simple, affordable and effective for even the most modest organisations
IA helps ensure that the staff take good care of the company, its operations and its assets

Following are many of the areas to include in setting up and implementing effective internal audit activities:

Internal audit setup and resourcing
Policies processes and documentation
Charter and mandate
Internal audit plans and risk assessment
Audit execution and reporting
Issue remediation and recommendations
Investigations and fraud risk assessments
Internal control assessments
Audit Committee liaison and reporting

Governance

Effective governance is what happens when
- purpose and strategy are well defined
- the ethical tone and values are clear for all to follow
- risks are well articulated and considered, with appropriate mitigations actioned
- management are held to account
- compliance with laws, regulations, policies and procedures is respected and enforced
Effective governance protects shareholders’ interests
Effective governance engages all key stakeholders
Effective governance helps ensure the organisation’s longevity and success
Effective governance maintains legitimacy and social license

The following would be included in a review of governance effectiveness:

Composition of the board and sub-committees (finance, risk, audit, health and safety, remuneration, environment and climate change etc.)
Board and sub-committees calendar and agenda priorities
Strategic planning