The Forward Thinking CFO · Episode 4 – James Davis – BGF

 

We speak to Finance professionals on a daily basis and almost all of us got into the industry because we were good with numbers. But as today’s guest will tell you – to successfully progress to the top and become one of the very best CFOs, there’s many more skills you’ll need to master.

In today’s episode, we speak to James Davis, Advisor at BGF, one of the UK’s most active investment companies, providing venture capital for high growth small and medium-sized businesses.

After spending 8 years at one of the UK’s leading accounting firms, James took the bold step to join, what was back then, the small spread betting start up, Sporting Index. He played an instrumental role in growing Sporting Index and later on uSwitch, ultimately helping both businesses successfully sell in multi-million-pound deals.

With nearly two decades of hands-on CFO experience, including four successful exits, James now lends his years of knowledge to the SME businesses in BGF’s growing portfolio.

With James’s wealth of experience, we had a lot to unpack in this episode and there’s so much valuable detail for anyone looking to scale a company, including:

– His insights on choosing exit routes and identifying potential buyers for companies who have undergone a period of rapid growth

– The four key drivers for valuing your business, and why you should always be prepared to walk away from a deal that isn’t right

– And James’s advice for CFOs on avoiding the uncertainty of the coming 12 months and why embracing automation will help you succeed in the long term.

We really enjoyed this conversation with James, and it was fascinating to learn more about his own CFO experience and his advice for businesses now that he’s moved over to the advisory side.

So, whether you’re currently working towards becoming a CFO, or you’re already at the helm and looking at ways to scale your business or prepare for a sale, we know you’re going to get so much value from this episode.

We’re keen to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please do get in touch at ku.oc.satiremun@ofni

If you want to find out more about James, check out his LinkedIn profile – www.linkedin.com/in/jamesecdavis/

If you want to learn more about BGF, have a look at their website at – www.bgf.co.uk/

If you’ve enjoyed the podcast series so far, please pass it on to colleagues and friends who might be interested and why not subscribe using for favourite podcast app so you don’t miss future episodes of the Forward Thinking CFO.