Rutherford Cross is delighted to be retained by Stirling Anglian Pharmaceuticals to appoint a Finance Manager, on a 4 days per week basis.

The Company

Stirling Anglian Pharmaceutical is committed to medicine optimization and is headquartered in Hillington, Glasgow. The business has sourced and developed a portfolio of medicines to help the NHS curb waste across a range of conditions that currently place unnecessary and avoidable pressure on NHS resources. At a time when there is significant pressure on the NHS to reduce costs, the company believes it provides a real and practical solution.

It works closely with stakeholders across the NHS to identify real world problems and develop value-based solutions that support the delivery of efficient and cost-effective healthcare. The company currently owns the distribution licence for 4 distinct pharmaceutical products. At present, the business has a turnover of £10m.

In January 2022, Stirling Anglian Pharmaceuticals was acquired by Kelso Pharma. The deal is backed by private equity firm Apposite Capital which has 12 healthcare businesses in its European portfolio of commercial stage companies. The acquisition gives Kelso Pharma an initial UK platform for further acquisitions, product in-licensing and geographic expansion within Europe.

Tom Stratford Kelso Pharma, CEO explained, "Our aim is to enhance value for the healthcare system by providing branded medicines that improve the lives of patients in a cost-effective and ethical way".

“Stirling Anglian’s business is a perfect fit with that vision and with Apposite Capital’s financial support it provides us with a UK platform from which to grow, not just in the UK but elsewhere, as we build a pan-European specialty pharma business."

Apposite managing partner, Sam Gray, said: “Given its growth profile, the acquisition of Stirling Anglian represents an attractive first entry point into the UK market and we share the ambition of the team to create a significant pan-European business with a focus on innovative affordable medicines.”

Kelso Pharma is headed by Dr Tom Stratford, previously CEO of Kyowa Kirin International, the European and US business arm of Kyowa Kirin which purchased Scottish Borders based ProStrakan Group PLC in 2011. He is joined by former KKI CFO, Allan Watson, and former KKI General Counsel, Andrew McLean.

For more information on the business please click on the hyperlinks to access Kelso Pharma and Stirling Anglian Pharmaceutical’s websites.

Background to Current Opportunity

As a result of the acquisition and the ambitious growth plans to develop Stirling Anglian Pharmaceutical into a pan-European specialty healthcare business, the demands on the finance function are increasing. Up until now their finance has been outsourced to a CA firm, but given the growth plans and the requirement for more reliable MI to support decision-making, the finance function will now be brought inhouse.

The Finance Manager position is a part-time role (30 hours per week) and will support the Chief Financial Officer by helping deliver the operational finance needs of the business as well as supporting the processes, data capture and reporting changes necessary to facilitate the coming growth acceleration.

This is an exciting, progressive opportunity for a talented finance professional with the desire to join a high growth and innovative company. It is crucial that the appointed candidate is able to build positive relationships with key stakeholders across the business to ensure a long-term fit with what is a relatively small team.

Stirling Anglian Pharmaceutical represents an excellent opportunity for a motivated Finance Manager who wants to work for a PE backed scale-up pharmaceutical business. Stirling Anglian Pharmaceutical provides the prospect of working for a business with tremendous ambitions, offering scope for career development as the business grows.

Position Overview

The Finance Manager will take ownership of daily finance operations and financial reporting requirements for the company. The Finance Manager will be a qualified accountant (CA, ACCA, ACMA) with three years minimum post qualified experience. The post-holder will report to the CFO and will need to liaise with and influence operational stakeholders.

The Finance Manager will ideally possess several years post-qualified experience in a finance function with experience of financial accounting and management reporting. This is an excellent, rare to market, part-time opportunity with a flexible working model of 1-2 days per week required in the office.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Execution of all finance processes including accounts payable/receivable, bank reconciliations, monthly balance sheet reconciliations, preparations of the quarterly VAT return, liaison with payroll provider and employee expenses
• Support in producing meaningful analysis to assist with business planning, budgeting and forecasting process
• Preparation of monthly management accounts for UK trading entity and assistance with group consolidated accounts including production of monthly reporting pack including collating key KPI data
• Process all transactions and maintain the general ledgers for the UK trading entity and the three small parent entities
• Liaise with supply chain team over stock transactions sourced from EU based vendors, developing a good understanding of underlying product costs and product profitability
• Expand the adoption of the existing Sage 50 accounting system to include inventory management and introduce operational efficiencies
• Prepare draft year end accounts for the Group, interacting with CFO and external auditors
• Support in producing meaningful analysis to assist with business planning, budgeting and forecasting process
• Providing broad support to the business, including ad hoc non-finance tasks
• Opportunity to participate in M&A activity as the Group expands into Europe through business acquisition and product in-licensing. As a PE backed venture an opportunity to experience private equity backed investment environment

The Individual

The role of Finance Manager requires a professionally qualified accountant who possesses strong technical skills with the ability to present financial information clearly, concisely and in an engaging manner. The individual will have strong attention to detail and the ability to identify business improvement opportunities and drive implementation. The post-holder will possess the ability to prioritise and adapt to changing workload effectively

The Finance Manager will be comfortable having an input on high-level strategic decisions whilst also being willing to get involved in some more routine finance tasks, to help the business deliver its short and long-term goals.

Stirling Anglian Pharmaceuticals represents an excellent career move, providing scope to work within a dynamic and rewarding environment. This is an opportunity to be part of a growing, ambitious business and play a key part in its journey.

The key candidate requirements for the position include:

• Qualified accountant with a recognised accounting qualification (CIMA, ACCA, ICAS)
• Strong accounts preparation experience
• Experience in monthly management reporting and month end reconciliations
• Ability to develop robust processes and controls
• Prior working knowledge of SAGE accounting systems is desirable
• Comfortable supporting or partnering with director level stakeholders
• Able to ensure the delivery of the more routine tasks required of the finance function
• Excellent time management and adherence to deadlines
• Confident, initiative-taker with effective communication skills

On Offer

Salary: £40,000-£50,000 Full Time Equivalent

Holidays: 25 days plus bank holidays

Healthcare: Death in service policy

Working model: Hybrid working from home and office. The successful

candidate should expect to spend time in the company’s

head office 1 or 2 days per week in Hillington