1. 4242
Rob Jones left school at 16. Now he’s
chief finance officer for five start-ups
WORDS = MARK ROWLAND
FD at 26
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2. AT 16, ROB JONES left school with no qualifications,
working odd jobs where he could. By 26, he was
finance director (FD) of a multinational corporation.
So how did his career change so dramatically?
Start of the journey
Jones fell into accountancy at a young age. He left
school at 16, and worked in various construction
jobs to help his mother pay the bills. His mum was
a credit controller for a company that wanted to
change accounting systems, and he joined to do
data entry. The company noticed his aptitude for
accounting and recommended he study with AAT.
He took evening classes, completed his AAT
course and moved on to ACCA. The hard work paid
off. At the age of 25, Jones was head of finance for
a civil-engineering company with a £30m turnover.
A year later, he became FD for Alstom Spain,
based in Madrid. He then moved within Alstom
to different regional offices, working in Ireland,
Switzerland and the Netherlands.
“By the time I was 26, I’d got a lot more practical
experience than the people who’d gone through
university, who had the qualifications.”
Since then, he has worked for several companies
as FD, as well as becoming an interim chief
financial officer (CFO) for hire for start-ups.
“A lot of small businesses can’t afford full-time
FDs, but they could do with the expertise. My
background working overseas and in mergers and
acquisitions [M&A] could offer these companies a
lot, so I decided to dip my toe into that market.”
He has now built up a portfolio of companies that
he works with when needed. At the moment, he
is CFO for five companies. “It’s lots of different
industries: training consulting, software technology,
creative design, fashion retail. It’s quite a varied
portfolio of assignments.”
Hire calling
Jones also runs a recruitment company for finance
professionals, RJF Recruitment, which offers a
hands-on, personalised approach.
“I was being asked to do other FD roles and
didn’t have the time, so I was referring people on.
Recruiters make quite a bit of money out of that,
so I decided I should do it through a recruitment
company and make money out of it myself.”
The business has grown and clients have
responded well: “A lot of the FDs like the fact that
I’m an FD and know what I’m talking about. I
interview people as if I’m taking them on myself.”
Candidates also appreciate the service. Jones
speaks the same language as them, and carefully
selects roles that he thinks will be as good a fit for
the jobseeker as possible.
“I keep in contact with all the FDs and, when they
get a job, they ask me to recruit their teams. So,
of late, there have been a lot of junior people.”
People person
His accountancy career has taught Jones that
experiencing different cultures – in life, as well
as work – better prepares you for working with
different people and environments.
At Alstom’s Swiss head office in Baden, for
instance, Jones says there were so many different
cultures and nationalities that it felt like the UN: “It
was good working with them and learning how they
worked, as all people work differently. When you’re
dealing with such different personalities in your
day-to-day life, you can be more understanding.”
All of this, Jones says, translates into vital
people-management skills, which make you
a more rounded leader.
Mentors matter
Another key to Jones’ progression has been
mentorship. He had two mentors at crucial periods
in his career: Jim Reid, his boss at Antler Homes,
who helped him with his studies in his first real
accounting role, and Deryk Hesford, who first
took him on at Alstom.
“It’s a real plus – someone who can advise and
help, who you can go to when you’re stuck. I still go
back to Deryk now and ask his advice. If you have
someone to back you up, it really helps.”
Get stuck in
Hesford was full of wise words, and many have
become part of Jones’ philosophy: “One thing Deryk
said was: ‘Don’t be afraid to take anything on. If you
get asked to do something and you don’t know how
to do it, say “yes” and then learn how to do it.’”
Jones ended up taking that advice when he
moved to Alstom’s Netherlands office and found
himself thrust into the world of M&A, which was
completely beyond his experience.
“If I’d said ‘I’ve never done M&A, so it’s not for me,’
I wouldn’t have got that extra experience. You need to
be brave, take the opportunity and you’ll learn fast.”
Having currently taken on five CFO roles, as well
as running his recruitment agency and playing
drums in two bands, it’s clear that this lesson has
been at the heart of Jones’ professional life.
IMPROVE YOUR PROSPECTS
Read Rob Jones’ CV and interview tips
on AAT Comment: bit.ly/RJones_AATtips
“A mentor is a real plus – someone who can advise
and help, who you can go to when you’re stuck”
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