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Paul Collins Bookmark and Share


Twitterised: Me in less than 140 characters.

Energetic & driven with broad experience in many sectors. A talented leader with an expertise in strategic change and business integration.

Why I decide to do what I do

By chance! Having studied towards becoming a Chemical Engineer, I was seduced by the glitz and glamour of the accountancy world following a pre university work placement.

My potted history

At a young age I very quickly found that my educational preferences led me to more scientific fields with a natural talent for mathematics and science. Whilst never clear on what career I actually wanted this led me to explore further the subject of Chemistry with a view to undertaking further education building on these subjects. Chemical Engineering seemed to be the obvious next step.
Following being selected for a series of work based science placements of was invited to take part in the ‘Year in Industry’ scheme, a scheme designed to help pre university students access to tailored longer term work experience to provide employment experience and gain an understanding of their chosen fields in practice. For some reason I chose to do something entirely different and opted to work within the finance department of a large Lincolnshire manufacturer. This was the start of an entirely different career.

I quickly fell for the world of finance and the mechanics of business enterprise which was best embodied with a qualification in Management Accounting so with the support of my now permanent employer set out to achieve the CIMA (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants) qualification.

During my mid-twenties I had the privilege of starting a family with my wife Emma whilst at the same time developing my career with more senior finance roles in varying industry types including Manufacturing, Information Technology, Financial Services, Custodial Services and Engineering Consultancy. I went on to secure my first Finance Director position at the age of 28, an achievement I am extremely proud of and a role that I continued to fulfil today.

I am a firm believer in hard work, commitment and doing the right thing by your stakeholders, opportunities and success will naturally follow.

The best project I have ever worked on at BWB

Given the recent market challenges and the prolonged recession I would have to the say leading the business during some difficult times and through the close management and negotiation with key stakeholder groups restructuring the business to provide a solid foundation for growth and future success.

What I like to do in my spare time

When I am not running around after my children I like to escape to the golf course and pretend I could have had a career ‘on the tour’. It doesn’t usually take long to disprove that theory.

What I hope to be doing 5 years from now

Overseeing the next phase of the BWB growth story, investing its retained wealth, and expanding into new territories and disciplines.

Paul Collins

ACMA CGMA

Executive Director - Finance

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