Claire Burden

Claire Burden leads our Advisory and Consulting practices and specialises in corporate growth and performance improvement, strategy advisory, working capital and cash flow, value creation and cost reduction.

Experience

Claire built upon Big Four audit, restructuring and advisory experience with ten years in industry, successfully leading transformation programmes and supporting both high growth and working capital constrained businesses. With a breadth of Board level and hands-on experience and a proven track record for operational and strategic delivery, Claire works intelligently and creatively to drive both short term performance improvement and real change over the medium to long-term.

This industry experience provides Claire with commercial acumen and a deep understanding of the challenges businesses face, and importantly, how to alleviate them. Claire has worked across business sizes and sectors with specialisms in energy and renewables, professional services, manufacturing, technology and not-for-profits.

Notable client work and achievements

• Claire is a Board member and Chair of The Institute for Turnaround, the accrediting body for turnaround professionals in the UK.

• Interim Managing Director of a fast food business with more than 3,000 staff

• Led multiple projects where all bank debt has been repaid, either through successful working capital improvements or refinancing (over £230m raised)

• Interim CFO of a manufacturing business, delivered a restructuring programme that took the business from £4m losses per annum to break even

• Managed a finance function through 60% customer growth (two large acquisitions) to become a billion-pound turnover business. Led the finance integration programme, including change management, process alignment, leading the renegotiation and novation of key supply contracts and restructuring of the purchased operations.

• Rescued a manufacturing business by selling it to its main customer, vertically integrating the supply chain and providing certainty for stakeholders

• Sold a portfolio of renewable assets for £74m at a multi-million profit, bringing the client’s credit score from 0 to 52/100

• Served as Board member on the ICAEW Business and Management Faculty

Professional qualifications/memberships

• Fellow Chartered Accountant (ICAEW)

• Accredited Fellow of the Institute for Turnaround

• Member of the Association of Partnership Professionals