It was a time of great change within the business during which Alan and I worked closely together to manage this change with users of varied ability and willingness.
As a manager I always found Alan to be extremely supportive and willing to roll up his sleeves and get involved when necessary. He was always open to everyone’s suggestions and not just pulling the decision back to his original anticipation. It was great to work with him as he was concerned about the well-being of the Team but also wanted the best solutions for the business. His knowledge of IT systems and structures was hugely beneficial when implementing the changes required.

Works with great attention to detail while never losing sight of the overall picture. He is a great team leader and motivator with an analytical understanding of financial matters.

I worked for Alan McCarthy for almost 4 years at Carey Group PLC. I began working alongside Alan helping the transition of automating the payroll process. The Group was going through a period of rapid growth at this time and the site staff numbers grew from 1,500 to over 5,000. This process improvement involved a biometric management solution to record labour hours worked on sites as opposed to manual entry. The new process greatly reduced the administration time in our weekly payroll from 5 days to 2 days and was integrated with our ERP system which removed the risk of input errors.

Alan and I also worked together managing a TUPE (Transfer of Undertakings Protection of Employment), when a new subsidiary company was created as the Group expanded. This process involved liaising with different stakeholders such as Payroll, HR, IT. This required extreme sensitivity due to the nature of the transfer and was diligently executed with thorough planning and constant communication with all stakeholders involved.

I witnessed how Alan maintained strong relationships with all our external stakeholders including Banks, Bond companies and Insurers to ensure our facilities were adequate for our expanding Group.

As CFO Alan also had the responsibility of brokering the Groups insurance. Alan used his many contacts to successfully broker renewals which were not only cost effective but ensured the Group’s risks were adequately covered. This required broad knowledge of all major sites within all the subsidiary companies in the Group and any risks that may occur during the life of the project. The detail that Alan used when brokering the deals was impressive. He was a great mentor during my years with him and he was very generous in imparting his knowledge to me and other members of the Finance Team.

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Seneca Resource Recovery is a leading waste and recovery company and one of the UK’s largest Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) exporters based out of Wembley, London. We facilitated the conservation of resources through the production, brokerage and export of refuse derived fuel – enabling us to consistently deliver 100% landfill diversion. We exported RDF across Europe to the Netherlands, Poland, Germany, Sweden and Denmark, as well as the US.
A complex business with many moving parts, Seneca required hands-on and strategic financial support which Alan was able to provide both directly, and via his team, from 2014 –2020.
Throughout his time working with Seneca, Alan recruited a successful and capable team for the day-to-day financial management of the business, implemented our Management Information monthly report, supported numerous key tenders (including public sector) and developed and implemented strategies for managing our foreign exchange liabilities.
Our relationship was based on consistent communication which allowed us to be proactive on our approach and seldom reactive. Because of this, we were able to continuously identify business needs and provide the right solutions, while positively impacting the bottom line.
A readily available and approachable member of the Group’s leadership team, Alan’s dedication and commitment to his work is second-to-none. His loyalty to his team and willingness to help, coach and mentor also creates an enjoyable work environment for everyone.
Alan was a welcome addition to the Seneca business and would make an excellent member of any Finance and Executive team.

I worked with Alan for seven and a half years. In that time, he successfully led a finance team through an acquisition and a period of rapid growth for the business. Alan was not only concerned with the team’s business deliverables but also the well-being and personal development of each member of that team.

I cannot recommend Alan McCarthy highly enough. Not only is he an astute leader and effective communicator whose focus and drive towards business growth and performance is sincere and unique, but an approachable and accountable head who wins the respect of colleagues through sound, fair and measured direction. He is humble and honest, firm where necessary and ready to stand in where needed/if asked.
I am an example of his mentorship and at multiple stages during my time working with him he gave me the skills and confidence to progress in my role.

I have had the privilege of being mentored by Alan McCarthy for a year, and it has been an invaluable experience that has significantly contributed to my growth and development in the field of Finance. Alan has demonstrated a great depth of knowledge and expertise in finance, which he has shared with me. He took time to understand my career goals, strengths, and areas of improvement, and tailored his mentorship to help me achieve my objectives. His ability to inspire and motivate others is truly remarkable, and I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to learn from someone who embodies the qualities of an exemplary finance director.

Thanks to Alan’s support, I have grown both personally and professionally, and I am better prepared to tackle the challenges that lie ahead in my career. I would recommend Alan McCarthy as a mentor to anyone seeking outstanding performance in the field of finance.

I had the pleasure of working for Alan on a number of transformation projects. With his leadership and guidance we achieved major improvements in our "Procure To Pay" process and saved several millions with R&D tax credits. His ability to give latitude and space on the projects whilst gently guiding and managing the stakeholder and founders was extremely valuable. All achieved by also encouraging the development of the junior members of the team.

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