Communicate to Stay in Flight

Stressing the importance of communication between the finance department, CEO and board members, our guest speaker drew an analogy with flight – where planes whose crew communicate are statistically less likely to fall out of the sky than those where lines of communication are closed.

A second key point for success was Be Prepared.  Drawing on his own experience as founder and former Chairman of telecoms consultancy Analysys, David cited his decision to bring in a strong finance specialist at a very early stage of the venture as one of the best business decisions he has ever made.  David advocated avoiding surprises by implementing financial systems and procedures for any eventuality.

The lunch was attended by Financial Controllers from Cambridge’s technology companies and sponsored by Charles Russell, Grant Thornton and NatWest.   A quarterly event, the Lunch Club is organised by Bailey Fisher ~ Executive Search.  Attendance is by invitation and Financial Controllers from Cambridge’s technology companies interested in attending future events are asked to contact Rachel Keaveney at Bailey Fisher ~ Executive Search on [email protected]

Bailey Fisher ~ Executive Search is a leading independent search firm specialising in executive appointments in five core areas: Finance, Technology, Board Appointments, Professional Services and Human Resources. www.baileyfisher.com

David Cleevely: Chairman and co-founder of Abcam, the web-based antibody company, David is founder and former Chairman of telecoms consultancy Analysys and the founder of 3Way Networks and CRFS. A key figure in the Cambridge technology scene, David was a major force behind the success of the Cambridge Network and is a member of Cambridge Angels.  He is also a member of the Ofcom Spectrum Advisory Board and has over 35 years experience in digital communications and networking.