“538 focuses on entrepreneurial SMEs and we deliver tangible improvements to your bottom line and your company’s bank balance”

We have worked with two companies that grew from a start up to £100m sales in a 10 year timeframe and a third business that appeared in the Sunday Times Fast Track 100 Listings in three successive years. We have a wealth of experience of the growing pains of rapidly upscaling privately-owned and Private Equity backed businesses. Look at our case studies and you will see a whole host of issues that are faced by rapidly growing businesses like yours.

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538 was founded by Les Thomas who has an exceptionally wide range of experience within the SME sector. This can be appreciated by reviewing the huge range of case studies on this website. Each case study was an actual assignment undertaken by Les during his varied career as a senior manager.

In recent times Les has transitioned towards Non Executive Director (NED) roles and coaching roles (coaching newly appointed and inexperienced Finance Directors / Financial Controllers). His previous consulting and interim management experience, combined with his commercial and operational experience, ideally places him to assist and steer rapidly growing businesses and their teams to move to the next level.

OUR SERVICES

Whatever the size of your business, and whatever the challenges that you face, an experienced Finance Director will be able to help you focus your thinking and plan the way forward. A senior Finance Director will pay for themselves in the benefits that they bring to your business. They become a true business partner and they will be there to assist you for as long as you want them to be there.

Services

What our clients say

Kevin Lawson Managing Director, Aliaxis UK

Les Thomas joined Marley Plumbing Drainage (MPD) as Finance Director in December 2008 to undertake a long-term interim assignment, his arrival coinciding with the commencement of a major group reorganisation programme for its UK businesses and the UK building products market collapsing as the financial crisis hit the houslng and construction sectors. Read More

Guy Burgess Divisional Director, Yodel (Change Programme 2)

Les Thomas acted as Interim Regional Finance Manager for the South West Division of Yodel from March 2012 to October 2012.

Les joined to support the Division through the implementation phase of a major change programme within the Yodel Service Centre infrastructure. From March to October, Read More

Jeremy Fletcher Interim CFO, Bespak Europe

Les Thomas joined IAC to investigate a significant and unexpected loss within a subsidiary of Bespak Europe Ltd where I acted as Interim Finance Director. He was asked to identify the root causes of the financial loss and to provide a detailed review of the underlying business, together with options for turning the operation around within a short period of time. Read More

Simon Clarke Finance Director (Change), Yodel (Change Programme 1)

Les Thomas was engaged by Yodel as Finance Business Partner between March and October 2011 to lead the realization of a major capital Investment programme.

His role Involved driving the management and delivery of a very substantial Change programme to fit out and launch a 120,000 sq ft national sort centre In the Midlands and to close 4 regional sort centres. The project was delivered in a very short timescale and brought in at the agreed cost. Read More

Steve Birmingham Former CEO, Safestyle UK

Les Thomas joined Style Group in March 2005 having previously provided consultancy services to the Group.

Les joined in order to implement a number of departmental change programmes. At that time, it was indicated to Les that there was a possibility of a permanent senior role as part of Style Group’s succession plan. This option is no longer appropriate and we have mutually agreed that now id the right time for les to move on. Read More

Judith Hackett Divisional Finance Director, Thames Water

Les Thomas worked for two of the companies within Thames Water’s services division during my time as Divisional Finance Director (Jan 1996 to Jan 1998).

I found Les to be conscientious, disciplined and totally dependable. He is quick to assimilate new business environments and he makes careful diagnoses and practical solution proposals. Les is driven to deliver – he likes to get things done and to see others getting things done. Read More

Christopher Nunn Managing Director, Marley Plumbing & Drainage

I was managing Director of Marley Plumbing and Drainage for 9 years up to my retirement in December 2010. Marley Is part of Aliaxis sa, a 2 billion euro worldwide manufacturer of plastic pipes and fittings based in Belgium.

In 20083 Aliaxis announced its intention to restructure operations in the UK by forming one combined manufacturing operation (DHM Plastics) and 3 trading companies from what had been up until that time, 3 stand-alone businesses. Read More

Nicholas Radford Managing Director, Nathan Furniture

Les Thomas came to work with us in April 2013; he quickly got to grips with the main issues and weaknesses in the business.

He implemented a number of disciplines and introduced KPIs.

He restructured the management team to make it more effective.

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David Gutfreund Managing Director, LSE Retail Group

Les Thomas joined LSE Retail Group Limited as Interim Finance Director in December 2014.

He originally joined to help me carry out a strategic review of the options available to me as principal shareholder and to the business. After due consideration, I decided I wished to press ahead and grow the business organically. Read More

Dylan Cross Managing Director, Lindy Bop

Les joined us in November 2019 to help bring warehousing and distribution back in house from a 3rd party logistics provider and to relocate the finance team from Manchester to Hull. Both these goals had to be achieved swiftly as the previous Finance Director had handed in his notice and we had a strict deadline to leave the 3rd party logistics provider. It goes without saying that these two areas were absolutely critical to the business.
Read More

Group Managing Director

Earlier this year we faced a major crisis when a key supplier went into Administration. A small team was rapidly brought together including Les and they purchased three businesses from Read More

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KEY STATS

We are rightly proud of the statistics set out below. These were real tangible improvements achieved on previous assignments. However, the most important thing is what the client thought of the assignment. Take a look at the feedback we have received by clicking the ‘View Testimonials’ button below

£22m

Increase

in sales revenue at LSE Retail Group

£6.2m

Improvement

in the bank balance in
a 12m period at Marley
Plumbing

15%

Reduction

in the unit cost per
service call at Safestyle
UK

£26m

Project

delivered on time and
below budget at Yodel

View Testimonials

“538 focuses on entrepreneurial SMEs and we deliver tangible improvements to your bottom line and your company’s bank balance”

OUR SERVICES

Interim CFO / Finance Director

Non-Executive Director

Mentoring and Coaching of FDs and FCs

What our clients say

KEY STATS

Increase

Improvement

Reduction

Project

COMPANIES WE HAVE ACTED FOR

Get in Touch

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