Craig van der Zee

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

ABOUT CRAIG VAN DER ZEE

I am a CIMA-qualified Finance Director with experience across multinational groups and high-growth SME environments. Over the past 15 years in Europe, Africa and the UK, I have led finance teams, strengthened forecasting and reporting processes, improved cashflow visibility and supported leadership through periods of growth, change and organisational transition.I operate effectively in both structured multinational settings and more entrepreneurial environments where agility, clarity and hands-on leadership are essential.Having recently returned to the UK, I am open to Finance Director, FP & A Director and senior Commercial Finance roles across established organisations and ambitious, scaling businesses. Scaling an SME:Supported an East African subsidiary as it tripled revenue, building the finance infrastructure, reporting cadence and controls needed to support rapid expansion and improve forward visibility. Brand & Asset Divestment / Transition Management:As Finance Director, completed financial due diligence and partnered with Investment Bankers on the spin-off and disposal of a regional brand. Led the financial separation and transition activities, ensuring a smooth sale with negligible business interruption. Operational Improvement:Took ownership of the Supply Chain function and resolved key operational challenges — reducing stock, increasing inventory accuracy from <90% to 99.9%, improving case fill rate to 98.5%+, digitising delivery notes and reducing credit notes by 74%. Leadership & Team Development:Built and led finance teams of varying sizes, establishing practical routines and clear accountabilities that strengthened reporting accuracy and cross-functional collaboration. Systems & Reporting:Implemented ERP and reporting solutions (NAV, Tagetik, BI tools), improving integration, master data quality and the speed and reliability of management information.