Finance Monthly CFO Awards 2017 Winners Edition

About Nigel Higgs Nigel is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, and holds a Master’s degree in Finance. Nigel’s background prior to 2004 was at senior level for a mix of small and large multinational corporations both in the UK and Europe. During this time Nigel was involved in numerous acquisition and disposal situations as well as turnaround and funding strategies for growth. Since 2004 Nigel has predominantly worked with SME’s, both VC and privately funded, providing a range of services including part-time FD, CEO, COO & Chairman roles, strategic growth / change management, funding, acquisition & exit and turnaround. Nigel joined Weeding Technologies Ltd in November 2014 at a time when it was clearly in need of a turnaround plan. The administrative and financial systems were in a poor statewhen Nigel joined the company. Nigel was able to transform the accounting systems and ensure that new investors were presented with a highly professional and efficient reporting regime. Part of Nigel’s role was to provide a sounding board to the executive team around him, many of whom were younger and less experienced. Revenues grew considerably during the turnaround period and the quality and reliability of budgeting and cash-flow management were improved considerably. Weeding Technologies is a totally different company to the one Nigel joined, operating in new markets, selling to new customers and working with new partners and investors. This led to a successful £3 million equity investment by Calculus Capital in December 2016 that will take the business through to profitability by allowing it to expand its geographical presence and develop new models. A final part of the turnaround was the recruitment of a full time finance director in May 2017, which Nigel led. Nigel is now working with other companies, via his advisory business Jigsaw Business Performance Management, across the growth cycle spectrum helping them achieve their desired outcomes. Firm Profile Weedingtech is the world’s leading herbicide- free weed control company. Founded in 2011, our primary objective was to develop the world’s best solution for herbicide-free weed, moss and algae control for amenity and utility markets across the globe. We have established ourselves as the market leader in this space with our patented hot water and natural foam process. Continuing to redefine our machine’s capabilities, we are always looking to create additional customer value and have done this through developing solutions for street cleaning and gum removal too. Committed to safeguarding people, wildlife & the environment, we, in partnership with industry leading experts, develop award- winning solutions to solve industry challenges by pursuing advances in innovation and pioneering new technologies. Combined with our ongoing commitment to heavily invest in research and development, our team of highly skilled individuals manufacture world-class machinery and offer unparalleled after-sales support, working with our partners to ensure that customer support is at the heart of everything we do. Backed by the Goldsmith family, the prestigious Low Carbon Innovation Fund, Calculus Capital and a wealth of other cleantech investors from around the world, we continue to be supported in our rapid global growth, allowing us to remain at the forefront of the global herbicidefree movement. Contact Details Nigel J Higgs Email: nigelhiggs@hotmail.com Website@ www.weedingtech.com Formally CFO / COO at Weedingtech Limited Nigel Higgs www.finance-monthly.com 25 UNITED KINGDOM Finance Monthly CFO Awards 2017