Central South: Mid market Finance Director of the Year announced

Accountancy and business advisory firm BDO LLP and specialist recruitment consultancy CMA Recruitment Group last night named Mike Lashmar, director of finance at RB Sports & Leisure Holdings, as the Central South Mid Market FD of the Year.

The announcement was made at a virtual roundtable event for the region’s top-performing finance directors who were revealed at the end of November. This was the culmination of the third annual campaign to find the region’s highest achieving and most talented FDs from the region’s mid-market companies.

Malcolm Thixton, partner and head of BDO in the Central South, said “2020 was a year like no other and all of our top FD’s played a huge role in their businesses’ ability to weather not just the economic fallout from Covid-19 but also Brexit uncertainty.

“Mike has had an exceptional 18 months. He helped steer the Ageas Bowl to a record performance prior to March 2020 introducing new technology, a new corporate structure and driving diversification of the business. Being an events and hospitality/leisure enterprise, Covid-19 hit revenues incredibly hard. Re-financing, securing additional funding, leading a restructuring and cost control programme were all essential to ensure the survival of the business and 150 years of heritage as the custodian of Hampshire CC.”

Richard Dibden, commercial director at CMA Recruitment Group added “The quality of our finalists this year made it exceedingly difficult to choose a winner. Mike is an excellent example of an FD who truly works hand in hand with his CEO. He has shown tremendous leadership both of his finance team and within the wider business and is universally respected by staff and at board level. Mike also played a key role in negotiations to ensure The Ageas Bowl hosted the first international sporting event following the spring lockdown which was quite an achievement.”

For more details on the finalists, contact cheryl.martin@bdo.co.uk or call 023 8088 1754.