The Team
Partner: Barbara J Spurrier (FCCA)
Barbara is a qualified certified accountant (FCCA) with more than 25 years experience in financial and accountancy roles. From her accountancy training with Kidsons in London, she has progressed through accounting and fund management roles, on to chief financial officer (CFO) within PLCs and a range of entrepreneurial companies. She has held several non executive director positions.
She achieved her first finance director role in 1985 during the growth phase of a chilled food business company where she secured venture capital finance for the expansion of production facilities, successfully applied for EEC grant aid and successfully sold a subsidiary to Geest PLC. As CFO of a life science business, she established a US subsidiary, outsourced manufacturing, and prepared financial statements under IFRS.
She has experience as CFO and Company Secretary of a PLUS quoted PLC in the life science sector and as part time Finance Director for 2 AIM listed PLCs in the technology sector. She has successfully secured funding, undertaken M & A and MBO projects and has stepped into the CEO/COO role on an interim basis when circumstances have required.
As an experienced CFO, Barbara focuses on achieving corporate and social objectives and delivering shareholder value through the implementation of profit-centred strategic plans. Her focus is on financial and cash management, profit optimisation, and implementation of long-term strategic objectives. A key influencer within the board and management team, she identifies areas of underperformance and finds solutions to enhance profit and business growth.
Associate: Jamie Murray
Jamie’s early career was spent at Ernst & Young and Baring Asset Management, where he gained the experience and expertise that has led to a series of increasingly senior positions, including finance director and company secretary for Sangenic International Limited and financial systems manager for PPD Global Limited.
Recently, he has been providing consultancy to start-ups and SMEs - with a focus on business integration, margin improvement, systems and operations management, fund raising processes and corporate governance.
Throughout his career, Jamie has developed particular expertise in the creation of internal control systems in manufacturing, logistics and finance, as well as in harnessing the potential of Information Technology to assist in strategic planning and informed financial decision making.
Jamie is a confident project leader and an analytical thinker - with a proven ability to develop practical solutions to complex operational, financial and commercial issues.
At Cambridge Financial Partners Jamie focuses on assisting companies in streamlining their dataflow and reporting structures to provide accurate, timely and relevant information to facilitate decision making.
He has a BA Honours in Classics, and is Secretary of the Cambridge Enterprise & Technology Club - a networking forum set-up as part of a DTI-backed initiative, which explores cutting edge technologies and their commercial applications.
Associate: Janne Vaagenes
Janne is a qualified Chartered Accountant and a Managing Successful Programmes Practitioner with over twenty years finance, business and project experience gained in both the commercial and public service sectors.
After starting her career with Coopers & Lybrand she moved into the media and digital industries where she achieved increasingly senior roles including Financial Controller at London Weekend Television Productions and interim Chief Operating Officer at Channel 4 Interactive.
Her career developed in programme and operational management where she rapidly gained a reputation as a troubleshooter and problem solver with particular expertise in:
- Managing the transition from Research & Development based cultures to ones delivering successful products and services, effectively supported.
- Managing cross discipline teams in developing business and strategic plans and taking them through delivery and into successful operation.
- Improving business control and transparency through identifying and implementing new governance procedures and improved management reporting up to Board level.
- Transforming stalled or underperforming programmes and projects at all stages of the development cycle.
- Preparing and reviewing complex business cases.
Janne is experienced in working as a member of senior leadership teams and boards and has developed exceptional interpersonal, people management and communication skills. Janne has a B.Sc. Honours in Chemistry and a postgraduate Diploma in Management Studies.
Associate: Valerie Holt
Valerie Holt acts as a mentor and Non-executive director for start-up and growing companies. As CEO, she profitably built PSINet UK from turnover of less than £1m to over £40m during the Internet boom and also built the London Hosting Centre to introduce innovative and creative hosting products. She started her business career at merchant banker Hill Samuel and went on to work, first at JWT and then Burson Marstellar as an advisor on financial PR. While in these roles she worked with Blue chip companies in the UK, USA and the Far East on corporate change, including acquisitions and mergers. She also prepared documents for lobbying on a variety of proposed legislation.
Valerie studied Natural Sciences at Trinity College Dublin and after graduation went on to work for the University of Zambia building the Extra-Mural Department in Kitwe and collaborating with the ILO advisor to create an educational learniing programme for the Zambian Congress of Trade Unions.
She is a member of the UK Board of UNIFEM, a trustee of the Cambridge Preservation Society and a keen follower of Internet developments. She lives in Cambridge.