Technology solutions and partners: Finance

Paul Sypko
Consultancy Director

“Charities and not-for-profit organisations are demanding users of information systems and digital technology. There’s a clear sense of purpose in the sector, and that shows in how technology is used to achieve impact and obtain real value. Not-for-profits often hold massive amounts of data, much of which is highly sensitive in nature, and they engage in many different ways with a very broad range of stakeholders. Whether it’s using digital channels to support personalised ‘user journeys’ or high-impact campaigning and engagement, or diligently taking care of back-office systems to deliver an efficient and cost-effective service, it’s great to be working in a sector where technology can be used so effectively to make a tangible difference to people's lives.”

Paul is a highly experienced technology management consultant, with a senior-level CIO/CTO background and expertise in areas such as technology strategy development, digital solutions, infrastructure and systems management, function reviews, information security and data protection, and selection and management of technology partners. He has 25 years’ experience of leading high-impact consultancy engagements, the majority of which have been with clients in the not-for-profit sector. Prior to Adapta, Paul held senior roles at not-for-profit specialists Sayer Vincent, Crowe UK, and BlueSpark Consulting. He also brings to his engagements significant experience from the commercial sector, having worked for “Strategy &”, a leading firm of strategy consultants that is now part of PwC, where he was awarded their Professional Excellence Award while leading a large-scale digital transformation and innovation programme. Paul has led assignments for more than 100 organisations, including charities, membership organisations, trade unions, trade associations, royal colleges, professional institutes and other not for-profit and commercial organisations. Paul's recent clients have included ActionAid UK, ClientEarth, Cranstoun, Tate Britain, St. Peter's Hospice, the Institution of Civil Engineers, British Gymnastics, the Royal College of Ophthalmologists, Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation, the Education Support Partnership, National Children's Bureau, the Institute for Fiscal Studies, Lymphoma Action, SPANA, the Woodland Trust, the Trussell Trust, Volunteering Matters and Woking & Sam Beare Hospices. Paul specialises in strategic planning for information systems, function reviews and outsourcing, commercial contract negotiation, project planning, data protection, information security management, business process improvement, and procurement of business applications such as CRM. Paul holds a MA (Oxon) degree from the University of Oxford, having gained a scholarship to read Economics and Management at St. John’s College and the Saïd Business School. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Consulting and has a particular interest in helping others to achieve their potential. Following a long period of time spent on various committees in a voluntary leadership capacity, he was pivotal to the development of the ‘Chartered Management Consultant’ award which was launched in 2020, and he often provides guidance and support to people working towards their professional qualifications. Paul is also a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute, a Fellow of the Institute of Leadership and Management, a Certified Business Advisor and a member of the British Computer Society’s IT Leaders Forum. In his spare time, he is also the chair of trustees for a local Scout group.

“Paul is enthusiastic, dedicated and a highly capable person who works with such integrity and to a high standard. I very much value Paul’s support and guidance and know I can always rely on him.”

Hamish
Programmes and Business Solutions Associate

"After a long career working in the ‘big 4’ consultancies I want to use my experience to help organisations whose goals and ethos align with my own. That is why I want to focus on the not-for-profit sector."

Hamish is an IT professional with over 30 years’ experience. He specialises in IT enabled business transformation with a focus on ensuring clients get the best business value from their IT investments. He has extensive knowledge of ERP, CRM and HR systems and was a founding member of the Deloitte Enterprise Architecture group which focussed on the selection, implementation and strategic use of Commercial of the shelf (COTS) software. Hamish has helped over 100 organisations find, implement and embed the best solution for their needs. These include housing associations, membership organisations, local authorities, government agencies and many other not for-profit and commercial organisations Hamish’s NFP clients include the Royal Society of Medicine, the Labour Party, UCAS, Cancer Research UK, Orbit Housing Association, William Sutton Trust, Bourneville Village Trust and many local authorities. Hamish’s first degree (BA Hons) was in Religious Studies at Lancaster University, and after graduating he embarked on a career in IT. He is PRINCE2, MSP and TOGAF qualified and completed CIMA part 1.

“Hamish is especially adept at aligning project outcomes and system architecture with organisational objectives, ensuring that all projects meet both functional and strategic goals. He is highly collaborative and works seamlessly with colleagues at all levels across the organisation.”

Libby
Principal Associate Consultant

"I chose a career in the sector because of its focus and ethos. As a consultant, I'm fascinated by the range of charities I work with and the opportunities to help organisations and people be more successful in what they do."

Libby specialises in helping organisations with project governance and programmes of change. She has a post-graduate diploma in voluntary sector management from Cass Business School, is a PRINCE2 project management practitioner, an MSP (managing successful programmes) practitioner and an Agile Project Management practitioner. She develops strategies and business cases, leads on project governance, coaches and mentors project managers and teams, and provides quality assurance and project reviews. Libby helps organisations achieve successful IT projects with activities such as business processes analysis, requirements identification, software selection and implementation. She works with organisations to achieve efficiencies and improvements in operational areas. A former senior manager with Sayer Vincent, Libby has extensive experience of the not-for-profit sector. She has worked with a wide range of clients including British Horse Society, Christian Aid, Crisis, Enham Trust, the Football Foundation, I CAN, RNLI, Sue Ryder Care, the Vegan Society, WAGGGS, Womankind and World Animal Protection. Before joining Sayer Vincent, Libby held several senior roles within charities, primarily international aid and development organisations. Libby is a member of the British Computer Society, The Chartered Institute for IT, and formerly was an advisor to the third sector project management forum. She has previously been a volunteer and trustee of a small charity that carried out holidays and other activities with disabled and socially disadvantaged children.

"Libby Hare was the consultant that we worked with on our IT change project. We achieved the change needed and our goals were met in an appropriate timescale."

David
Finance Solutions Associate

David is a qualified accountant and Agile project management practitioner, bringing practical, commercial, challenging and effective thinking to projects he has worked on. David specialises in finance & grant management system implementations and process improvement, and recent clients include Maudsley Charity, Santa Rosa and C-Vu Body Corporates (New Zealand). After training and qualifying as an accountant (ACA) in New Zealand, David spent 5 years in public practice before entering the commercial workspace, including 11 years with the Lion Nathan Group (New Zealand's largest drinks company) in Business Partner/Commercial/GM Finance roles and as CEO of their gaming charity. David moved on to a GM of a high growth learning difficulty provider before moving into Project Consulting assisting property development owners navigate their way through the litigation and subsequent reconstruction of weather compromised apartments. At the same time, he was overseeing operational systems and process improvement for a hospitality chain. Upon moving to the UK, David spent 2½ years at Maudsley Charity, initially to implement aCloud (Access Financials) after selection with Adapta's help, to 'go live', including overseeing all training, adding in historic data, building bespoke reporting and delivering on a year-end consolidated set of financials at the push of a button. Additional projects were completed for the charity, including resolution of VAT issues, scheme of delegation, and project management of the charity's new grants management system, integrating payments into aCloud. Additional projects for the charity's trading included enhancing subsidiary systems (Priava booking system) and their processes for repatriating information and cash managed by their agent. Currently, David is also working with a UK international development charity on systems review, with a particular focus on improving the 'process pain' in Financial Force. From a systems perspective, David has implemented Microsoft Great Plains with Lion Nathan Charity from a lead user perspective, along with Access Financials at Maudsley Charity. In both cases, system interconnectedness was part of the overall design, as was standardised reporting. Currently, he has had exposure to Financial Force and by extension SalesForce and their linkages. Financial Systems David has been exposed to include Microsoft Dynamics/Great Plains, MFG Pro, Access Financials, MYOB, QuickBooks, XERO, Nomisma, Financial Force (and by extension SalesForce and their linkages). His all-rounded financial/accounting, IT systems and project management experience helps him navigate to competence quickly when assisting clients with implementing new systems.