• Swindon & Wiltshire Appointments
• Thursday December 5 2013

Swindon FD is one of UK’s 20 ‘hottest’

Former Ubiquisys financial director Fraser Park was named one of the UK’s 20 hottest FDs in the TMT sector at an awards dinner in London last night (Wednesday)

Fraser, former CFO at Swindon-based Ubiquisys, was honoured at the event – hosted by accountancy and business advisory firm BDO – which saw 70 FDs and CFOs from technology, media and telecoms companies nationwide be nominated for the top 20 accolade.

The report called Park “one of the most experienced FDs in Britain,” and praised him for being instrumental in the sale of Ubiquisys to Cisco, one of the largest European venture-backed exits of 2013, both in terms of preparing the business in advance and ensuring the deal went ahead.

Viewed as a “tough negotiator who can diffuse contentious situations with a great sense of humour”, he was described as the “go-to person for all things deal-related”.

Robert Brown, tax director at accountancy and business advisory firm BDO LLP in Bristol, said: “Fraser deserves this recognition. He is an impressive business leader and influential personality, who continues to innovate and impress.”

The Hot 20 FDs in TMT report by accountancy and business advisory firm BDO LLP reveals that the most successful FDs are helping companies expand into new sectors and markets through an increase in M&A activity.

Brown added: “This year’s competition has revealed that the mindset of FDs is changing. We’re now seeing them pushing the top line rather than squeezing the bottom line.

“The most successful FDs must be more than simply a ‘numbers person’. The role is now much more about presenting to investors and preparing for growth rather than keeping the business in hibernation.”