Paul Atkins

Paul is an Executive Director in Accordion’s Strategic FP&A practice with 30 years of experience as a global business leader and operating executive, with P&L management experience and excellent Finance skills. He has M&A proficiency across negotiation, valuation, capital raising and due diligence, and an extensive background in sales, marketing, operations, business development, and finance across Fortune 500 and middle market companies. Paul is a strong and collaborative team leader with exemplary project management and communication skills.​

During his time at Accordion, Paul has led multiple engagements including acting as the interim CFO of a $4B (investment) cruise line and as interim head of FP&A for a $1B chemical company for a 14-month period.  During the latter, he directed the annual budgeting process, led the monthly Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) process, and led a team to oversee monthly financial and KPI reporting and ad-hoc financial projects.

He has also led projects to develop financial planning tools and implement process improvements for multiple businesses.  These include implementing forecasting and financial reporting tools for a business services company; driving performance improvement for a consumer goods contract manufacturer; developing reporting package, 13-week cash flow and 3-statement model for a hospitality and leisure company; improving processes and supported development of financial systems architecture for an industrials company; and leading the development and implementation of monthly financial reporting and forecasting for a leading consumer-focused Internet retailer.​

Earlier in his career, Paul was Managing Principal at his own consulting firm where he consulted with senior leaders on acquisitions, finance, corporate strategy and operations. Projects include supporting a $200M-plus equity raise for an industry roll up, revamping processes for a 1,200 associate sales organization, and overhauling a 100-million-member loyalty program.​  Paul also held multiple positions across strategy, marketing and operations in the hospitality industry including leading worldwide Strategic Planning for Starwood Hotels, and growing a $200M business unit as General Manager.

Paul started his career at L.E.K. Consulting, a leading international management consulting firm, where he led the planning and execution of strategic projects and was responsible for directing project teams, driving analytics and supporting implementation.  As a Principal with the Private Equity Practice, he conducted numerous strategic and commercial due diligence projects for private equity sponsors including The Carlyle Group and Investcorp.

Paul graduated from the University of Cambridge, with an M.Phil in Finance and from the University of Stirling, with a B.S. in Management Science.​