Nick Steps Down. We’re Looking for Our Next Finance Adviser

For the past five years, Nick Warran Smith has played a vital role behind the scenes at The Good Company People.

As our Volunteer Finance Adviser, he has helped ensure that we operate sustainably, transparently and responsibly as we have grown. His work has included preparing management accounts, supporting budgets and forecasts, overseeing restricted funds and helping the Trustees make informed decisions with confidence.

It is not the most visible role in the organisation, but it underpins everything we do.

Nick will be stepping down in June, and we want to take a moment to say thank you.

Why he joined

When we asked Nick why he first joined Good Company, his answer was typically understated:

“To make my small contribution to a good cause and to help stop my own mental capacity from going downhill too quickly.”

Nick trained as a Chartered Accountant and went on to become Finance Director of several varied organisations before retiring. He brought decades of experience to a small but ambitious charity and has treated our finances with care, rigour and good judgement throughout.

He told us that Good Company “does a fantastic job for elderly people and for carers” and that it is a shame public sector funding is not sufficient to achieve the same.

Like many of our volunteers, he saw both the need and the opportunity to contribute.

A little more about Nick

Nick enjoys travelling and plays bridge. He has a good knowledge of wine. Over the years he has also tried pot-holing, rock climbing, parachute jumping and flying. He once built a kit car and used it as his main car for several years.

Friends describe him as rational, fairly quiet and not especially gregarious. He says he often lets his wife use part of his daily word allowance.

His favourite cake is fruit cake.

We are hugely grateful for the time, expertise and steady presence he has given over the past five years.

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Could you be our next Volunteer Finance Adviser?

As Nick steps down, we are now looking for someone to take on this important voluntary role.

We are entering the next financial year in a stable position, with reserves in place, a growing and diversified income pipeline and a committed Board. We have a clear plan for the next stage of development, and we are looking for someone who can help ensure that growth is carefully modelled and responsibly governed.

The Finance Adviser works alongside the CEO, Bookkeeper and Trustees to:

• Prepare and review monthly management accounts

• Lead annual budgeting and support forecasting

• Monitor restricted funding

• Strengthen financial modelling and governance as we grow

This is not a bookkeeping role. It is an advisory position suited to someone with senior financial experience who would value using their skills to support a growing charity making a real difference in local communities.

We are moving from pilot to planned and confident scaling. Strong financial insight at this stage will help ensure we grow sustainably, protect our reserves and stay true to our relational, community-led model.

If you have a background in finance, accounting, audit or senior financial leadership and would like to contribute your expertise in a meaningful way, we would love to hear from you.

You can read the full role description here, or contact us at workwithus@thegoodcompanypeople.org for an informal conversation.