Finance · Strategy · Corporate Finance

Brandon Hughes

Chartered Accountant (SA) & Finance Business Partner

Finance professional combining financial rigour with legal and commercial judgement. Experienced across strategic finance, M&A integration, and business partnering in startup, SME, and private equity–backed environments across London and beyond.

01

Profile

Finance professional with a track record spanning strategic finance, business partnering, and corporate finance across startup, SME, and private equity–backed global environments. Proven ability to work with C-suite and senior leadership, translating complex financial and legal realities into clear strategic decisions.

Comfortable working at the intersection of finance, strategy, and commercial reality, within genuinely varied environments from startups to private equity, with the added depth of legal training shaping how I think and operate.

Based in London, currently serving as Finance Business Partner & Corporate Finance (AVP) at Apex Group Ltd, a private equity–backed global financial services group.

CA(SA) — Chartered Accountant South African Institute of Chartered Accountants · First attempt passes
BAccLLB — Accounting & Law Stellenbosch University · Double Degree, 5 years
PGDA — Post Graduate Diploma in Accounting Stellenbosch University · Master's Degree Equivalent

Strategic Finance

Financial planning, budgeting, forecasting, and capital allocation across multi-regional organisations.

M&A & Integration

Post-acquisition integration, synergy modelling, value-creation programmes, and execution support.

Business Partnering

C-suite advisory, performance reporting, trading updates, and decision-support for PE stakeholders.

Operating Model Design

Workforce restructuring, offshoring efficiency, process automation, and cost optimisation initiatives.

Financial Modelling

Scenario analyses, investment trade-off models, and data-driven decision-making frameworks.

Legal & Commercial

Law background informing commercial contracts, risk assessment, and complex deal structuring.

02

Experience

Jan 2025 — PresentCurrent

Apex Group Ltd

Finance Business Partner & Corporate Finance (AVP) · London

  • Business partner within a private equity–backed global financial services group, supporting strategic finance, planning, and value-creation across multiple regions.
  • Led a core workstream in the global budgeting and forecasting cycle, advising senior leadership on investment trade-offs, cost initiatives, and structural decisions.
  • Delivered consolidated planning outputs across the Americas, Europe, APAC, and Africa, aligning regional strategies with group objectives.
  • Supported strategic workforce restructuring, operating model changes, and cost optimisation linked to consolidation and growth priorities.
  • Contributed to post-acquisition integration and value-creation programmes, including synergy modelling, tracking, and execution support.
  • Built financial models and scenario analyses to inform capital allocation and strategic decision-making.
  • Co-led and mentored an offshore finance team, embedding analytical standards and effective stakeholder engagement.
Nov 2023 — Jan 2025

WTax (VAT IT Group)

Finance Business Analyst · London

  • Partnered with the Managing Director on strategic growth initiatives for pension, hedge fund, and asset management clients.
  • Designed and implemented financial analyses and dashboards that improved performance tracking for sales and service teams.
  • Contributed to restructuring of the North American client team, developed KPIs, and implemented process improvements enhancing client outcomes.
Mar 2023 — Nov 2023

VAT IT (VAT IT Group)

Strategy Analyst — Central Operations & Client Strategy · London

  • Supported creation of a centralised global client operations department, aligning best practices across regions.
  • Led the rollout of a new global online client platform, coordinating roadmap planning, system testing, training, and stakeholder reporting.
Jan 2022 — Mar 2023

VAT IT (VAT IT Group)

Financial Strategy & Treasury Analyst · London

  • Consolidated global bank accounts and co-led the establishment of a new treasury entity.
  • Developed automation of month-end processes, significantly reducing cycle times and operational bottlenecks.
  • Partnered with external vendors to implement innovative financial solutions.
Jan 2022 — Jan 2025

VAT IT — CA TOPP Programme (VAT IT Group)

CA(SA) Article Clerk · London

  • Completed the three-year SAICA-accredited CA(SA) articles under the CA TOPP Entrepreneurship Programme.
  • Rotated across finance, accounting, and business strategy divisions, developing expertise in financial reporting, treasury, strategic analysis, and client solutions.
03

Education

2024

APC & ITC — Chartered Accountant (SA)

South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA)

First attempt passes on both exams

2021

Post Graduate Diploma in Accounting (PGDA)

Stellenbosch University

Master's Degree Equivalent

2020

Bachelor of Accounting and Law (BAccLLB)

Stellenbosch University

Double degree completed over 5 years

2015

National Senior Certificate (IEB)

Kearsney College, South Africa

6 Distinctions

04

Skills

Core Competencies

Strategic Finance
Financial Modelling
Business Partnering
M&A Integration
Operating Model Design
Treasury & Reporting

Technical Proficiency

MS Excel Power BI Adaptive Planning PowerPoint Workday Sage X3 Salesforce MS Office Suite Financial Reporting Scenario Analysis Budgeting & Forecasting Process Automation Stakeholder Reporting Dashboard Design
05

Off the Page

There is more to most people than their professional record suggests. A few things that have shaped how I think, what I care about, and who I am.

Nature & Wildlife

From a young age I have been lucky enough to spend real time in wild places, and that connection has never left me. Whether the African bush, open coastlines, or somewhere remote and quiet, nature is where I feel most myself. It has given me a deep respect for the natural world that runs through everything I do.

Travel & Culture

I have a deep desire to see and experience the world — its places, its people, and the vastly different ways life is lived across it. Every new country or culture adds something. It has broadened my perspective, and the ability to move between contexts and connect across cultures is something I carry with me wherever I go.

Sport

I have played sport my whole life and followed it with the same enthusiasm. A proud South African at heart, but genuinely captivated by what sport stirs in people across all codes and continents — the passion, the loyalty, the shared identity it creates. It teaches you things about competition, resilience, and what it means to be part of a team that are hard to learn anywhere else.

Politics & Current Affairs

I am fascinated by how the world actually works — the systems, institutions, and forces that shape events. Less interested in sides or ideology, more in understanding the mechanics. It feeds a broader habit of trying to see the full picture before forming a view, which I find useful in most areas of life.

I am a people person at my core, energised by collaboration and at my best when I can see how the pieces fit together. Learning has always been a constant — I am genuinely curious about most things, and find that the wider I read and think, the better I work. Longer term, I am drawn to the idea of working at the intersection of these passions. Sport, nature, and responsible travel feel like spaces with enormous momentum, and playing a meaningful role in that growth is something I aspire to.

Open to opportunities

Let's work together

Based in London. Open to finance leadership, corporate finance, and strategic roles in ambitious organisations.