Meet Leslie Whiteford

“…we found ourselves without a CFO at a certain point and urgently needed to fill the breach. Through a recommendation from an ex-Big 4 Partner friend, we met Leslie and hired him as interim CFO. He did a fantastic job, quickly gelling with the finance team, and adding value in terms of the additional work we had on hand, including several acquisitions and preparation of our business for a listing process. Our Private Equity owners were highly appreciative of the job Leslie did. In the end, Leslie stayed with the Group far longer than was originally intended, but all the while ready to take on roles that needed doing. I would have no hesitation in recommending Leslie for interim CFO roles and, should the right situation arise, for a permanent role where his skills in finance and overall project management come to the fore.”

Martin Crawford

Former CEO of Vistra Group

"I have worked with Leslie during one of the more challenging assignments in my career. Leslie was always able to bring much needed pragmatism into his advice which could only come from a deep yet broad experience across many industries. I have no doubt he would be able to bring value to many organisations that seek out his advice.”

Lawrence Tsang

CFO Asia Pacific, Grosvenor Group, (former CFO of Vistra Group)

“I have worked with Leslie in a number of capacities for nearly 10 years. Leslie worked in a variety of senior roles in international and institutional finance during the time that I was the Chief Financial Officer of E*TRADE Financial. Leslie has always proven himself extremely reliable and capable in his roles. He was able to negotiate a very challenging settlement with an important counterparty with which we had a long-standing dispute--and remain in good standing with them after it was done. He has always been flexible and willing to do what it takes to get the job done. When we needed someone to be Chief Executive of an investment we made in India, Leslie was our go-to guy for the job. When I needed someone to take a divisional CFO role in a very challenging situtation, with a very difficult business head, Leslie was able to manage the situation brilliantly. I can't speak highly enough of Leslie's integrity, capability, and his charming style.”

Robert Simmons

CFO Sky West Inc, (former CFO of E*TRADE Group)

“I have worked with Leslie for much of the past 20 years. He was CFO and an Executive Committee member of a company, TIR Securities, which I helped found in 1989 and ran as CEO through 1999. During those years, Leslie was not only a dedicated finance executive but also an extremely valuable business executive who helped shape and run that company from its start to its eventual sale to E*TRADE in 1999. At E*TRADE, Leslie showed that he was as effective in a large global organization as he had been in a small start-up environment. He held many key roles at E*TRADE, including the head of International Finance and the head of Global Institutional Finance. In the end, E*TRADE took a strategic stake in a large financial services firm in India and inserted Leslie as CEO of that business. Once again, Leslie showed his skills as both a finance executive but also as a valuable business executive capable of shaping and running a business. Leslie is hardworking, innovative, trustworthy and of the highest integrity and would be a valuable asset within any organization.”

Jarrett Lilien

President & COO, Wisdom Tree, (former CEO & President of E*TRADE Group)

“Leslie was instrumental in preparing our business for an IPO which was a rather complex project where Leslie oversaw, amongst others, the compilation of key business drivers and metrics, competitive benchmarking and the implementation of the employee incentive program.”

Remko Hilhorst