Alex Clifford

Supporting a fast-growing seed-stage startup on a fractional basis (~1 day per week), helping define its go-to-market strategy and early client development efforts. Additionally, I take on key leadership roles, acting as CFO, CIO, HR Director, and more, to ensure the company's operations, finances, technology, and people are effectively managed and aligned for growth.

• Advising on value proposition positioning to prospective enterprise clients.

• Shaped technology messaging and business development narratives.

• This role will conclude once a full-time (5-day/week) CIO/CTO-level contract is secured.

Held leadership roles within PwC’s Compliance and SAP practices, combining programme delivery with technology strategy and business transformation.

• CTO of Compliance Services, led a multi-year transformation programme to digitise PwC’s finance and tax outsourcing operations, increasing automation, improving data accuracy, and raising delivery margins.

• Delivered SAP data integration and analytics solutions across global clients, enabling near real-time monitoring of indirect tax and compliance performance.

• Oversaw hybrid delivery models, streamlined technology investments, and strengthened partner and vendor ecosystems.

• SAP Tax Director, led the delivery of SAP tax functionality for complex carve-out and M&A engagements, building capability and driving client success, including the global e-Invoicing implementation in a 40-country S/4HANA rollout.

Led large-scale digital and SAP transformations globally as a CIO for Shell’s finance and tax functions, managing multi-million-dollar IT investments and operations.

• Delivered global SAP Finance data monitoring project across 20 countries, integrating multiple systems and enabling real-time visibility.

• Accountable for global IT operations across Shell’s largest SAP landscape, driving strategic alignment with corporate objectives and leading IFRS16, BEPS, India GST and global compliance efforts.

• Accountable for IT governance, technology investment, and IT function strategy across Shell’s Downstream Finance. Led SAP S/4HANA transformation and major cloud migrations, reducing IT operating costs by 35%.

• Managed complex vendor relationships and collaborated with executive leadership to integrate innovative technologies that streamlined business processes and enhanced financial reporting.

• Drove major tax and risk IT change programmes, aligning with global regulations and Shell’s evolving digital strategy.

• Led a $40M NPV robotic process automation (RPA) investment across finance and IT, resulting in a 35% reduction in operational costs while enhancing compliance and scalability.