Wirral R&D tax specialist Access2Funding has unveiled Don Haymes as its new CFO and is celebrating being shortlisted for four awards

Wirral R&D tax specialist Access2Funding has appointed a new chief financial officer as it celebrates being shortlisted for four awards.

Don Haymes takes on the CFO job at the Birkenhead firm offering 20 years’ experience working Ain similar roles for a broad range of small and medium-sized businesses with turnovers ranging from £1m to over £50m.

His most recent role was for SKG Capital Partners where he was instrumental in the restructuring and sale of Dawsons Music. He will have overall responsibility for finance and to ensure that Access2Funding operates within its agreed budget and has robust risk management and compliance procedures.

The appointment follows the reappointment of Dawn Coker into her new role as chief executive last month and comes in a year that saw Access2Funding more than quadruple its workforce and increase its turnover by 119%.

Mr Haymes said: “Access2Funding has a great opportunity to continue to cement its leading position in the UK R&D market, as well as look to grow through new opportunities, and I am excited to work with the executive team on this next stage of development.”

Access2Funding has been nominated for a category in the Growing Business Awards, a category in the Enterprise Vision Awards, a category in the Women in Finance Awards and two categories in the City of Liverpool Business Awards (COLBA).

The Growing Business Awards honour the UK’s most outstanding entrepreneurs and high-growth businesses and Access2Funding is a finalist in the B2B Business of the Year category. 

In the Enterprise Vision Awards, celebrating the North West’s most talented female entrepreneurs, Dawn Coker is a finalist in the 2021 Business Woman of the Year category. The Women in Finance Awards 2021 promote the importance of an inclusive finance sector and Access2Funding is a finalist in the Employer of the Year up to 250 category.

Finally, the business is a finalist in the COLBA’s Employer of the Year 2021 and Business of the Year 2021 categories. Dawn Coker said: “Receiving recognition for our growth and success during the last 16 months feels more poignant than ever as I have been so inspired by the resilience and innovation of our clients across the UK.”