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Umar

Azam

Group Financial Controller

Rafter Group

With over a decade in finance, Umar began his career at PwC, auditing FTSE-listed and private equity-backed businesses during periods of complex change. He then moved into industry, where he helped carve out a $500m advertising business for exit, before becoming Financial Controller at a $1bn listed tech company, rebuilding trust in finance following a challenging shared service centre transition. He is now Group Financial Controller at Rafter, a fast-scaling European self-storage platform that has brought together five companies to unlock group synergies and pursue a €2bn valuation. Umar has driven the adoption of a finance tech stack that informs strategic decisions, leveraged AI and automation to scale finance delivery, and built a high-performing finance team across Europe—creating a unified function delivering speed, insight, and scale to power Rafter’s accelerated growth plans.

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15 October 2025 12:00 - 12:30

Control the detail, drive the business: Building finance for growth

Scaling a business without strong finance foundations is like building on shifting sand – no matter how fast you move, the risk of collapse grows. This is where a hidden advantage comes in. Professionals with audit, accounting, and controls experience bring the discipline and insight needed to build finance functions that deliver relevant reporting, actionable insights, and proactive risk management. Their deep understanding of processes and controls positions finance as a trusted partner that drives impact in critical business areas while providing the robustness needed to support rapid scaling. This session highlights how those with technical backgrounds can lead the building and scaling of finance teams – particularly in fast-growing businesses where it’s essential to get things right first time.