Bil Thompson was born Newcastle, 7 June 1944, and has a broad business and finance experience locally and nationally in industry, commerce and the statutory & voluntary sectors. He has extensive, practical and on-the-ground experience of small/medium sized business scene and has contributed towards the sustainability, growth and success of many local enterprises. He has also supported many start-up businesses in the early stressful days of trading and has involved in a number of formal mentoring projects
As with many accountants he has had a varied career. His training and qualification was with a large regional firm of chartered accountants based in Newcastle that was eventually absorbed by Ernst Young. During a four year post qualifications period he was involved as audit manager and management accountant in a wide range of industrial and commercial organisations throughout the North East. He then spent some nine years in food retailing, wine importing and distribution. A further nine years was spent in the NHS Newcastle and Northern Region culminating in the post of Director of Internal Audit & Security heading up at that time probably the largest NHS team of internal control, finance, IT and security specialists in the country.
In 1994 Bil started his own commercial accounting practice with a varied portfolio of work that included providing finance director type services to small and medium sized organisations in manufacturing and service sectors. During this time he was also recruited to manage, on contract, the internal audit divisions of substantial organisations including the British Wool Marketing Board and L’Arche UK the respected international Charity. Again on contract, he worked as accountant/consultant with an international management services company providing accounting and consultancy services to the retail arms of all the major oil companies. Other positions included working with an insolvency practice and a commercial law firm and lecturing/coaching at the Newcastle Universities and five local FE colleges.
2004 saw Bil set up his general practice, chartered accountancy firm in South Tyneside and forming, with Peter Short FCIS, Arbeia Business Centre – a specialist business services company. From those bases he provides support for business start up and growth with a range of services including mentoring, business planning & assessment, cash-flow forecasting, funding, and problem-solving together with an effective continuing business care programme.
His wide and varied business/commercial experience now allows him to personally provide high quality mentoring and support services to organisations of all sizes and shapes, from start-ups to ‘not for profit’ ventures and large commercial enterprises. He also has access to a comprehensive range of commercial, business and financial experience/knowledge from his colleagues and associates working with Arbeia Business Centre that can turn an effective personal service when required into an impressive corporate offer.