Paul Reading

Senior Managing Director, Head of European Solutions at Accordion

Speaker

Paul is a Senior Managing Director and Head of European Solutions at Accordion. With over two decades of experience as a PE operating partner, CFO, investor, and advisor, he has worked across the full private equity lifecycle, partnering with sponsors and portfolio CFOs to strengthen finance functions, accelerate value creation, and deliver successful exits.

Prior to joining Accordion, Paul held a leadership role at Mayfair Equity Partners – where he was responsible for portfolio-wide finance transformation, exit readiness, integrations, and carve-outs, while also serving as Chief Strategy Officer. During his time at Mayfair, Paul stepped into several interim C-suite roles, including Group CFO of one of the firm’s largest investments, supporting the business through to a successful exit.

Previously, Paul was an equity partner at EY, where he led the UK mid-market private equity value creation team. He advised leading PE houses on operational diligence, transformation, and exit readiness, while also supporting portfolio companies in executing value creation plans.

Earlier in his career, Paul was CFO of a PE-backed software business, where he supported the delivery of a successful exit, and a PE operating partner and investor at LDC, where he drove pre- and post-deal value creation initiatives and helped execute two high-return deals (uSwitch and Blue Rubicon).

Paul holds an M.Sc. in Accounting & Finance from The London School of Economics and a B.A. (Hons) in Law from Nottingham University.