Episode 208

From Ports to the Deal Table: How FP&A Earned a Seat at Peel Ports
00:00 / 00:00

From Ports to the Deal Table: How FP&A Earned a Seat at Peel Ports

Jun 23, 2026 45:53


In our first FP&A Today episode to cover the shipping, ports and haulage sector, we look at the FP&A powering Peel Ports Group, the second largest port operator in the UK, which manages the vital gateways powering the UK. Alex Roche has built the FP&A team at Peels Ports, based in Liverpool, England, which generates £800M spread across 10 divisions. The group has invested over £1.5 billion over the past decade in advanced logistics, cranes, warehouses, and terminal upgrades. Highlights of his nearly decade time at Peel Ports include Co-building the Group's FP&A function for a £400m-EBITDA multi-site, and developing formal evaluation models for two major commercial deals totalling £100m+, enabling better-informed investment decisions and a £7.5m increase in realised deal value 

 

In this episode:

  • The importance of volume in ports and how KPIs revolve around the metric
  • M&A at Peels Port and setting up the FP&A team and building models 
  • FP&A recommendations around vertical integration  with a new haulage business 
  • The power of teaching others coming up in finance and accounting
  • Why Simon Sinek was right and FP&A should start with why  
  • Board on Peace Brigades International UK as a finance trustee 
  • Two favorite Excel functions 

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