Authored by Simon Nicholas, director & Laura
O'Sullivan, audit manager, KPMG
You are the chief financial officer of an up and coming high
growth company. To paint the picture, it's Friday late
afternoon, you are mentally picking out a nice bottle of red to
crack open on your arrival home, when the head of product
development and chief executive officer walk into your office
(uninvited), sit down and kick off with "Houston, we have a
problem... sooooo... who would we use if we wanted to take action
against a competitor for stealing our IP?".
As they explain further, several thoughts pass through your mind
in quick succession: 'seriously, could this not have waited
until Monday?'; 'but I have just finished our budgets for
next year'; 'cash flow was already tight with the new
product launch, how on earth are we going to pay the legal
bills?'; 'while I get their argument and we are undoubtedly
in the right, if I miss the banking covenants we are in serious
trouble so
