Richard Phillips
About Richard Phillips
Richard Phillips serves as the Group Strategic Cost Director at Legal & General, where he has been instrumental in achieving significant cost savings through strategic initiatives. He holds a BA (Hons) in English from the University of Southampton and a Post Graduate diploma in Strategy & Innovation from the University of Oxford.
Current Role at Legal & General
Richard Phillips serves as the Group Strategic Cost Director at Legal & General, a position he has held since 2020. In this role, he focuses on strategic cost management and financial oversight within the organization. His responsibilities include driving cost efficiency and implementing financial strategies that align with the company's objectives. His tenure at Legal & General has contributed to the organization's financial health and operational effectiveness.
Education and Expertise
Richard Phillips has a strong educational background in finance and strategy. He earned a BA (Hons) in English from the University of Southampton between 1998 and 2001. He furthered his studies at The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, achieving ACMA from 2004 to 2007. He also completed a master's level diploma in Strategy & Innovation at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, graduating with distinction in November 2019.
Professional Background
Richard Phillips has extensive experience in finance across various organizations. He began his career as a Finance Graduate at Bupa from 2003 to 2006. He then worked at Unilever as a Finance Manager for a year before joining RSA, where he held multiple roles including Head of Finance Business Partnering and Group Director of IT Finance & Strategy from 2007 to 2018. He also served as Head of Cost Strategy at Marks and Spencer from 2018 to 2020.
Key Achievements
Throughout his career, Richard Phillips has achieved significant financial results. Notably, he was a finance lead in a core project team that delivered £300 million in savings in global IT infrastructure spend through a transition to a new provider. At Marks and Spencer, he achieved £7 million in sustainable savings in a single year by implementing new practices for engagement and accountability. He also sponsored the roll-out of Apptio tooling at RSA and M&S, enhancing insights into cost and efficiency.