The interim team comprised a Project Director to establish the programme office and two managers to lead a total of 6 main work streams. Reporting to the Group Managing Director, the implanted team needed to assess the client’s expectation of how the new shape would look. Having envisaged the required outcome, the plan had to be “agreed” with the in house work stream leaders.

Working in a highly competitive sector, transacting with customers entirely on line, it was essential that seamless connectivity was maintained whilst a new call and customer support centre was established.

Staff consultations, redundancy and hiring were extremely sensitive and concluded with positive results.
The entire project took more than 12 months to complete.

The IS function was critical to the way the company conducted business with its clients. Where customers might, relatively recently, have been less demanding they had made their opinions clear in surveys that they might be tempted by competitors’ offerings.

Internal disquiet had been increasing and one event, in itself relatively minor had it not been the CEO’s equipment, brought matters to a head.

In essence the IS function had reached reputational rock bottom. The interim need was for someone to rebuild a team that had become very demoralised.

The role called for a communicator with a sound technical grasp but more importantly the ability to deliver the appropriate size and composition of IS provision to demanding internal and external customers. The initial brief was a three months project that was extended by a further three months to upgrade back office systems.

The most important outcome was that the IS team were fully incorporated into the business. What had been “last resort” became a key contributor to overall business planning and delivery. Major CRM initiatives were created.

Three major international groups planned to combine their relative IP, manufacturing and routes to market capabilities. Complex legal and commercial negotiations had overrun by the time the project hit its time line to begin commissioning the plant. The project leader who had been identified from permanent staff resources had been seconded to another project.

The interim need was for an immediately available, experienced manufacturing director with a background in a technologically complex industry. The role was to act as a catalyst, independent of any one of the JV partners, to get the project underway against some very tight timelines. Needing to be acceptable to all parties, intellectually capable of getting to grips quickly with the scale and detail of the process, sufficiently broad skilled enough to move easily between meetings with legal, commercial and technical teams from all three JV partners and external advisors the candidate needed to establish rapid credibility with a wide range of contacts.

Whilst team support was available and provided it was critical that the interim executive took the lead role and was perceived by all concerned as an insider not a consultant.

During the course of the assignment a second and technically more sophisticated project was agreed to run consecutively under the interim’s leadership. The interim ‘s involvement on these two projects ran to almost eighteen months.

The newly appointed Executive Chairman’s business review convinced him that the company had to expand its service offering or face diminishing returns. Although a relatively small business in terms of income generated the company had a top heavy management structure. Divisional MDs were used to running their own units and saw little benefit in internal communication. This silo mentality had resulted in a blinkered approach to top line growth.

The interim CEO had a sensitive brief. Convince the divisional MD’s to open up their jealously guarded client relationships and thereby introduce and optimise cross selling. The candidate selected had run a much larger business that had grown mainly by acquisition. This had resulted in a constant need to re-focus incoming senior management so that they bought into a group mentality.

Inevitably the assignment involved some management changes where it became clear that the new approach was too much for some. These changes were effected whilst maintaining strong service provision to clients.

Over a three month period the business redirected employment costs to a new sales team that were able to leverage existing relationships and significantly increase group fee income. By achieving closer client relationships the business identified a new offering that rapidly became a major profit contributor.

The interim CEO was invited to join the board permanently.

Having agreed the changes, the board decided to appoint an interim CEO to manage the transition and to provide independent guidance. The fundamental requirement was to understand the business, its market positioning and the “where next” issues.

The appointed specialist had a strong track record that gave confidence to all parties. Knowledge of the supplier community was particularly helpful in enabling the client to achieve stronger relationships with existing suppliers and to open new lines of supply. Other operational issues were identified and plans implemented to optimise efficiencies.

Over a six month period the interim CEO had brought the encumbent management and the new owners to a much more positive working relationship. Meantime the role and candidate specifications for the permanent appointments were agreed and the search launched.

The interim CEO played a vital role in aligning a number of quite entrenched stakeholder positions so that all parties worked to deliver what had been agreed.

Investor owners had acquired some substantial assets in a short period and were closing on a transaction that would add further complementary product. The orderly synchronisation of all back office activities was a fundamental aspect of value creation.

The project was envisaged as a six month assignment to identify, harness and lead internal resources to deliver required efficiencies. A major spend was agreed, so commensurate tangible returns were expected.
The appointed interim executive was a Finance Director by functional background. Experienced in manufacturing companies of similar size and geographical spread rather than specifically medical devices, the interim COO was able to work with senior management to complete the project planning. Taking a pivotal role in the delivery, the COO then had the task of marshalling a hugely varied cultural “palette” . Not without its difficulties, mainly concerning a mid-term switch of IS supplier, the project took longer than envisaged but achieved more than the investor had expected.

The legacy provided was a major cost saving in consolidating three back offices into one shared service arrangement. In addition to the cost saving was an enhanced customer service offering.

Please email j.wheeler@pilotpartners.eu if you would like tickets.
All concerts start at 7.30 pm at St John’s Smith Square, London SW1
unless otherwise stated

19th October 2010
Programme to include:
THOMAS ADES - Dances from ‘Powder Her Face’
DAVID MATTHEWS - Symphony no 7 (London Premiere)
ELGAR - Symphony No. 2

29th November 2010
J STRAUSS I - Perpetuum Mobile
HK GRUBER- Charivari
DUKAS - The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
TCHAIKOVSKY - Act 2 of ‘The Nutcracker’

25th January 2011 At Cadogan Hall
POULENC - Les Biches
RACHMANINOV - Piano Concerto no 1 (soloist Nikolai Demidenko)
BEETHOVEN - Symphony No. 8

12th March 2011 (with guest conductor Andrew Gourlay)
MARTINU - Memorial to Lidice
STRAVINSKY - Symphony in Three Movements
VAUGHAN WILLIAMS - A Pastoral Symphony (Symphony No. 3)

10th May 2011
LUTOSLAWSKI - Chantefleurs et Chantefables
MAHLER - Symphony No. 4

27th June 2011
SMETANA - Overture to ‘The Bartered Bride’
RICHARD AYRES - No. 37b
DVORAK - Symphony No. 9 ‘From the New World’

John Graham has been in the Industry of providing financial and tax advice to executives for 23 years.

He has offices in Stamford and Holborn, London.

He is able to assist with most financial planning needs and offers only independent advice with the option to pay by fees or commission. The initial meeting will be without cost or obligation. References are available. Follow the link to his website below or call 07808 578877.

www.graam.co.uk

(Graham Assert Management is a Trading Style of Positive Solutions).

Marcus Hancocks ACII

T: 01424 773303
W: www.mcphersons.co.uk
Download IR35 Summary Note

If you or your clients work within the Turnaround market then getting involved with the TMA offers you access to skills, contacts and a wealth of networking and educational opportunities.

TMA (UK) is a member of the CPD Certification Service that has independently accredited all events listed which carry the CPD certified logo.

For further information please visit: www.tma-uk.org