Independent interim specialising in distressed situations, business development, M&A and Non Executive roles e.g. NX Chairman of bath manufacturing business, business review of biometric access company and management of trade sale both for VC, operations review of environmental services company etc.

RDK was the largest trading subsidiary of distressed AIM listed Dipford Group plc – an investment vehicle originally created to consolidate the SME business broking (corporate sales) market.

Responsibilities:

Financial turnaround and restructuring of distressed business units including full P&L responsibility for combined enterprise with T/O £4.5m employing 64 staff, operating UK wide and completing c. £150m of business sales per annum.

Achievements/Business Impact:

Strategic re-positioning, eliminating loss making activities (c. 25% stock reduction) and increasing new business profitability (c. 50% increase upfront fees)

Reorganised the operations to increase sales completion rate/stock turnover and match overhead to margin potential.

Implemented innovative e-marketing/communication programme to reduce dependence on high cost, low response direct mail reducing marketing cost by 20% whilst increasing new business generation by 25% in difficult market.

Led merger of KBT with RDK closing one location, reducing combined headcount by 25% and delivering £0.6m (15%) cash operating cost reduction

Managed the business through the break-up of the parent Dipford Group which ran out of cash as a result of external market conditions (“credit crunch”).

Founding partner of AIDA LLP (www.aida-llp.co.uk) – a new business venture established to deliver interim management/turnaround solutions. Left the partnership in April 2007 to pursue a high tech, glass recycling start-up venture, which subsequently did not proceed.

Acumen was a venture capital backed £12m T/O environmental and industrial services company delivering innovative, total waste management and recycling solutions to Petrochem, Construction, Food & Retail and Industrial (www.acumenwaste.co.uk).

Responsibilities:

Specific responsibility for all “top-line” aspects including brand development, new business development and senior client relationship management. Also responsible for strategic development and general management as Board member and equity shareholder.

Achievements/Business Impact:

Repositioned and re-branded the business from a commodity provider to a national, innovative solutions provider targeting new growth market segments of Construction and Food & Retail.

Won, negotiated, mobilized and personally managed major accounts including Tarmac (£2m, 600 UK sites), Alfred Mc. Alpine Infrastructure Services (£0.3m, 50 sites), Grant Rail (£0.3m, 50 sites).

Implemented complete sales and marketing delivery plan and led the sales team to deliver £4m of new business, increase pipeline by 50% and improve customer retention by 80%.

Improved profitability by developing and implementing job specific margin management and pricing tools to maximise benefit of legislative/fiscal changes.

Increased turnover from £7.8m (03/04) to c. £12m for 06/07 with EBIT more than doubled in same period, facilitating the exit of VC through a secondary buyout.

Principal interim role (12 months duration) was SWS, a £3m T/O family owned SME employing 72 engaged in warehousing, logistics, materials recycling/trading and packaging compliance. Role included full P&L responsibility for the business

Achievements/Business Impact:

Delivered financial turnaround by restoring financial discipline (after accounting collapse), negotiating exit from loss making local authority contract and addressing open conflict within the existing management team.

Personally secured and mobilized £1m of major new contracts including Tioxide 24/7 warehousing (£0.5m) and EMR waste management (£0.25m).

Successfully delivered financial turnaround (£0.4m EBIT improvement) and developed sound operating platform including robust management systems.

Cleanaway was a major environmental services enterprise engaged in commercial/municipal waste collection, recycling and landfill disposal.

Achievements/Business Impact:

Leading commercial role in four substantial continental acquisitions including SKP (biggest paper trader in Europe) and Mirec (in-house recycling arm of Philips BV) for a total consideration of £325m.

Helped develop and implemented new commercial strategy and Company wide culture change programme personally leading initiatives for improved corporate communication, key skill groups for innovation/business process re-engineering.

Led the central best practice team responsible for municipal tendering and contract profit improvement to secure and mobilise £4m T/O of new contracts.

Financial turnaround of £4m depot operation (35 unionised direct labour) halving business losses and improving bottom line by £0.5m to deliver profit 27% ahead of budget and 25% of prior year (best in Division performance).

General management of £16m regional business (120 staff, 5 operating locations) establishing most successful sales team in the Division (18 staff, 117% of target), leading new market entry into Scotland, project managing disposal of Northern Ireland operations and delivering financial turnaround from £0.3m loss making position to £0.5m profit (£1m budgeted for 2002 pre corporate re-organisation).

Professional training as Chartered Accountant (ACA – qualifying 1989) followed by three years experience in London Corporate Finance Department working on mergers and acquisitions (M&A), finance raising, bid defence etc including project management of a pan-European business IT project.