Program Manager of a £250,000 plus project to create a Web 2.0 Environmental Business Networking platform. I was brought in when the project ran into difficulty part way through the development and had to rapidly assess the key problem areas, create a strategy to bring the project back on track and hire a team of developers to deliver the product quickly and within budget.

As the UKs leading carbon footprinting consultancy I have worked with BFF to first help them to address basic operational issues within their core business so as to provide a stable platform for growth. This included implementing a CRM system (SugarCRM), developing a strong commercial legal framework (supplier agreements, IP protection). I then took on responsibility for the development and launch of a revolutionary Web 2.0 Carbon Footprinting Tool.

A small UK-based company, with overseas manufacturing partners, creates products that help reduce the environmental footprint of supermarkets, whilst simultaneously increasing bottom line profits. Our primary product is a machine that reduces carrier bag usage by >30% - resulting in multi-million pound savings for the supermarket industry whilst also reducing the impact of harmful plastic bags on the environment. Shifts in the UK governments strategy on waste mean that the main opportunity for these products now lie within mainland Europe. I have licensed the product to a company within the shop-fitting sector and the UK operation is now simply overseeing their activities.

Areas of responsibility:
• New product development
• Funding
• Intellectual property (IP)
• Product licensing
• Project management
• Manufacturing

Achievements:
• Developed business plan, financial forecasts and market analysis, including in-depth market analysis of environmental / packaging sectors
• Negotiated with ASDA WalMart to implement trial program within two flagship UK stores
• Raised £165k of funding from WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Program, a government agency) to pay for ASDA WalMart trial
• Secured CE certification and three global patents (co-wrote patent application)
• Worked with specialist lawyer to write international product licensing agreement
• Project managed multi-vendor roll-out and installation program
• Designed and conducted quantitative and qualitative consumer research
• Implemented successful PR program – achieved interviews with The Grocer and BBC Radio
• Appointed licensees for a number of overseas territories
• Secured multi-store trials with major chains in Spain and Italy

Since I decided the close the core LBHR franchise business in 2006 so that I could concentrate on my other interests, the various businesses that I helped to start-up have continued to operate independently. I continued to work with the most successful of these as a non executive Chairman helping to guide the business as it has expanded and opened new office locations across the South East.

A recruitment franchise company, LBHR’s unique selling point was an innovative business model where by each franchisee was incubated with £25k of seed funding in return for 25% of gross margin. Developed from scratch to a turnover of more than £2.4m the company was reliant on economies of scale and my ability to recruit, mentor and develop experienced recruiters into small business owners.

Areas of responsibility:
• Service development
• Business development
• Cash-flow management
• Staff management and development
• Franchise agreements
• Marcomms

Achievements:
• Increased turnover from £355k in 2001 to £2.4m in 2005
• Established 6 branch offices over a 5 year period, including relocation of HQ
• Reduced operational costs by 6% by bringing payroll and accounting functions in-house and implementing SAGE Payroll and Accounts
• Secured, implemented and managed Confidential Invoice Discounting agreement
• Created optimised commission and salary structure for franchisees to recruit and develop own staff
• Developed tiered pricing model for franchisees
• Produced, in conjunction with Field Fisher Waterhouse LLP, custom franchise agreement
• Held weekly meetings with franchisees:
o Assist with business development activities
o Develop marketing initiatives
o Communicate developments from across the business
o Analyse the franchisee’s P&L, sales forecasts and staff performance
o Share sales leads and encourage inter-franchise co-operation
• Developed new corporate identity and re-branding
• Created online ‘paid performance search’ advertising campaign which increased enquiries from 2/mth to 10/wk
• Built relationships with industry press - resulted in five pages of editorial
• Built company website and dedicated franchisee micro-site
• Managed design, copywriting and production of all printed literature

As one of Londons leading Web marketing consultancies, Clarity specialised in extending the reach of existing brands with interactive components. Clients included BT, Abbey National, Royal & Sun Alliance, Dixons Group and Carphone Warehouse. As Production Director I was responsible for approximately 60% of the company’s 82 members of staff, later becoming a member of the merger integration board when Clarity was sold to a US Web Developer called Proxicom for $76m in 2000 and then became part of Dimension Data in 2001.

Areas of responsibility:
• New business development
• Operation systems management
• Technology strategy
• Mergers and Acquisitions
• Staff management and development

Achievements:
• Pitched and won a number of blue-chip accounts, Abbey National, Carphone Warehouse, BT and Dixons Stores Group.
• Contributed to an increase in turnover from £700k to £22m over 3 year period
• Organically grew BT from single £50k project to £2.2m retained account. Grew Dixons from £17k project to £200k per annum retained account
• In addition to my role as Production Director I was also contracted to clients as a Business Technology Consultant, helping to select and implement:
o Content management systems, e-Commerce systems, CRM tools, database platforms, wireless technology, communications and server hardware and hosting solutions
• Established commercial partnership and re-seller agreements with multiple 3rd-party vendors
• Responsible for staff training programs for 3rd party software
• Created standardised project costing system to prevent loss making projects
• Created standardised resourcing system to ensure correct staffing levels
• Created standardised recruitment process to maintain quality of new staff. Resulted in above industry staff retention rate
• Implemented structured staff assessment and review system
• Spoke at the GSM World Congress and University of Virginia & McKintire Business School
• Appointed to 6 member Clarity/Proxicom merger integration board responsible for:
o Physical integration – offices, phone systems, IT platforms
o Structure of new business – areas of responsibility; reporting lines; harmonisation with US organisation; redefining salary structures and share option schemes
o People Management – internal communications; staff motivation; conflict resolution; team building
o Knowledge transfer – skills development; communication; training