Chris
Smith
An experienced Company Director and strategic thinker, with experience of growing international businesses. This includes the successful management of capital investments, mergers & acquisitions to deliver sustainable results for European-wide organisations.
An innovative leader able to identify & implement business change opportunities resulting in increased customer and shareholder value.
Location:
United Kingdom
Qualifications:
MBA, BSc(Hons)
Disciplines:
Project & Programme Management...Show More
Project & Programme Management, Business Transformation, Business Strategy, Supply Chain & Operations.
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Industry Sectors:
Consumer Products, Retail, Services, SME...Show More
Consumer Products, Retail, Services, SME, E-Commerce, Manufacturing.
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Practice Groups:
Business Turnaround, Information & Communications Technology, Supply Chain & Operations, S.M.E. (Operations, Central Counties East)
Languages:
English.
US Private Investor
Industry Sector:
Manufacturing
Discipline:
Risk & Compliance
The Challenge:
A US client required a full assessment of a UK target business in the high-tech manufacturing sector.
The Solution
Working closely with the senior management team I undertook a complete review of the business organisation, strategic planning, supply chain quality, production capability, IT systems... read moreWorking closely with the senior management team I undertook a complete review of the business organisation, strategic planning, supply chain quality, production capability, IT systems and overview of financials to determine risk and suitability for investment.
The Results:
My assessment concluded a number of areas for improvement with recommendations to incorporate into the UK business strategic plan. The report was accompanied by revised... read moreMy assessment concluded a number of areas for improvement with recommendations to incorporate into the UK business strategic plan. The report was accompanied by revised financial models with advice on risk mitigation.
The client was satisfied that this represented a good target for investment.
DSGi plc
Client Contact:
Group HR Director
Discipline:
Information & Communications Technology
The Challenge:
The business had a wide range of legacy systems to support HR, payroll and performance management requirements for 30,000 employees. The level of employee and... read moreThe business had a wide range of legacy systems to support HR, payroll and performance management requirements for 30,000 employees. The level of employee and pay data inaccuracies for a high labour turnover business was overwhelming the support teams leading to internal reporting problems. Any new system would require group wide acceptance and training to allow implementation to be effective.
The Solution
The business had already identified PeopleSoft HRM & Payroll as a suitable system to pull together all current systems into one ERP system utilising the... read moreThe business had already identified PeopleSoft HRM & Payroll as a suitable system to pull together all current systems into one ERP system utilising the employee and management self service capabilities to create empowerment and responsibility for maintaining accurate data.
Ownership of the system had to be universal and clear improvements in pay accuracy were necessary to class this project a success.
The Results:
Through facilitation of senior management workshops I provided a clear project plan including a set of objectives with measureable success factors that applied to the... read moreThrough facilitation of senior management workshops I provided a clear project plan including a set of objectives with measureable success factors that applied to the implementation team as well as the business.
The business and IT projects were coordinated to ensure linked delivery milestones on the critical path. This 18 month project was delivered on time and in budget, with pay inaccuracies dropping to only 10% of the pre-project rate.
Partnership Consultancy Services Ltd
Position Held:
Managing Director
Business Type:
Business Advisory Services
Industry Sector:
Professional Services
Overview:
SME advisory and support services including strategic planning for business transformation, business recovery and supply chain development.
Projects include;
Jan 2011 -
Prepare business plan and source investors to grow security location products and services supplier
Karbon Kinetics Ltd (Gocycle) – Finance & Operations Director (Interim - Part-time) June 2010 - to date
• Successfully completed business plan to raise £2.5m private equity investments for client.
• Select and prepare implemention of MS Dynamics NAV ERP for manufacturing business
• Evaluate, negotiate and complete Manugacturing Service Agreement with global manufacturer.
• Global market research and business development.
July/Aug 2011
Represented US investor to evaluate UK acquisition, undertaking due diligence and organisation evaluation.
Finnforest UK Ltd
Position Held:
Vice President - Business Control
Business Type:
Wood products upgrading and distribution
Industry Sector:
Consumer Products
Overview:
Active member of the management boards in UK, France, Finland, Spain, Germany & Romania reporting to Senior Vice President, Finnforest. Company Director for Business Planning, Finance and IT with a direct budget of £8m with 65 personnel. Responsible for strategic and business operations planning and supply chain management. Recruited from the retail industry to introduce a culture to meet increasing customer demands & service requirements.
• Successfully aligned several European businesses to develop strategic plans to grow profit by 10% in 2009/10, working with senior teams to develop successful business plans & secure Group funding to implement business transformation necessary to exceed planned targets.
• Increased the trade portfolio of French business by 30% through acquisition. Working with country MD and Group CFO to evaluate strategic options, select, negotiate and acquire a business to increase market influence in France & Spain in a very competitive market.
• Improved trading margins by €6m (15%) through cross-functional project team to reduce lead-times and wastage throughout the supply-chain in Europe.
• Identified €4m improvements to create 18% ROIC with pay-back of 1.5 years. Significant projects for UK & French businesses requiring management of in-depth supply-chain process analysis and improve efficiencies of processing and delivery of consumer goods.
• Enabled €5m+ (over 10%) reduction in working capital for French business. Implemented effective supply-chain management through business process & organisation change.
• Lead & developed 5 European business improvement teams providing added service value.
Dixons Stores Group (DSGi) plc
Position Held:
Programme Manager
Business Type:
Electrical retailer
Industry Sector:
Retail
Overview:
Responsible for implementation of large business change projects across Europe; reported to Group Financial Controller & Group HR Director.
• Managed implementation of £11m PeopleSoft system to support 35,000 employees across Europe; delivered on time and in budget managing a cross-functional team of up to 50 internal & external resources.
• Increased Free Cash Flow by £20m+ through development & introduction of group-wide cash planning system to all businesses across Europe (20+ countries)
• Creation of Shared Services Centres to provide greatly improved services to customers and suppliers.