Experienced senior Company Director/Vice President with:

·        Strong financial management, commercial, sales/ marketing, project management & team building skills.  

·        Extensive international experience leading multi-cultural, multi-disciplined teams in multiple geographic locations.  Full P&L accountability for a wide variety of businesses from £10m to £100m turnover including manufacturing both internal and outsourced plus logistics and supply chain.

·        Excellent track record in successful turnarounds, restructuring & building businesses in tough market conditions. Fifteen successful transition projects in the past 20 years with a proven track record in both cost cutting/optimization and top line growth. Strong change leadership skills.

·        Extensive International experience of the Satellite, Mobile, Broadband and Fixed Line Operator Market.

·        Technical awareness of a broad range of Telecom, IT and Electronic technologies and systems

·        Experience of supplying solutions to many market sectors especially Government/ Defence, Aerospace, Oil and Gas, Financial, Media and Broadcast.

·         Extensive experience of both major projects and commoditised products.  Excellent relationship building skills in partnerships, operational & board-level customer relations. Strong consultancy skills

·        Significant experience of 9  international M&A projects, flotation and fundraising programmes working with Investors, Banks and professional advisors

Commercial Experience

2007 to present: Linersh Management Services Ltd

Managing Director - interim management, consultancy and general management services

• Interim Chairman - Bandwidth Technologies/L-Teq, an £8m specialist provider of satellite communications and internet equipment/content employing 26 staff. Appointed by the shareholders to oversee Company turnaround from 1^st June to 30^th October and prepare the company for new investors. Successfully returned to profit, stable cash flow and released from specialist lending.   Sold to new investors Omniglobe Canada in November 2007. Retained as a consultant by Omniglobe and undertaken several market research, business development and project assurance/project implementation activities in 2008.
• Consultant – Surrey Satellite Technologies Ltd.   A leading supplier of small satellite systems.  Undertaking research, strategy and business planning/modelling plus market development activities for new satellite services.  Supplying research, strategy and business modelling services to SSTL clients.
• Interim Project Management to launch a GPRS/3G modem product into the W Africa financial services market.
• Consultancy with US wireless company advising on EMEA start-up.
• Consultancy advising Scandinavian Investors on a telecoms turnaround target and potential UK acquisitions in the engineering sector.
• Due Diligence, research and advice on target technology companies for a Private Equity Company

2000 – 2007: Harris Stratex Networks Inc                                                                

(Formerly Stratex Networks Inc merged in January 2007)

A $600m+ US based company providing transmission infrastructure to fixed line, mobile, broadcast & broadband networks.

Vice President, Europe Middle East & Africa - reporting to the COO and Vice President World Wide Sales and Service in the USA, with P&L accountability for $100m of sales. Maintained stable revenues during a period of severe market change and against intense competition

• Re-engineered business from a central, UK based structure to a network of distributed customer-facing teams. Achieved cost reductions of 40% whilst strengthening cultural alignment with local markets – e.g. language capabilities rose from 2 to 17 languages - hence improved customer relationships & increased customer acquisition.
• Reorganised the Sector into three main Pan - European operating subsidiaries and four MEA subsidiaries, each with a group of Sales/Service Offices in key areas of market activity. In total nine Consultancy, Sales and Project Offices were opened & staffed in a 4 year period. Achieved 40 percent growth in 2006/7 through technical and commercial strategies for 3G and Broadband markets.
• Initiated a major expansion of turnkey project acquisition in MEA region and established project offices in Dubai, Lagos and French West Africa.
• Developed strong supply relationships with FT Group, Vodafone Group, DT Group and Clearwire.
• Introduced major improvements in the management of major projects, systems integration and professional services including a web based tool set that can be shared with customers and implemented a project management system to ISO10006. Successfully implemented TL9000 throughout the Sector.  Services revenue on projects increased by 50 percent and margins by 20 percent between 2004 and 2007. Major improvements in supply chain and logistics.
• Undertaken M&A projects with a view to expanding the penetration of the European market and increasing the product and service portfolio.
• Worked on integration projects in preparation for the merger with Harris MCD.

1989-2000: Nera ASA (formerly ABB Nera & EB Comms)                              

A £350m, publicly quoted manufacturer and major supplier of equipment and services to the fixed line, mobile, broadcast, broadband & satellite communications industry. Total staff 1,400

1997-1999 Vice President Satellite Business Area

• As part of Executive Committee responsible to the Board for the Satellite BA  and led a project with Lehman Brothers to redefine the satellite strategy from 1998 to 2003 as part of a £10m refinancing package with Norwegian Banks and Investors
• Reviewed and restructured 22 satellite related business units and eliminated non-profitable areas.
• Redefined INMARSAT programme for the new spot beam era and consolidated position with INMARSAT
• Development of non-INMARSAT mobile satellite and broadband programmes
• Evaluated strategic options for disposals and mergers of satellite interests leading to:
  • Outsourcing manufacturing to Flextronics.
  • The sale of Nera UK to NSSL Ltd (A consortium of Telenor, Nera and Private Equity)
• Improved BA revenues from £90m to £120m with improved GMs.
• Appointed Chairman of the INMARSAT Manufacturers Association.   This was an industry based organisation that represented the views of the manufacturing and distribution community to the INMARSAT Directorate and Council.

   1994-1999 Special Strategic Projects as part of Nera ASA Executive Committee

• Worked in close association with the Chairman and CEO on a large number of strategic projects and M+A targets in Europe and the USA.

• Participated in the management team that floated Nera on the Oslo BORS and subsequently on the NASDAQ.
• Led the team that acquired CMTL from Continental Microwave Group for £6m and supervised an 18 month £2.5m turnaround/integration programme including restructured manufacturing and new product development.
• Led a brand building programme with Saatchi & Saatchi in preparation for flotation and strategic co-ordination throughout the Nera Group
• Worked on Business Development activities with airlines and aircraft manufacturers to develop Inmarsat Aero services.

1989-2000 Managing Director Nera Ltd

The second largest provider of Satellite Airtime and Terminals employing 40 staff and with a £35m turnover

• Restructured the UK operation eliminated losses during Year 1 and improved management plus quality/efficiency. Built revenue base to £35m and transitioned the company to lower unit price commodity products and airtime.
• Acquired SAIT UK for £500,000 in 1990 to complete radio package and position the company for new GMDSS regulations.
• Acquired satellite business of Nortel (STC) 1992 for £2.5m to create the second largest airtime reseller on the INMARSAT system.
• Acquired 50 percent stake in ICEL Aberdeen for £150k in 1993 subsequently sold to IWL (now Caprock Communications) for £2m in 1997.
• Pioneered new satellite airtime billing technology including internet e-billing in 1998. Worked with INMARSAT to develop the service provider concept and new distribution techniques. Nera Ltd became the first INMARSAT Service Provider.
• Pioneered a wide variety of new applications, systems integration and niche markets for mobile satellite technology inc Media, Financial Services, Government and Corporate/Enterprise
• Nera Ltd was valued at £800,000 in 1990 and sold to a consortium in 1999 for £14m to create NSSL Ltd.
• Launched Nera Microwave products into the UK and obtained a major share of the emerging operator market including the World’s first SDH over radio network for NTL.
• Integrated Nera Ltd into NSSL Ltd and completed UK MOD PFI contract for commercial satcom.

1991-1997 Chairman Nera Gmbh

• Appointed to carry out restructuring and diversification of the business and develop a new strategy to support the Group and turnaround a loss making situation.
• Increased turnover from £2m to £12m in 3 years

1986-1989: Marconi Marine & Offshore Ltd                                                             

A £14m subsidiary of the GEC-Marconi Communications Group involved in offshore and satellite communications.

Sales & Marketing Director

1984-1986: National Radiophone                                                                                

A VC-backed, family-owned business. One of the first service providers in the original Vodafone network. Established 1983. Grew sales from £0.2m to £5m in the period 1984-1986.

General Manager

1982-1984: STC Marine (ITT Europe)                                                                         

UK Sales Manager

Previous career

• 1978-1982 Marketing Manager  Marconi Marine Offshore Division                      
• 1976-1978 Project Manager/Asst Electronics Superintendent Union Castle Line     
• 1972-1978 Radio and Electronics Officer Union Castle Passenger Mail Ships

Professional Institutions

• Member of the Institute of Directors
• Associate of the Institute of Interim Managers
• Chartered Institute of Management

Education and Training

• MBA at University of Surrey – specialist subjects Marketing, Strategic Finance/Change Management AMBA accredited                                                                            

• ABB Zurich Senior Managers Advanced Skills Programme          
• Institute of Directors – Diploma in Company Direction
• BSI Quality Internal Auditors Certificate
• Chelmer Institute/Danbury Management Centre (now Anglian Ruskin University) – HNC Business Studies               
• Marconi College – Satellite & Microwave Engineering Diploma
• Bristol Polytechnic (now University of the West of England)

-MNTB Advanced Electronics Diploma.

-HNC Electronics IEE T. ENG

References & testimonials available upon request.