Stephen

Name

Stephen

Position

Non-Executive Director / Board Advisor / Mentor

Location

Kent / SE London

Big Business Experience

Associated British Foods

Rank Hovis McDougall

Small Business Experience

The Bread Roll Company

Bremhill Industries

Summary

Stephen has spent all his working life running businesses, he knows what is required for businesses to grow and be successful.

In 1995 he bought a food business from the Receivers and built the business up twice using two different business models. The business was sold to a private equity company in 2015. He then spent four years integrating the business into the new group.

The practical experience of managing and growing an SME and then selling it means that Stephen can help other SMEs who need advice and guidance to do the same.

Qualifications

  • London Business School MBA 1985 – 1987
  • University of London Post Graduate Certificate of Education. 1978 – 1979
  • University of Sussex. BA 1974 – 1978
  • Institute of Directors. Role of Non Executive directors course
  • British Safety Council. Health and Safety for directors course

Key Areas of Expertise

  • Business Development.
  • Financial management and cost control
  • Leadership and team building. How to build a positive business culture.
  • New Product Development.
  • Customer relationship management
  • Quality management and building a quality mindset.
  • Business strategy and building competitive advantage

Experience

Business Development

Stephen has excellent experience and knowledge of how to build a profitable and growing SME .He has built businesses from scratch and brought on board major blue chip customers such as Sainsburys, Tesco, Aldi, Asda, Compass, Mitchell and Butler and Hello Fresh.

Strong Financial Control

He has good experience on how to embed tight financial controls into a business. Timely and detailed management reporting and creating a cost conscious environment are key. Control of cash flow via good management of debtors and creditors is vital.

Leadership and Team Building

Stephen has identified and recruited strong senior management teams. Teams need to be motivated, incentivised, and allowed to carry out their responsibilities but be held accountable. Teams need to be strengthened and enlarged as a business grows. As an   experienced leader Stephen can help with this process.

New Product Development

He has built NPD teams who can create new products that can provide new sources of income and differentiate new product from competitors. This includes starting a new brand from scratch and getting it listed in a major supermarket.