Rupert has over 20 years experience in helping organisations improve business performance predominantly in manufacturing, aerospace and B2B services ranging from family owned businesses to FTSE 250 and government departments.
He started his career in military construction and then went on to work for a consulting start-up in retail before moving into the operational strategy and business transformation teams at PWC, Logicaand EY. He then took up the role of business change director for the UK’s largest retirement homes builder and saw the business through private equity exit and listing as a PLC. More recently he has been working with an industrial parts distributor to reset the commercial and operating cost model; with a national roofing supplier to stream line the business and establish an inbound telesales team; and with a private equity-owned transportation business to deliver rapid EBIT improvement.
Rupert’s Specialities:
Rupert is passionate about helping others achieve things they didn’t think possible, doing so in a way that they feel good about, and critically, have the confidence to take long term ownership. His broad experience enables him to bring together different functional areas of the organisation to be clear on desired outcomes, develop a plan, implement it and making it stick. He has sat on various leadership teams and steering groups providing objective challenge and focus, as well as personal accountability fordelivery. Rupert has a particular technical focus on developing future operating models, understanding the needs of the customer, and delivering quantifiable improvements to the operating costs of a business.
Some of Rupert’s Projects:
Operating model transformation
As transformation director I worked with the £350m Divisional exec team of a FTSE250 roofing products business to deliver a portfolio of top line and working capital improvement initiatives, and in doing so set the foundations for the culture of the business to move from product-led to customer-led. Operationally, we streamlined the branch network and implemented hub & spoke distribution that delivered £14m cost saving; reset working capital controls to deliver £6m net improvement; worked with senior sales team to reset sales operating model; and established an in- bound call centre providing technical advice and a further sales channel.
Improving customer experience and business performance
Established a customer improvement programme at UK’s largest retirement homes builder from the construction site through to owner occupation. Focused on raising quality standards through better process control, individuals taking personal ownership, understanding how behaviours impact perceptions and how to recover customer trust. Collectively this lead to the business maintaining its industry five star homebuilder’s rating. Then focused on improving cost base across the build cycle through better commercial processes and controls that delivered £12m+ savings.
Pricing strategy
Worked with a industrial parts distributor to reset and simplify pricing strategy in favour of fewer tariffs mapped to streamlined product and customer groups. This gave better control and predictability of cash flow, while at the same time enabled better commercial terms to be established with suppliers and customers through economies of scale and product rationalisation.
Coaching
Working with a middle manager individual on a fast track career progression at a FTSE250 construction business to design and implement a new approach to shared services.