A European packaging business, owned by a London Private Equity firm, was threatening to become loss-making. The reasons for this were unclear and the PE owners had lost confidence in the CEO. They asked us to find a COO to investigate the issues.

The Interim Manager’s first task was to identify where the problem lay – in sales, manufacturing or marketing. In fact, it was all those things but the core problem was that the CEO was too distant from the operations, he was overstating the pipeline and the business had got away from him.

We provided a multi-skilled former management consultant, with extensive experience in both Packaging and FMCG, who could make a root and branch review of the business, create a turnaround plan and drive the required outcomes.

With the support of our partners, our interim manager turned around the firm, increasing profitability of sales, creating efficiencies in production and the company ended up being sold at a profit.

The outcome was that the business was a success, jobs, the company and customers were all saved and our client, the PE firm, got a sale at profit. Having completed the task, our Interim Manager left prior to the disposal.

What differentiated us? We provided the right, perhaps the only, person who could complete the task. Our understanding of clients is only matched by the strength of our network of Interim Managers.

Interim Managers have specialist abilities, not often found amongst the Executive teams of most businesses. They have a unique double skill – the in-depth knowledge of their business discipline and the experience, methodologies and smarts to apply it to their client’s particular problem.

Talk to us about the value Interim Management could create for your business.