Work History

Managing Director                         IBA Ltd                        2006 to date

§         Established a small, highly focused and independent Consultancy company, to meet emerging public sector business needs

§         Projects include development of corporate Access to Services strategies and plans, reorganisation of Departments, review of major outsourcing contract, and facilitating improved LA front and back office working arrangements.

Managing Director                         ESP Ltd                        1999-2006

§         Creating and leading one of the Country’s pre-eminent specialist consultancies, supporting local authorities to achieve improved customer outcomes, BVPI’s, CPA ratings and efficiency

§         Providing advice, strategy, and taking direct ownership of failing services to restore performance and customer confidence, in many authorities, whilst providing similar expertise to support over 150 local authorities.

§         Leading Members and Chief Officers in determining an agreed strategic vision, appropriate service direction, shape and speed of travel, and generally raising their service performance to new levels

§         Called upon to directly negotiate and re-negotiate service contracts with key suppliers (e.g. Capita, EDS, Vertex, ITNET/Serco, Liberata, HBS etc.)

§         Provided strategic & HR guidance to Council’s in identifying deliverable service efficiencies and creating the culture/environment for continuous improvement, often requiring advice on corporate business planning as well as tactical change

§         Responsibility for major projects, including the return of many outsourced services to LA control, as well as major IT developments (Financial systems, DIP, mobile, CRM etc.), and business process re-engineering

§         Aiding many local authorities in meeting the challenges posed by consistently changing legislation/regulation, and integrating these successfully into efficient customer outcomes

§         Developing financial & HR strategies, planning and reliable business cases to facilitate service transformation and improvement, with (unusually) direct ownership of major multi-million pound budgets throughout many assignments

Service Delivery Manager                        ITNET                           1998-1999

§         Responsible for strategic development and service delivery within, arguably, the most acute LA service in the UK

§         Responsible for £8m pa budget (then) and 260 direct staff

§         Improved key performance measures and customer focus in one of the most socially deprived and culturally mixed authorities in London

§         Successfully migrated and implemented major new IT systems

§         Restructured the organisation, building a more customer focused yet performance managed environment

Chief Benefits Officer                      Westminster                1988-1998

Assistant Divisional Director (Housing)

§         Achieved major service improvements and productivity gains within one of the most highly pressured boroughs in London to become 1^st or 2^nd in London for most service measures

§         Responsible for 146 staff, £130m in payments (then) and a customer base of 33,500 with a huge hostel/hotel and private sector

§         Built genuinely progressive and productive relationships with all major stakeholders, both internal (e.g. Members, staff) and external (e.g. DSS/DWP, Benefits Agency, RSL’s, NACAB, Aid Agencies)

§         Reported directly to Chief Executive, and sat as part of his senior management team

§         Successfully led an active and discreet dialogue with the Department of Social Security (DSS, now DWP) to develop new legislation and Regulation

§         Acted as internal consultant to other Departments, Council’s (including Lambeth) and even the private sector

§         Represented the Association of London Government on the Housing Benefit Standing Committee and Finance Working Groups for many years.

§         Became strategic advisor to the DSS/DWP, National Audit Office and Audit Commission

Head of Policy (HB/CTB Fraud)                       DSS/DWP                     1995-1996

§         First LA secondment to advise Ministers on strategic direction and provide insight into LA issues

§         Personally responsible for developing and implementing the ‘Verification Framework’ strategy to tackle HB/CTB fraud, also adopted by the Benefits Agency

§         Negotiated public expenditure round (PES) for Department with the Treasury

§         Represented the DSS at the Social Security Select Committee

§         Directly advised Ministers privately and within the Houses of Commons/Lords

Area Manager (& Other Roles)            Peter Cox/SGB/Mowlem   1979-1988

§         Direct sales, service, organisational recovery and financial troubleshooting within a range of building services businesses

§         Key involvement in sales and profit development, new business creation and acquisitions

Graduate Trainee                Lloyds Bank                                      1977-1979

§         Undertook a range of core banking processes and duties, handling securities, through to customer sign-up and basic lending

Education

BA (Hons) Political Economics          Council for National Academic Awards                                  (CNAA)

Ordinary National Diploma in Business Studies       Boston College

§          

Membership of other Organisations

2007 to date        Chairman                            ESP Advance Ltd

2005 to date       School Governor                  Myatt Garden Primary School

2005 to date        Non Executive Director       Snow Rebel Ltd

2004 to date        Non Executive Director       Pontio Ewrop Cyf