Case Studies


RBS turns to Russam GMS for turnaround expert to rescue global slate supplier business

One of our key areas of expertise is sourcing high level turnaround experts who can lead businesses through periods of change, upheaval and transformation to ensure they have a profitable and sustainable future. One recent turnaround project was for a global supplier of a high quality slate for upmarket building projects, sold primarily through architects and also directly to builders. We were appointed by RBS to source the ideal candidate able to inject specialist turnaround help to the business - as a very close support to the Managing Director.

The slate company had for 20 years run a successful business importing Spanish slate from Spain to sell to large companies like Jewson. However, a few years ago it purchased a slate quarry in Argentina which had started to consume a significant amount of cash and the subsequent arrival of the recession caused a major fall in turnover resulting in a major strain on working capital.

The resulting shortage of cash brought the company under the review of their banker’s (RBS) Global Restructuring Department whose preferred option of providing the best support was to ask Russam GMS to put forward a shortlist of commercially minded finance directors who could work with their client.

Tony Morgan, an interim finance director with over 10 years’ interim experience working with businesses with similar challenges was selected from a shortlist of four. RBS made it clear that strict confidentiality between Tony and the company would be respected. There was an urgent requirement for Tony to get the financial management under control which included focusing on cash management and stock reduction. It was also important for him to manage the perceptions, expectations and anxieties of the various stakeholders managing the business.

Tony made some key changes. He helped the company cut back expenditure, sell to the local market in South America rather than export to the UK and reduce stock pressures. He also improved cash flow reporting, forecasts and budgets and helped the incumbent financial controller prepare prompt management accounts.

Within months, significant improvements became very visible and with business in the sector starting to pick up, the company, which had certainly never considered Interim Management before – and probably never heard of it – was able to turn its attention to new and exciting opportunities now opening up for the company.


All Change at UCL Records Department

PDF version of this case study here

When UCL’s Records Manager was approaching retirement, it turned to the UK’s longest established Interim Provider, Russam GMS, to find the ideal candidate to run the department in her absence.

With over 25 years’ experience of working in the information management outsourcing sector, and with extensive general and commercial management experience, Interim Manager David Booth was recommended and subsequently hired. The assignment started as a gap management role but it evolved considerably, with David using his skills to improve records management across UCL.

David modernised the department – redefining key job roles, changing a number of business processes and ensuring they were in line with government regulations. He also introduced new technology to improve the way university records are stored securely on and off site.

He conducted a full departmental review and noticed that the methods of updating and storing the records could be improved and the department needed to promote its services more effectively to other departments. He also wanted to change the team structure in order to share the workloads across the department more efficiently.

Following the review, David recommended that the department did not need to hire additional staff and that the work could be shared out within the department. Next, he centralised University records and tightened up the process of storing data, increasing data security and making it easier for people to retrieve records. David also improved the security around the transportation of data and records between departments and to off site locations.

He reviewed all the existing data storage processes to ensure UCL was compliant with new government regulations surrounding data protection. He also held a series of workshops advising colleagues on the data protection policy and later introduced several new online data storage processes to reflect these regulations.

A new Electronic Document Records management system was being introduced at UCL and David also acted as key advisor to a working group involved in the implementation of the new system. He also redefined training courses for staff in Records Management, Data Protection, and Freedom of Information.

He broadened the range of assets that could be stored securely in an off-site storage facility. Traditionally, the facility was reserved for paper documents however, in the future it would include other items of value, for example, rock specimens from the Earth Sciences department and electronic storage media.

David says, “By offering wider skills and greater experience than a conventional Records Manager, I was able to effect change more easily. My background in Electronic Data Records Management enabled me to provide expertise in modern techniques and it helped me break down long standing work practices.”


HM Revenue & Customs Employs Interim Senior Business Partner for senior gap management

Interim Managers are often employed to fill a recruitment gap and ensure that an organisation continues to operate smoothly and ongoing projects are not held up.

One such Interim is Richard Harding, an Interim HR Director, who was employed by HM Revenue & Customers for a five month period in its personal taxes division to start some major strategic initiatives before the permanent employee started.

Richard had two key areas of responsibility. One was strategic direction – he was called upon to work with senior business partners to align HR more closely to the department’s business goals. He had to understand the business goals imperatives and then contribute to a long term HR strategy that could achieve them, incorporating elements such as resourcing, workforce planning, talent management and succession. His task was to lay the foundations for a top level HR plan which would be in place by the time his successor arrived and provide a solid platform on which she could build.

The second part of his role was the supervision and direction of 15 junior HR partners who were mainly working at a tactical HR issues. This included looking at attendance management, filling short-term recruitment gaps, grievance and disciplinary procedures and industrial relations. Richard’s role was to work with these junior partners, whose experience varied widely. His challenge was to assist them with the plethora of daily HR challenges, whilst also encouraging them to adopt a more strategic approach to wider, long term, HR issues. Richard’s goal was to change the way in which the junior partners worked, giving them new skills and knowledge of how to operate at a more strategic level.

“Despite the fact that I was filling in a recruitment gap and in place for a relatively short period of time, I still had important goals to achieve. I had to get the ‘buy-in’ of senior managers and business partners very quickly; understand their objectives and then make significant changes to the structure of HR and to the ways in which people worked. Working as an Interim is a bit like jumping on a moving train; you have to get up to speed very quickly in order to make a practical contribution to the organisation.”

“There was a real need to close the gap between strategy and implementation. My experience of working in the public sector and in the Royal Air Force for 27 years certainly helped me as I understand how HR works in the sector. Moreover, I recognised where there might be areas of resistance to change and how we could overcome such challenges.”

Richard’s priority was to work to the brief set by the business directors and ensure that the strategic HR plan was aligned to their goals. As a result, he was able to pass on to his successor a series of pragmatic solutions that could be built on in the longer term.

He concludes “It was a great experience. Interims have to add value quickly; but also learn to let go at the end of the contract. You are only there for a short, intensive, period”.


All change at the Ministry of Justice

Experienced Interim, Jill Griggs, has been appointed as an Interim Business Change Manager at the Ministry of Justice on a project that will run until Autumn 2009. Her work involves a major and strategic programme of change in HMCS, which will also lead to a major IT rollout in 2010. The project has the capability of transforming the civil and family courts business, and is essential to the delivery of the HMCS Business strategy

Jill’s public sector Interim Management experience has developed from working on both sides of the world. For several years, she worked as a consultant on leading government projects in New Zealand, before coming to the UK.

She firmly believes that the key challenge for any Interim new working in the public sector is to understand the way projects are run, the frameworks and the processes involved, such as Gateway reviews. “Having the ability to understanding the intricacies of public sector processes is run is critical for any Interim Manager, as we are employed to deliver from day one. I find taking on big strategic projects a real challenge but I love learning new things and I am good at seeing the bigger picture. What’s more, I now prefer working in the public sector as opposed to a commercial organisation as I feel like I am giving something back.”


An Independent outlook pays dividends in the public sector

Interim Manager, Fiona Tordoff, has been working at the Department of Communities and Local Government to co-ordinate the agreement of its strategic priorities framework for the next three years.

Fiona’s role was to bring together 11 Government departments and the nine regional Government Offices at two conferences, where representatives would discuss their priorities and how they would be like them to be implemented on a national and local level across the UK.

In the past, each department would hold separate meetings and with each department having different processes and planning mechanisms, it was difficult to get unanimous agreement about how to proceed. The goal was for the Department of Communities and Local Government to significantly facilitate the ‘joined up’ policy approach with every Department and Government Office understanding the bigger picture and working consistently towards the regional implementation of national policy..

Fiona’s first conference was attended by around 70 delegates and besides designing the day, she facilitated all the meetings, debates and question and answer sessions. The second conference to finalise the agreements attracted a greater number of delegates as word had spread that the process of negotiating priorities in conference format was not only worthwhile, but also enjoyable.

“One of my strengths as an Interim Manager was my impartiality. I had a totally independent outlook which helped me gain the trust of representatives of the different Government departments and regions. I also have a great deal of experience managing large scale, participative events and importantly, I understand how groups work. I really enjoy the challenge of getting to the heart of the issue – if a group starts to have heated debates, that is when I feel like we are really tackling the problem and this is what my work is all about,” stated Fiona.


Interim Sarah Hadley thrives on working as Interim in Financial services sector

Sarah Hadley, aged 36, has been working as an Interim Business Consultant in the financial services sector since 2004. Prior to this, she had held strategy roles in the UK business of Australian insurance company AMP, and at Arthur Andersen.

Sarah’s departure from AMP following the demerger of its UK and Australian businesses at the end of 2003 provided her with an opportunity to reassess her career options, and following a six week trip to Australia she decided to embark on a career as an Interim business consultant specialising in strategic/regulatory projects in the financial services sector. She commenced her interim career at Zurich Financial Services and really enjoyed the greater independence, flexibility and emphasis on delivery associated with working as an Interim manager.

From there, she undertook an 18 month assignment at Royal Sun Alliance, focusing on achieving Prudential Sourcebook and Sarbannes Oxley compliance, and then took a career break to have a baby. On her return to the workforce, Sarah was appointed by investment bank, NM Rothschild to run its Basel II compliance programme, which required the application of both technical regulatory and project management expertise.

These roles are typical of the many projects that Sarah has worked on in her consulting life - she finds that her background in business strategy and regulation lends itself naturally to Interim work.

“I love the challenge of working as an Interim Manager in the financial services industry and I am completely driven by the focus on getting things done. You have to hit the ground running and deliver on time and I thrive in that kind of environment - I have also found that there is scope to work on a part-time basis – as long as I deliver! – enabling me to achieve an excellent work-family life balance,” she said.

“Project work in the financial services sector is hugely stimulating and varied, hard work and of course, financially very rewarding – I don’t think I could ever go back to permanent employment,” she added.

The Challenge...

Like many charities, Forest YMCA had focused more on service delivery than its business over recent years. As a result, whilst it was still performing good works, money was running out and its head office and its accommodation and facilities were all in need of transformation. If the charity was going to continue to operate effectively in the future, a major change was required. The charity also needed a new CEO to lead them and to deliver the changes.

Whilst searching for a new CEO, Forest YMCA contacted Russam GMS – a leading provider of interims managers in the non-profit sector to find an interim replacement. The company recommended Keith Drew who had previously worked in several senior executive positions and his experience also included a five year period at a Christian Charity for Church of England Children’s Homes in Sydney Australia.

On 23rd of October 2006, Keith Drew began his assignment. He undertook a strategic review of the entire organisation and realised he had a major challenge on his hands – change was needed in every part of the organisation.

Without cutting any of the vital services the YMCA provides, Keith was tasked with turning the charity into a viable business organisation and moving it from financial neutrality and deficit into profit, whilst simultaneously raising standards. He put together a plan to restructure every facet of the organisation, which was accepted by a responsive and enthusiastic board of YMCA directors.

Operationally, Keith split the organisation in two, creating a Welfare division which focused on delivering services, and a Corporate services division focusing on internal back offices functions. Both divisions were now accountable for their businesses operations, while being integrated into a public facing organisation.

The Welfare services division immediately started to improve the services it offered, giving its 160 residents a dedicated entrance to their accommodation, which wasn’t shared by the public and a 24 hour dedicated reception to cater for residents’ needs day or night.

A major refurbishment programme is also underway, which will modernise the YMCA’s accommodation, restaurant and sports facilities, which had not been updated for many years. By October 2007, the YMCA will benefit from new modern interiors providing a far higher standard of living for its residents, and for its public customers.

Keith has restructured many of the roles at the YMCA to focus more on service delivery. Resident support officers no longer have to deal with administration so they can work with residents full time, helping them to learn how to live independently and prepare them to leave the hostels to live independently, which is the charity’s ultimate mission. He has appointed another resettlement worker, which is a major benefit for residents.

To help boost the morale of internal employees, the offices in Walthamstow are also being refurbished which will also reflect the new modern approach of the YMCA.

Charles Stokes, HR Director at Forest YMCA commented, “Keith has brought a fresh perspective, direction and structure to the YMCA. He has focused on results and was able to assess our problems and fix them with remarkable speed. We now are now looking like a modern charity with a long term future. Thanks to Keith, we are confident that we are in a strong financial position to build on our charitable work and help more young people thrive in communities in the UK and around the world. Thanks to his remarkable job, we are no longer looking for a new CEO and we are delighted to have employed Keith for another 18 months.”

A Very Royal Engagement

One of the main attractions of life as an interim manager is the change of scene and chance to work in different and more stimulating environments. Not many assignments however, are quite as grand as the Royal School of Needlework at Hampton Court, where finance manager, Vaughan Williams is working as an interim finance manager.

The Royal School of Needlework (RSN) is an exciting, forward-looking organisation which is dedicated to keeping the art of hand embroidery alive in the 21st Century. It offers a unique education in embroidery. Following a three year technical Diploma Course, highly skilled professional embroiderers are equipped to work in a commercial Studio, or follow a career in fashion or textile art and design. It also offers shorter classes to anyone with an interest in learning embroidery, from beginners to more advanced level students. The RSN’s own Studio carries out varied commissions including the design and production of contemporary work and the conservation of textiles. Many pieces worked on in the Studio are of national importance.

Vaughan relishes working in such a unique and artistic environment. He also loves the fact that his office is located in such an historic and picturesque setting and that he can enjoy the views of the palace's beautiful gardens from his office.

His main job functions at the School are the financial and management accounting and payroll and one of the key challenges that he faced was to modernise the existing financial systems, many of which were manual. One of the difficulties was the time constraints placed upon him. The School is a small charity and as such, could only afford to employ Vaughan three days a week, instead of five.

However, undeterred, Vaughan upgraded the Sage accounting software and added Sage Intelligent Reporting within the given time period. By automating these systems, he has reduced the amount of resource needed in the accounting function, whilst making the accounting processes and management reporting much faster and less complex.

He has also prepared the latest financial estimates for the year and will be completing a budget for 2007-08. He reviewed the VAT partial exemption calculations and made some taxation savings of around £1,000 a year, which is a big financial bonus for the charity.

Vaughan has now been with the School for almost five months and soon it will be time to hand over his role to a permanent finance manager. He is ensuring that his skills are being transferred to his successor and to other staff members. He has enjoyed working in such a great environment and certainly won't forget his Royal engagement.

Stephen Brooker, Chairman of the Charities Practice at Russam GMS said, "As Vaughan has clearly demonstrated, Interim managers can bring a fresh perspective and new ways of doing things. He has not only improved the School's existing financial systems, which will save a great deal of time and money, he has made genuine financial savings in other areas. Vaughan will stay on to ensure that his successors fully understand the new systems he has created, so the School can continue to improve its financial status and can benefit from the changes that have been implemented for many years to come."