Turnaround & Growth Specialist

(World's oldest Development Finance Inst. - wholly owned by the Govt of UK). (3 years) Coverage Director - Africa. Reporting to the MD & Head of Africa

Key Responsibilities priorities as input into the investment teams and to support IC discussions.
* Develop CDC country perspectives that articulate the macro dynamics and national development priorities as input into the investment teams and to support IC discussions.
* Map the leading local businesses and top promoter groups across sectors.
* Originate proprietary deals across all CDC sectors and direct equity and debt investment products.
* Assist London deal teams during deal due diligence and execution and portfolio management activities.
* Assist with implementation of the post-investment action plans developed by Development Impact (DI), Environmental and Social (E&S), Business Integrity (BI) teams

Value addition & Accomplishment (to date)
* Setup the East African Subsidiary for CDC in Nairobi, Kenya
* Played a leading Turnaround and Restructuring role in a large Industrial Business
* Played a lead role in a ‘Regional Family Business Mapping’ exercise
* Led the South-South Investment Platform coordinating the S.E. Asia & Africa Offices
* Worked on multiple investment strategies for Ethiopia across multiple sectors
* Raised 8 Proprietary Deals from Tech, FMCG, Industrials, Packaging and & Pharma Sectors

Transaction Engagements (completed & ongoing)
* Large Multi-country African Cement Business - Equity investment
* First Large-format high-end Industrial Warehousing Business - Equity investment
* First African Medical Cyclotron Project - Equity investment
* Multi-country Industrial Chemicals Business - Equity investment (ongoing)

(Industrial Group engaged in FMCG, Tea, Coffee, Edible Oil & Distribution). (2yrs-7mth) - Reporting to the Group Chairman & MD
Largest Ethiopian Industrial Group (Family-held). Businesses aggregate to > $ 200 million in annual sales. Businesses:
* Largest integrated FMCG operations (JV with Tiger Brands South Africa).
* Agri - Edible Oil production + 2000 Ha of Tea & Processed Coffee.
* Industrial - Coal Mining, Cement, Real Estate

Value addition & Accomplishment
* Identifying a Family Business successor and grooming him for future leadership.
* Assessed historical performance and performed a detailed market scan for each business to create opportunity windows. Focused on correcting leadership gaps and resource restructuring. This is now being used as a blueprint for 2020 Growth Strategies.
* Rectified major areas of ‘value erosion’ in matters related to existing important JVs by playing a strong restorative role from the Board in terms of operational & strategic guidance.
* Improved operation performance across business through implementation of strong KPIs. Reviewed the Growth-myth and prepared the group companies to achieve Top & Bottom-line growth > 25%, in a market with GDP growth around 10%.
* Added Export-thrust to Cement and Coffee businesses to hedge severe Forex shortages.
* Acquired an edible oil business from the Govt Privatization process.
* Launched a groundnut-farming project.
* Launched a branded Arabica Coffee “Black Lion”.
* Launched a large Refinery-cum-Oleo chemical project (greenfield)

Transaction Engagements
* Led a PE-backed JV with an International Cosmetics & Oral Care company – Equity+Debt
* Led Share Buy-back Process from an International JV partner - Equity+Debt
* Led and Investment Banker guided PE Exit transaction in a Cement Business - Equity

(ISO 9001 Project Mgmt. & Consulting Firm ~ USD 125 mn) - Reporting to the Group Chairman & MD

Value addition & Accomplishment
* STARTUP - Set up the African Subsidiary & Branch for parent Company from scratch. - a complete Projects & Management Advisory Organization. Set up a core organization in < 60 days to start operations.
* M&A ADVISORY – Advised multiple existing / new businesses of 5 PE Firms operating in the region. Portfolio companies were advised on pre & post acquisition issues in several M&As.
* PROJECTS – Submitted 7 bids in Yr-1, for Energy, Sanitation and Transport projects funded by various donors. Positioned as L1 in 3 bids. Received Letter of Award for a USD 28 million Project funded by the World Bank. This breakthrough was achieved within 10 months of incorporation.

Annual business ~ USD 55 million. Four manufacturing locations (2 in Tanzania, 1 in Kenya and 1 in India) employing over 1000 people. One of the largest and most diverse producers in the EAC for Beverage Crates, PET Preforms, Closures, Thin-walled Containers, Retail Merchandising Units, Furniture, Containers, Storage Tanks, Pipes, Household goods & Writing instruments. Leader in most of the product segments. Approved suppliers to MNC clients like Unilever, Coca Cola, CCSabco, Pepsico, SABMiller and other regional brands. Business is spread across Tanzania Malawi, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, Burundi, Congo & India. Both B2B & B2C.

Value Addition & Accomplishment
* GROWTH & CONSOLIDATION - Integrating the businesses of Tanzania, Kenya & India. Consolidated four Plastics business companies under one entity – SILAFRICA, for listing in the Kenyan Stock Exchange & other M&A. Added all Brewers and Bottlers in the EAC as customers without any ‘conflict of interest’. Added new product categories – PET preforms & Closures.
* VALUE CREATION - Achieved Record Top-line & EBIDTA Growth in the year 2010. Created a new JV with a Danish Firm Simgas BV for Plastic-molded, Biogas digesters. Implemented ‘Views’ – a Balance Scorecard Software across the 4 divisions and 3 countries. Received President’s Manufacturer of the Year Award in TZ for 2008, 2009 & 2010.

(Large Group in East Africa - diversified interest in Plastics, Pharma, Trading, Food and other FMCG. Group turnover ~ USD 200mn)
Annual business turnover ~ USD 40 million. Two manufacturing companies employing around 500 people. The largest integrated producer in the EAC for Detergents, Toothpaste and Soaps. Leaders in Tanzania and ahead of large MNCs like Unilever and P&G. Brands being sold in Tanzania and exported to Malawi, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, Burundi, Congo & Mozambique. Export Sales 15%.

Value addition & Accomplishment
* LEADERSHIP - fought tooth and nail with Unilever, P&G, Henkel and other regional Brands in order to maintain market-share leadership in the entire ‘wash-care’ segment. Export Sales grew from 9 to 15%. Toothpaste market share from 10% in 2005 to 18% 2007. Added a Trading Division to import and distribute branded consumer goods to Retail clients. Products – Rubicon Juices, Nutro Biscuits, Philips Lighting, PROMOS (FMCG). Received the Prestigious ‘SUPERBRAND’ Award for a leading Detergent brand in East Africa.
* TURNAROUND - Instituted Balanced Scorecard methodology for creating a Strategy Focused Organization. Divested the business in March 2008, after turning around an ailing business and booking an excellent gain for the shareholders. Created an exit for PE partners – Aureos East Africa.

Promoted as Assistant Director in 2002, reporting to the Group Chairman.

Value addition & Accomplishment
* Lead and grow a 1-yr old direct-marketing company using the firm’s captive 7,00,000 salesmen to market & sell a wide range of consumer products – Around 8000 SKUs were either outsourced from 3P manufacturers. Craft this as a leading business in India.
* Turnover during the 3 consecutive financial years were Rs. 540, 750 & 1100 million resp.
* After two years, launched a chain of 45 multi-city small-format stores under the brand of “Sahara Unique” in the A & B class cities for the first time India. Sahara Unique was launched as a test before the retail initiative of the Group assumed larger business relevance. Setting up 39 outlets in just one year.
* Designing the entire Retail Business for the Group, from a scratch-pad. Designed larger branded environments as ‘Sahara Mall’, 3,00,000 sqft. and the ‘Ganj Mall’, 4,00,000 sqft. Planned further Retail expansion designed under the ‘City Homes’ Township project to create a total retail space of around 40 – 50 million sqft in two phases over 5 years. In support, this SBU created the blueprint of integrated ‘Food Parks’ to act as the supply chain for the City Homes. This included: - Pure Drinking Water, Dairy Products, Organic Farm Produce, Poultry Products, Bakery Products, Aquaculture Products, Processed Food.
* As Head of Business, and the initiator of the retail business, was responsible for the overall P&L of the business and for guiding teams on: - Concept design, Product & Packaging design, Supply chain functions, Equipment suppliers, IT implementation, Environmental & Occupational Health, Consumer value mechanisms. Developed in-house Point of Sale Software named ‘Unique-POS’.

(JV with Ho Sung Company)

Value addition & Accomplishment
* Set up a USD 14 million, 100% EOU (Export Oriented Unit) Greenfield Project for the manufacture of Medical Disposables & Personal Care Products. Created a complete organization.
* Directly accountable for International marketing & creating strategic relationships with Private-label, Institutional and Trade buyers worldwide.
* Sailing through the Company’s IPO to play a relevant role with the Public, Private & Institutional Investors in order to comply with pre & post IPO requirements.
* Time-bound Project management & Commercialization of a start-up industry. Managing the JV-alliance with barriers of language, culture and understanding.
* Created India’s largest Integrated Surgical Dressings Unit as a 100% EOU. Positioned the Business as a global source of quality products in the South East Asia region.
* Time-bound Project management & Commercialization of a start-up industry. Managing the JV-alliance with barriers of language, culture and understanding.
* Created India's largest Integrated Surgical Dressings Unit as a 100% EOU. Positioned the Business as a global source of quality products in the South East Asia region.

(JV with Beiersdorf AG)
Joined as Plant Manager. Promoted as General Manager (Operations) in 1991
Beiersdorf India is a part of the large German MNC Beiersdorf AG, with well-known international brands like Nivea & Handyplast. Key responsibility was operations management of all owned & contract manufacturing sites in India. As a part of the Core Asia-Pacific team, played an active role in designing Marketing Plans & Product Management support in the region. Managed the Operations of this business for SIX years, before moving to AEC to assume profit-center responsibility.

Value addition & Accomplishment
* Convert a family-owned licensee manufacturing business to a Joint-venture operation. Merged three Small Scale Industries into one integrated production facility which was similar to any world-class unit within Beiersdorf AG's international system.
* Designed a World-class R&D Centre, introduced a number of new products, formulations & promotion campaigns.

(JV with Isoflex & IVF, Switzerland)
Joined as: Technologist. Promoted to the position of Assistant Manager

The company launched an SBU in the name of Curadia, for manufacturing and marketing a range of international quality wound management & other OTC healthcare products. Key accountabilities covered Project management, Technology absorption, Costing, Product management and Sales support.

(India’s largest Nylon & PET fiber Producer)
Joined as: Shift Engineer. Promoted to the position of Jr. Manager

First job after completing Engineering degree. Hands-on factory production-floor management experience.