A bit about me...
In 1991, as we were about to nosedive into recession (a bit like now!) and WW III was imminent, I jointly led the MBO of Taunton Cider for £72.5 million, floated it the following year for £153 million and sold it three years later for £ 280 million. This was one of the first "mega-buyouts" in the UK.
Since 1996, as a portfolio chairman, I have been brought in by various private equity funds and banks to grapple with a string of companies in various states of financial health.
I have chaired two publicly-quoted companies; the drinks company Merrydown on the main market and the security business Photo-Scan on AIM. Both were challenging assignments and both had happy endings with shareholders receiving a handsome premium by new owners as recommended takeovers were achieved.
Based on my serial experiences of MBO's and MBI's in the UK I wrote "MBOs a handbook for management teams: lessons from the front-line" which has surprisngly sold well since its publication in the summer of 2005. I believe it is still the only book aimed at management teams written by a serial manager. There are now plans to publish further afield. Click here to view the book
Probably as a result of the book I have been asked in recent years to speak and several conferences and latterly to chair events for Real Deals, Directorbank and the CBI. I was appointed a special lecturer at Nottingham University's Business School in 2007 and bore the students on the MBA programme with war stories about private equity and MBOs.
I have also served as a non-executive director for the city law firm Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Gates since 1998.
A great love of mine is cricket and since 2002 served as Deputy Chairman at Somerset County Cricket Club. Following the elevation of Giles Clarke to the chair at the ECB I was honoured to succeed him as chairman in Jnauary this year. Following a root and branch review and overhaul in 2003 the club has achieved substantial success on and off the field. An ambitious development of the famous County Ground in Taunton is now underway.
My other sporting passion is skiing and for a few weeks each winter, I serve as a ski-guide in Switzerland for the Ski Club of Great Britain. I am still married to my long-suffering wife and we have four children. We live in Somerset and escape to Spain when we can.
