Entrepreneurship

 

As a second generation entrepreneur, it’s something that exists in my DNA. I have never been afraid to put a project or business idea forward, or to pursue it and put my own neck on the block to see if a venture will sink or swim. However, that doesn’t mean that to be an entrepreneur you have to be reckless, and I believe passionately in pursuing ventures with a high degree of research and planning while ensuring that opportunities have sufficient financial resources and reserves to thrive and weather adverse market conditions should they present themselves.

Leadership & Strategic Vision

 

With a solid record of leadership and strategic vision in business, I would describe myself as a natural born leader, and I have always found it relatively easy to inspire people to follow my lead and join my teams or ventures. I would be nothing without my strategic vision though, and I feel that it is very important to have an appreciation of the big picture, while being able to focus on the finer details as and when a business or project requires. It is equally important to give your teams the ability to breath and thrive through delegation while engendering trust in their own capabilities and ability to grow as both a team or as individuals.

Revenues

 

I believe in strong revenues and profits, with a sensible approach to cost efficiencies. I do not believe in unnecessarily squeezing suppliers for unreasonable discounts or price gouging clients or consumers. I am experienced in research, planning and financial analysis in order to project and forecast realistic and deliverable revenue streams for products, services and ventures.

Sales Management

 

I have always had an ability to identify the best products to sell as an agent or services to provide as a supplier, and I have enjoyed success during my career in this regard. While there are quality products and services that seemingly, ‘sell themselves’, a focus on equally high quality customer service is key. I am particularly experienced in B2B sales management, though as CEO, I defined the B2C strategy for identifying, growing and retaining the audience for AVTN NewsNet24⁷. I’m no snake-oil-salesman, and I don’t pretend to be able to sell coals to Newcastle.

Startups & Venture Capital

 

Experienced in launching startups, new business ventures and operations for existing companies. I have been part of and led teams that pursued and won commitments for venture capital throughout my career, and I am familiar with the hard-knocks that the pursuit of Venture Capital, TMT and Hedge Fund capital can deliver. I have also been part of a team that floated a publicly listed company, and I am familiar with the demands of due diligence and corporate compliance.

Business Development

 

Opportunities to grow and develop a business are at the forefront of my mind in any venture, and I believe in constant improvement in order to deliver long-term value for the company and its clients, and also to identify and develop new markets. I have always been good at developing existing business and identifying new areas of business and subsequently I appear to attract approaches from individuals and companies with interesting opportunities.

Commercial Management

 

As a commercially aware C-suite executive, I place considerable focus on identifying and developing business opportunities and policies with a view to driving forward contracts, projects and the company as a whole. As someone from the Film, TV and Media sector, I feel that I am able to balance creative demands and sensitivities with commercial reality and necessity.

Planning & Implementation

 

I am highly experienced in, and firmly believe in adopting strong planning policies across project management, business operations and financial management, as evidenced in my work for the news network startup AVTN NewsNet24⁷. They say that the devil is in the detail, and Benjamin Franklin famously once said, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail!”

Financial Management

 

From SME to PLC businesses, and small to large projects I am knowledgeable in their financial management. Whether Budgeting, P&L, Balance Sheet, Cash Flow, Debtors and Creditors, Consolidated Accounts, Loans and Leasing, Assets, Taxation, Share Capital, Dividends and much more, I have been heavily involved in the management of corporate finances and the preparation of accounts. I am experienced working with CFO’s, accountants and auditors, and the compliance requirements of various financial and regulatory authorities.

Projections & Forecasting

 

I tend to find that projections and forecasts are regularly confused by clients and others in business. Projections relate to financial outcomes based on potential outcomes, while forecasts reflect financial outcomes that you fully expect to actually happen, based on data and analytics. That said, I strongly advocate for a, data and analytics based approach to both projections and forecasts, it is just that with the former, there may be areas where certainty or data may not exist, such as with new product launches or areas of business. The financial information for AVTN NewsNet24⁷ was prepared on the basis of projections, I am however, highly experienced in the preparation of both projections and forecasts to a high standard.

Budgeting & KPI Management

 

Revenue Growth, Revenue Per Client, Profit Margin, Client Retention Rates, and Customer Satisfaction are the Top Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). I am highly experienced in defining and managing adherence to KPIs, and budgeting projects and the needs of ongoing businesses with experience from SME to PLC. The initial budget allocation required for AVTN NewsNet247 was £218M, and ongoing operations were conservatively projected in excess of £300M turnover by year four of transmission. The definition and modelling of KPIs to predict likely outcomes was of key importance to the projections required for the business.

Asset Management

 

Asset management in both the financial and physical sense and meaning of the term within a business is key to the performance of a business. It is as important to manage assets from the perspective of their financial importance (value, profitability, appreciation, depreciation, amortisation, acquisition and disposal), as it is to efficiently manage their operational utilisation and performance. I have many years of experience in the acquisition, disposal and management of high value assets within the Film, TV and Media sector, and I have managed, controlled and been  a part of teams responsible for multi-million equipment fleets. 

Operations & Logistics

 

Operations and logistics are the backbone of Film, TV and Media, without which we simply could not function. A production is one complicated ballet of operations and logistics management, from inception and pre-production, through production, the internal workings of equipment rental houses, facilities suppliers, locations, and post-production facilities, to broadcast or streamed playout or theatrical release. I am highly knowledgeable and experienced in choreographing such a ballet and its constituent parts.

Project Management

 

Having worked across media production, equipment rental, post-production, sales and equipment manufacture, I am highly experienced in project management. Throughout my career I have planned and implemented small to large projects, with various resource levels, demanding schedules, and staffing requirements from a few to over 500 personnel. 

Supply Chain Management

 

I have an excellent understanding and practical experience of supply chains and their management, though I make it my mission to maintain my understanding of those in Film, TV and Media. From the availability of personnel and resources; to components and manufacture; through camera, lens, grip, lighting, post-production, playout; to broadcast, streaming or theatrical delivery, I like to keep my finger on the pulse and maintain my knowledge. One aspect of supply chain management that is often overlooked is the flow and availability of finance in the equation. From the moment of conception of a product or media production, to delivery to a B2B or B2C end user or audience, there is a supply chain at work, that must be defined, understood and managed.

Stakeholder Management

 

In business we all have suppliers, clients and personnel, and governments answer to the people, but the world is not quite that simple and being able to recognise stakeholders, and stakeholder groups, at any stage in projects, business or governmental process is of key importance. Given my career working across media production, equipment hire, sales and manufacturing I have always been aware of the different stakeholders at play. In development of AVTN NewsNet247, we were acutely aware that from the moment you consider taking a trip, to the moment you return there were a multitude of stakeholders and stakeholder groups, and identifying them would define the scope of the market available to the network, which was of course huge.

Continuous Improvement

 

As a firm believer in continuous improvement, across financial and business practices, sales, manufacturing, product development, services, and client and personnel relationship management, whether incremental or through breakthrough moments; I have been part of great teams that have constantly strived to do things better, improving things across the board, while improving themselves along the way. I have also been fortunate to be part of businesses, groups and teams that achieved award winning technical innovation and humanitarian efforts.

Risk Management & Compliance

 

My familiarity with risk management and the process of identifying, assessing and controlling financial, legal, strategic and security risks to the capital and earnings of an organisation is extensive, and ranges from SME to PLC, national and global considerations, to statutory and regulatory compliance in business, broadcasting and health & safety. AVTN NewsNet247 required primary observation of UK, EU, US and Singapore Broadcast regulation among other global statutory, regulatory and compliance obligations. I have also done considerable work in the field of guidelines and standards, particularly manufacturers standards for the safe operation of equipment, involving all stakeholders and regulators.

Team Building

 

A natural team player, I build teams quickly, easily and efficiently, attracting the best talent to projects and companies. I am experienced working with small to large teams, in temporary or permanent situations. I am particularly adept at parachuting in and out of projects to lead teams in specialist areas, or to address specific needs, while being sensitive to pre-existing leadership structures. 

HR & Recruitment

 

I have worked with and advised HR managers and departments, and recruited permanent and freelance positions on a bespoke basis throughout my career from SME to PLC, hiring Broadcast, Film and Media professionals at all levels up to C-Suite executives. I have a track record of attracting and hiring exceptional talent, and giving new blood opportunity. As CEO of AVTN NewsNet24⁷, I was committed to and led planning for a diverse multinational and multicultural workforce to be based worldwide. I have championed diversity in Film, TV and Media throughout my career.

Social Media & Digital Marketing

 

As an accomplished social media influencer and digital marketer, I have over 1800 quality connections on LinkedIn across Business, Media and Aviation, and more than 2400 followers on the platform, I also have over 4000 long-term followers on Twitter/X. I have been responsible for B2B focused marketing media and corporate communications for multiple companies throughout my career, conceiving numerous advertising campaigns from SME to PLC. My campaigns have a track record of attracting press attention, and my social media posts often achieve thousands of impressions, attracting interactions from other influencers, industry personalities and pundits as well as C-Suite executives.