Stuart has an in-depth understanding of the financial sector,
working with many of the leading global players. His career
includes posts with ABN AMRO, Barclays Global Investors, Deutsche
Bank, Foreign & Colonial (F&C) and State Street Bank.
Combined with his formal consulting background, Stuart has the
knowledge and skill-set required to tackle the most complex
programmes and projects.
Never afraid of challenging accepted practices if a more
effective approach can be determined, Stuart thrives on challenges,
always applying the same high degree of enthusiasm, energy,
intuitive analysis and attention to detail - irrespective of a
project's size or demands. His multi-layered career demonstrates an
ability to generate rapid-fire success across numerous
international projects.
For example, while at ABN Amro in one of his first strategic
consultancy roles, Stuart had the responsibility for the global
rollout of a new management information and billing system,
implemented across 23 countries. One of the busiest periods of the
transformation project saw Stuart in Amsterdam, London, Milan and
Moscow within the same week. He describes this as a very
challenging time, which involved convincing the staff in each
office of the new system's validity and potential, and
demonstrating how it would integrate with a data analysis and
investment platform. Long-term value was the key to the
project's success, with its initial seven-figure spend saving
several times that amount per annum. A similarly
international project for F&C, with Stuart as Programme
Manager, entailed the integration of Europe-wide activity onto a
single back-office platform at the investment house's London
HQ.
Add Stuart's natural tenacity to his abundant energy levels, and
you have a formidable, dynamic resource, which refuses to let a
problem go unsolved. His dedication to resolving often
complex and intricate challenges, and to achieving successful,
clearly-defined outcomes, is matched by an equal passion for
delivering long-term value for money - by ensuring a client spends
absolutely no more than necessary in order to receive exactly the
outcome they need.
His hands-on approach ensures the clients benefit from his
unique combination of consultancy skills and extensive IM and AM
sector knowledge, and having spent time as a consultancy buyer
himself, he has an excellent understanding of the client's point of
view. On a more personal level, Stuart stresses the
importance of being true to one's own values, combining honesty
with a direct, pragmatic approach. He recognises that the
impact of technological and process change within an organisation
is usually on its people, and believes that any change programme
has to handle that sensitively, ensuring that those on the ground
have a clear understanding of the objectives.
Behind the Scenes
Stuart has a penchant for speed, particularly motor
racing. The standards he sets himself for racing are as high
as those he sets in his business life, and he has been known to
overtake Jeremy Clarkson on the track! He is often to be
found honing his skills on the infamous Nordsheilfe in Germany, the
Lotus test track in Hethel or even on karting tracks. Other
favourite off-track pastimes include golf, skiing, working out in
the gym and running - often up to 10 miles a day. He is a
dedicated family man with young children.
