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FRED METZGEN a Chair, CEO, Interim, NED and Mentor

I am an experienced Chairman, CEO, NED, Interim, and Senior Business Leader. A seasoned and professional senior advisor; a member of Mentorsme, set up by the British Bankers’ Association, and a ‘Growth Accelerator coach.

I bring more than three decades' worth of BUSINESS LEADERSHIP, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, and BUSINESS STRATEGY experience in the corporate world and over a decade of senior counseling experience in Revenue Growth, Go to Market Planning, Strategic Account Management, Marketing, and General Management Performance.

I have had an ‘exceptional’ background in Startups as well as in various international divisions of major corporations, developing their international sales strategy, growing their customer and revenue base, and setting up new operations, having worked for/with some of the world’s largest & leading IT & Telecommunication companies in the world such as IBM, France Telecom, BT, AT&T, Lucent, Masabi, i3 Group, OpenCity, and CityFibre covering many aspects of today’s wider business/IT environment. I have also served on their boards of directors as the CEO, an NED, or INTERIM.

What is leadership?  Taking charge of your obligations, delegated responsibilities, and environment with a focus on objectives, resources, collaboration, and achievement.  In addition, a CEO is typically expected to possess: revenue strategy, stakeholder communication, product innovation, crisis management, and market knowledge.

I have worked with a high degree of innovative thinking and thinkers about identifying opportunities that will support ambitious goals.  As a senior executive, I bring a track record, within a corporate environment, of identifying growth opportunities through long-term plans and management of deals, from target screening to execution.  This included:

  • Assessing venture opportunities (working with PEs and VCs);
  • Identifying and evaluating potential areas for partnership, acquisition, or investment;
  • Led the negotiations of potential investments, partnerships, mergers, or divestments, including due diligence processes.

As an experienced Chairman of both the private and public sectors, I have been involved in Corporate Governance including effective trust governance and strong leadership in achieving the best outcomes (for all the stakeholders).  A key area was the need to establish procedures to manage/minimise risk, oversee the internal control framework, and determine the nature and extent of the principal risks organisations might take to achieve their long-term objectives. The review covered all financial, operational, and compliance controls as well as Risk management.

Strategic risks are risks associated with the Strategies that an organisation pursues.
Operating risks are risks that arise in the Organisation’s systems, processes, and procedures

I have a solid public profile and am known to be an inspirational leader with vision, passion, and drive, capable of motivating and energising others.  As an experienced Managing Director, I have

  • Led the development and execution of EMEA strategies.
  • Had full P&L ownership, including the top and bottom line
  • Worked with Research Labs in evaluating the market potential.
  • Developed, implemented, and executed the overall strategy for several Companies to grow revenue and new business across EMEA considerably
  • Worked with Sales, Account Management, and Marketing to ensure a successful outcome.
  • Developed and maintained systems, processes, and quantitative and qualitative input for strategic decisions in the group.

Achieving success depends on talented individuals working as a team, to maintain the operations; and keep an eye out for ways to improve the service level.  I have a proven track record of successfully recruiting, developing, leading, and inspiring high-performing teams, holding them to account through rigorous performance management and ensuring the delivery of successful outcomes.

I have a proven track record of achieving outstanding results in both fast-moving, technology lead Companies, with significant experience in international business development; managing the team’s business planning and budgeting – ensuring the team has the appropriate resources and funds in place to deliver against commitments - providing leadership in developing and managing strategy, business plans, and resourcing requirements.

BRIEF HISTORY (with some significant achievements)

I started my career in Banking, working for an American Investment Bank in the City of London, with clients such as NM Rothschild, J&A Scrimgeour, Samuel Montague, Morgan Grenfell, Warburg, Singer & Friedlander. 2 years later, IBM headhunted me after coming top in my Computer Programming exams. During my 24 years of service, I held numerous positions from Chief Programmer/Systems Engineer to later working in IBM's European HQ in Paris, later returning to the UK to head IBM's entry into the telecommunications market.  During this period, I co-founded EDI (Electronic Data Interchange), the protocol for exchanging data electronically, supporting international trade today worldwide. I am also the author of the book "Killing the paper dragon" explaining the origins and evolution of EDI. 

In 1990, I was headhunted by France Telecom to head up, as Director Generale, a new start-up venture (France Telecom Network Services), France Telecom's first overseas commercial entity outside of France. During my tenure, I grew this organisation from scratch, to become the most successful division within the FT Group, (with a turnover of over £240m in 2 years) and as well as assisting them in expanding operations across 11 EU countries, 

In 1995, I joined BT Global Services based in Paris, as Business Development Director to fulfill a key role in expanding BT services and partnerships across Europe. Here I helped increase the revenues tenfold within 3 years.  

After holding numerous senior roles as a Chairman, CEO, and NED in several other IT and Telecom organisations, I decided to look at areas where my background and skills could be used to help young people succeed in life.  It didn’t last very long before being approached by Southwark’s local authority, to head various Governing School Boards.

ACHIEVEMENTS EXAMPLES

I have attained numerous achievements at a senior level in several large and complex organisations, such as:

  • IBM UK & IBM Europe – Top UK Sales Manager (600% Sales) 10 x 100% Clubs, 3 x Golden Circles.  Headed IBM’s entry into the Telecommunications market - Founder of EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) now implemented worldwide across numerous industries.
  • EDI Matrix – Built from scratch Software Company in the UK, Belgium, and Sweden in partnership with the Matrix Group, Ireland.
  • France Telecom Network Services - Grew FTNS from £zero t/o to more than £240m in 2 years, to be the most successful division within the FT Group.
  • BT Europe - Grew BT Europe’s Global Services from £10m p.a. to £100m p.a. in 3 years.
  • OmniTicket A “turnaround” Ticketing and Venue Software Company, with Global clients including Disney, the London Eye, the Eiffel Tower, etc.  Helped raise a $15m investment.
  • SynerG Communications - Helped raise $85m investment. Built alliances with Telecom Partners across North America, Europe, and 9 Asian countries
  • Masabi - Repositioned Masabi, a 5-man software company to build secure mobile phone applications and helped raise £2m
  • I3 Group – Built a 10-year Business Plan to obtain £multi-investment. Worked with over 130 Local Authorities in providing Broadband services.
  • CityFibre - Mentored founders of CityFibre Holdings and assisted in the acquisition (MBO) of the i3 Group.  Helped to raise £4m VC and PE investment.

MY ROLE IN EDUCATION

A key objective of mine was ensuring that every young person can access high-quality provision training, helping them to achieve the best of their ability regardless of location, attainment, or background

Over the last 10 years, I took on the additional role as Chairman of a Catholic School now rated in the top 10% of schools in the UK, and Chairman of Southwark's School Governor's Association encompassing over 100 primary and secondary schools within the borough. I have also worked with several Charities including being Chairman of Allergy UK Nurses' Appeal. The charities I have contributed to include the healthcare of mentally impaired residents; the Myasthenia Gravis (in Children) Association, The Haemophilia Society, The British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research, Asthma UK, and more.

MENTOR to SMEs and YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS

As mentioned earlier, today, I also advise and mentor several early-stage and SME companies. This includes mentoring and helping youngsters with ambition and innovative ideas to solve various problems and develop a successful business plan.  

KEY SKILLS AND EXPERTISE

STRATEGIC THINKING  (backed up by over 35 years of developing successful Corporate Strategies)
NUMERACY  (I have a successful business background in managing multimillion-pound annual budgets & delivering increased revenues and profits.)
FUNDING   (During the last 25 years, I have also worked with several Private Equity, Venture Capitalists, and Banks to raise capital for several individuals and companies)
INVESTMENT  (Excellent at Relationship Management/investor in People)
ADMINISTRATION (Experience as a member of (or adviser to) audit committees in a complex organisation and an understanding of the effective operation of audit committees)
COMMUNICATION AND INFLUENCE  (Demonstrable good communication skills including the ability to transfer thoughts and express ideas; engage and influence others and gain their support)
PLANNING AND ORGANISING  (Experience in driving innovation and leading successful transformational change processes to achieve greater impact)
TEAMWORK   (Open, Transparent, and Effective)
DECISION-MAKING  (Proven Chief Executive)
LEADERSHIP  (Proven CEO, NED leadership background)
STRATEGY  (Demonstrable skills in developing and successfully delivering strategies at an enterprise level)
GOVERNANCE  (Within both the Corporate World as well as in Education to fulfill its role of direction, support, challenge, and oversight)
INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS   (Good understanding of the complex industrial relations landscape, including Unions and Industrial Partners)
STAKEHOLDER MANAGEMENT   (Demonstrable ability to successfully manage complex stakeholder relationships)
INTERNATIONAL (I have also lived and worked in over 15 countries in Europe and North America, with frequent travel to the Asia Pacific region)
IT, SECURITY, AND DIGITAL DEVELOPMENT  (Practical knowledge/experience of the effective deployment and integration of IT systems and processes in a large, multi-site organisation)
FOUNDING PARTNER IN THE DEVELOPMENT AND GLOBAL EXPANSION OF EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) now used cross-industry, following the privatisation of BT and the UK Government liberalising an initial batch of  companies including IBM to provide Value Added Network (B2B) Services  supervised by the then newly formed independent regulator OFTEL
SUPPLIER/ CONTRACT MANAGEMENT   (Experience negotiating and/or managing high-value contractual relationships with significant suppliers (including outsourced service providers) and implementing effective procurement strategies).

I have also ran the London Marathon twice, as well as the Paris-Versailles Race (also known as La Grande Classique).

CONTACT:  info@metzgen.com