JUNE 2014 EXPERT IT AND TECHNOLOGY ADVICE THROUGHOUT THE INVESTMENT LIFE-CYCLE
LEADING THE WAY Intuitus helps clients achieve improvements in operational performance through the intelligent use of IT and technology. Whether we are leading the process to select, procure and implement a new system, or deploying highly experienced interim IT Directors or CTOs, our Board level consultants provide pragmatic, realworld expertise. And our independence ensures that our focus is on adding value to your business and your plans for the future.
SUPPORTING GROWTH AND ENABLING CHANGE Throughout these improving economic times Intuitus has continued to provide support to dynamic and innovative companies across all sectors, including (but not limited to) Financial Services, Manufacturing, Oil & Gas, Retail, Distribution/Logistics, Business Services and, of course, E-commerce and Technology. A main theme of our work over the past 12 months has been supporting and enabling the growth strategies of companies backed by private equity. Long gone are the days when investors and management teams could quickly profit from cutting costs or financially re-engineering a company for sale. Today, although cost reduction remains important, mid-sized companies are far more willing to invest in and then implement a growth strategy that delivers genuine added value. We have supported more management teams last year than ever before and worked on c40 projects both in the UK and overseas. Not surprisingly, against such a backdrop, much of our work has been advising and supporting clients on the IT and Technology strategy required to support business growth. In addition, we have advised clients on the selection, procurement and implementation of new business systems as old or obsolete systems fail to cope with Continued on page 2
LAST YEAR INTUITUS COMPLETED THE FOLLOWING ASSIGNMENTS: Client
Client Business
Sector
Services Provided
Operator of caravan and selfcatering holiday parks
Leisure
IT Operations Review
Daily horse racing, greyhound racing and sports betting newspaper
Media
IT Operations Review
Global provider of trust, corporate and fund administration services
Financial Services
IT Strategy & Roadmap Development
Supplier of aerospace detailed parts, sub-assemblies and total manufacturing services
Manufacturing
IT Operations Review
Value retailer
Retail
IT Operations Review
Global navigation solutions provider
Business Services
Project Implementation Support
Online holiday price comparison provider
Leisure
IT Operations Review
Publisher of research, data and Professional analysis on international business Services law and legal markets
Systems Selection & Procurement
International group of corporate finance specialists
Financial Services
Systems Selection & Procurement
Restaurant operator
Leisure
IT Operations Review
Specialist provider of probate and estate administration services
Professional Services
IT Strategy & Roadmap Development
Publisher of research, data and Professional analysis on international business Services law and legal markets
Executive IT Recruitment Support
Fund management
Financial Services
IT Operations Review
Flexible packaging solutions
Manufacturing
Systems Selection & Procurement
Publisher of research, data and Professional analysis on international business Services law and legal markets
IT Strategy & Roadmap Development
Owner and operator of petrol forecourts
Retail
IT Operations Review
Chilled, time-critical food & drink logistics
Distribution
IT Operations Review
IT analytics
IT
IT Operations Review
Chilled, time-critical food & drink logistics
Distribution
Systems Selection & Procurement
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Continued from page 1 the demands associated with growth. In the past 12 months we have worked closely with clients on the selection and/or upgrade of ERP systems, CRM systems and e-commerce platforms. We have also been retained to support the implementation of such systems by deploying a Project Board adviser, an Interim IT Director or a Project Manager.
CASE STUDY: PARCEL2GO IT OPERATIONS REVIEW - KEEPING AN EYE ON EXIT Parcel2Go is a B2C and C2C courier services business. It acts as a parcel delivery comparison website for its users and is tightly integrated with its couriers, which allows the company greater ownership and therefore control of its supply chain. It is a rapidly growing business and 99% of its revenues are generated from online transactions. Its core operational IT platform was developed in-house and is deemed to deliver genuine differentiation by comparison to other operators in the industry. Parcel2Go asked Intuitus to undertake a review that addressed two key objectives: To assess the general fitness for purpose and suitability of existing IT operations in the context of the business plan. To identify the existence of any material issues so that any such issues could be addressed before the scrutiny of potential investors in any future sale process.
Our review was undertaken by a commercially-astute e-Commerce and technology expert with strong software credentials. A broad scope of work included Parcel2Go’s technology strategy; platform architecture, integration, resilience and scalability; the user experience; software development environment; operational environment; reporting capabilities; and staffing. Having submitted our report and debriefed with Parcel2Go’s management team, Martin Brown, General Manager, commented: “This was a fantastic process and one that I would recommend to any business. We learned a great deal, Intuitus were great to work with, highly knowledgeable and their output will be used to improve our business. Would be good to perhaps repeat at a point in the future to measure progress.”
CASE STUDY: GLOBAL NAVIGATION SOLUTIONS (GNS) NAVIGATING A GLOBAL BUY AND BUILD STRATEGY Global Navigation Solutions (GNS) is a new kind of maritime services company which brings together the best distributors of maritime navigation solutions from around the world and provides mariners with outstanding products and services which help them navigate their way around the globe. Intuitus first started working with GNS back in 2012 when GNS’ current executive team and Phoenix Equity Partners identified a buy and build strategy which focused on Thomas Gunn Navigation Services Limited as the initial vehicle. Subsequently, over the next 2 years, GNS went on to make two further acquisitions which broadened the product offering and global footprint of the company. Throughout this period Intuitus worked
closely with GNS and supplied a number of services. Initially, we were asked to carry out IT diligence on the target companies. As things progressed we helped GNS with an assessment of their key “Voyager” software and provided strategic guidance around how best to consolidate and integrate the disparate technologies (across the various companies) which were a consequence of the buy and build strategy. Finally, we provided an independent review of GNS’ approach to the selection and implementation of an ERP system. Throughout GNS’ journey Intuitus has deployed sector and technically relevant expertise when appropriate. For the due diligence of acquisition targets and the review of “Voyager” we deployed a CTO with over 20
years operational experience of developing and deploying software products. For the review of the ERP process we deployed a leading IT Director with experience of global businesses and ERP programmes and processes. Gareth Kirkwood, GNS’ Chief Operating Officer, said: “We very quickly became comfortable working with Intuitus due to their understanding of the buy and build and investment process but also because of their objectivity and focus throughout the overall journey. What was key for us was their ability to provide granular detail, based on operational experience, around the technology challenges we faced”.
COMPANY IT SERVICES Our bespoke IT services are often defined and driven by strategic change, be it rapid growth or restructuring. Our consultancy network allows us to support many needs, but typically services can be categorised as follows:
Systems Selection and Procurement Intuitus ensures that best practice (yet pragmatic) disciplines are deployed with regards to requirements definition, the short-listing of potential systems and their providers, system evaluation and selection, business case development and, ultimately, procurement of the preferred system.
CASE STUDY: ASHTEAD TECHNOLOGY ALL CHANGE IN THE OFFSHORE AND SUBSEA RENTALS WORLD Established in 2009, Ashtead Technology is the result of a divestment from a significantly larger parent company. The company provides fully integrated equipment solutions including rental equipment, calibration, repair and maintenance, and bespoke engineered solutions to the offshore and subsea sector. As a result of the divestment Ashtead was dependent upon an ageing IT system designed to support a much larger and more complex entity. It was evident that a review and possible replacement of the core IT systems was required. In advance of the anticipated changes in IT Intuitus undertook a company-wide IT review. The aim of the review was to provide management with a clear understanding of how IT currently supported the business and how it could better support the business in the future. The review identified current system-related problems and requirements across the two business divisions and provided a detailed assessment of the IT risks, weaknesses, strengths and opportunities that Ashtead was facing. The initial review not only confirmed the need to replace the parent-company IT infrastructure that Ashtead inherited, but identified the technical and functional requirements for a new core business system. On approval of the requirements specification, Intuitus further supported
Ashtead to select and procure the new system; identifying potential suppliers, drafting and publishing the ITT, defining evaluation criteria, managing the supplier short-listing, evaluation and final selection process as well as negotiating the contract with the selected supplier. Intuitus was subsequently engaged to support the implementation of the new system and still continues to provide the management team with strategic advice. Peter Simpson, Group Operations Director, said: “Our existing IT infrastructure was not designed with the new business in mind. The IT review and subsequent selection and implementation of a new IT system was a critically important project and we recognised the need to support our in-house IT team – both in terms of providing additional resource and expertise. Working with Intuitus gave us confidence in the thoroughness of the review and the procurement process. And, we have a system that really does underpin the needs of our business which is supported by a contract that enables the supplier to understand what we expect at every stage from them. We would not have achieved this so seamlessly without the experience of Intuitus.”
www.intuitus.co.uk
Programme and Project Management The provision of highly experienced, sector relevant, Programme or Project Managers to take day-to-day responsibility for “making it happen.” This includes business liaison, risk and change management, planning and control, internal and third party management, and reporting.
Interim IT Management The provision of an experienced IT Director (or equivalent) to lead the IT function. They might typically be required to help the Board deliver a change programme where the incumbent IT resources do not have the required level of experience.
IT Strategy and Roadmap Providing a company with the rationale and approach for the development of its applications, systems, infrastructure and IT management practices over the short and medium term in line with the business plan. Continued on page 4
Continued from page 3
IT Operations Assessment An objective, expert assessment of the fitness for purpose of a company’s IT infrastructure, systems and resources, identifying pragmatic ways for improving business performance and/or eliminating unnecessary cost through more effective IT.
Project Implementation Support Including expert advice and guidance to the Project Board or the creation of relevant project governance structures, independent third party supplier / service provider assessments, or project reviews.
CTO/CIO/IT Director Recruitment Supporting companies to recruit with confidence, defining the requirements for, and then recruiting, senior IT personnel.
OUR CONSULTING EXPERTISE The Intuitus management team knows that the expertise and credibility of our consultants are of paramount importance to our clients. Throughout the last decade we have taken a considered approach to building a network of independent, executive-level IT and technology experts. As a result, we operate across a broad range of sectors, from the traditional – for example manufacturing, property and business services - to the more technically complex – such as Cloud computing, telecoms and data services. We continue to expand the breadth and depth of our consulting expertise. Most recently we have expanded our reach to include consultants with strong healthcare, waste management, public sector and telecoms experience. We believe we have an unparalleled team that not only offers deal-specific,
technical and market experience but also real-world and commercially-minded experience gained from many years working within well-known and successful UK and international businesses. Such recent and relevant experience enables our consultants to quickly and objectively assess scenarios and provide rapid insight with pragmatic recommendations. In addition, many of our consultants have cross-border experience and are therefore comfortable assessing companies that operate in pan-European environments and beyond. Intuitus provides a reliable, highly flexible, responsive and multi-disciplined model. We bring real-world operational and IT management expertise to all IT due diligence work and IT service engagements – pre-deal and throughout the investment life-cycle.
www.intuitus.co.uk/consultingexpertise WHO'S WHO
Maria Hamilton Delivery Support Manager
Adrian Astley-Jones Business Development Director
Clarissa Rowe Service Delivery Manager
Iain Mackay Technical Director
Garry Tough Business Development Manager
Calum Stewart Managing Director
Our collective experience includes technology leadership, board-level IT management, programme management and IT due diligence across several industry sectors and different geographies, in companies of all sizes. As a management team we strive to be approachable and responsive, and we aim to build lasting client relationships by consistently delivering expert services of the highest quality. Adrian and Garry are your initial points of contact for new requirements, whereas Iain and Maria are responsible for service management and programme delivery. The proven strength of Intuitus’ business model is the management team’s understanding of the dynamics of private equity allied with the technical, sector and commercial expertise of our seasoned consultants.
For more information please contact: Adrian Astley-Jones, Business Development Director t 0131 208 1624 m 07432 087187 e adrian.astley-jones@intuitus.co.uk www.intuitus.co.uk Intuitus is a member of the BVCA.