This details 19 case studies of 8 UK based service based businesses and 11 not-for-profit transformational change programs led by Charles Darley. They range from multi-billion pound organisations like Royal Mail and NTL to regional charities.
Lessons Learned from 19 Transformation change programs
1. Charles Darley
A 16 year track record of organisational transformation
investing in growth at the same time as cutting costs
“Delivering growth driven turnarounds demands the same skills whether it is for large
complex organisations or smaller not-for-profit entities or Commercial entities…read
on”
2. 16 years of delivering business transformation
• Few business transformations are achieved just by cutting costs most
transformations require an investment in growth
• See the common solution needed in;-
• 10 successful not-for-profit transformations
• 8 successful commercial transformations
• Only 1 not-for-profit that is still delivering a deficit
3.
4. In Suffolk (Diocese DBF)
Darley engaged
Mid 2016
• Loss reduced from £1m in 2015 to
a modest surplus planned in 2017
• Invested in 4 major change &
modernisations projects
• Reduced staff FTE cost by £225k
and clergy FTE by £200k.
• Reduced staff pension costs by
£210k
• Reduced supplier costs by £150k
• Increased Parish income by £260k
(4%)
• Secured grant of £470k from
Church Commissioners to cover all
restructuring costs
-2
0
2
4
6
8
10
2015 2016 2017
MILLIONS
Diocese of St. Edmundsbury and
Ipswich - 248919
Income Costs Deficit/surplus
5. Darley engaged
Mid 2015
• Loss reduced from £4m in 2014 to
surplus of £1m in 2016
• Surplus forecast at £1.7m in 2017
• Won tenders worth £25m (over 4
years) to reverse the income
decline
• Raised £3m investment from
pension fund secured against
property assets to invest in 4
major modernisation projects
• Secured £750k bank overdraft
-10
-5
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
2014 2015 2016
MILLIONS
NatCen -1091768
Income Costs Deficit/surplus
6. Darley engaged
Late 2014
• Increased sales for the language
school to the point where breakeven
was achievable within 2 years
• Sourced external investors and grants
to replace the charities sunk costs and
liabilities
• Minimised impact of possible closure
to PCP in case of business failure
• Found trade purchasers for sale and
exit
• Handed over to long term Managing
Director
-500000
0
500000
1000000
1500000
2000000
2014 2015 2016
Praxis Community Projects - 1078945
Income Costs Pre-tax losses
7. Darley engaged late 2014
Exited early 2015
• Notably the only failure!
• Proposed 3 major change projects
• Exit 2 of senior management team
reduction in staff costs by £400k
• Reduce strategic dependence on HR
service profit margins
• Develop profitable building
management & School business
management/book-keeping services
• Pace of change proposed was rejected by
CEO and Board as ‘too much too fast’
• CD exited after 12 weeks, Chair also
resigned and offered CD a role as Non-
Executive Director on another Board
-2
-1
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
2014 2015 2016
MILLIONS
NPW
Income Costs Pre-tax losses
8. 0
5000
10000
15000
20000
25000
30000
2012 2013 2014
FSB Ltd 1263540
Subscription Income £'000s Shareholder funds
Darley engaged
Early 2014
• Invested in 3 major change
projects
• Membership numbers increase for
the first time in 5 years from
184,000 to 202,000
• Subscription income increases by
£1m (versus £0.46m in previous
year).
• Shareholder funds increase by
£400k
9. -200
-100
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
2011 2012 2013 2014
Association of Local Authority Risk
Managers
Income £'000s Costs £'000s Surplus/Deficit
Darley engaged
end 2013
• Losses of £44k to surplus of £28k
• Income no longer declining
• Costs down by 12%
10. -500
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
2011 2012 2013 2014
Age Concern Norfolk - 1077097
Income £'000s Costs £'000s Surplus/Deficit
Darley engaged
mid 2013
• Losses of £26k to surplus of £706k
• Income up by 15%
• Costs down by 11%
13. (mental health - charity)
-1000
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
2010 2011 2012 2013
Julian Support - 1067883
Income £'000s Costs £'000s Surplus/Deficit
Darley engaged
late 2012
• Surplus of £27k to surplus of £250k
• income up by 86%
14. EV offsh (Global Oil Services)
-5000
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
25000
2012 2013 2014
EV Offshore
Income £'000s Costs £'000s Surplus/Deficit
Darley engaged
late 2012
• Losses of £1.2m turn to profits of £6.7m
• Income up from £6.6m to £19.7m
15. Darley engaged
Early 2003
• Membership increased by 100,000 (20%
year on year)
• Profits increased from £9m to £16m
• Income up from £150m to £240m
• Market Cap up from £150m to £500m
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
2003 2004 2005
MILLIONS
Fitness First UK
Income Costs Pre tax profit
16. Darley engaged
Early 2001
• Led the rationalisation of IT platforms
and data bases, reduced the number of
call centres from 10 to 3, terminated
leases and exited 7 buildings reducing
staff by 2500.
• Part of as £110m cost reduction
program
• Increased broadband membership by
100,000 (total membership from 2.9m
to 3.0m).
• Income up from £1,300m to £1,350m
• EBITDA increased from £450m to £610m
17. Darley engaged early 2000 to
deliver 4 year turnaround
• Restructured 7,000 sales, customer
service and marketing staff reduced call
centre staff by 1000 (15%) generating
savings of £20m a year
• Created national sales force and
national customer service based on
industry sector structure. Increased
revenue by £290m from 2002 and 2003
• project delivered a £254m increase in
pre-tax profits contributing to nearly
half of the turnaround result which
reversed losses of £318m in 2002 to
deliver profits of £220m in 2003
• Profits grew to £537m in 2004 due to
staff cuts of 10,0000 in operations
-1,000
0
1,000
2,000
3,000
4,000
5,000
6,000
7,000
2001 2002 2003 2004
MILLIONS
Royal Mail Group
income costs pre-tax profit
18. National
(part of Royal Mail Holdings Plc).
Darley engaged
Early 1996 -1999
• Reversed previous decline in mail by
restructuring the strategy to focus on
growing Direct Mail as a media
• Profits increased from £409m to £450m
• Income up from £2552m to £2940m
• This was the only profitable division
within the whole Royal Mail Group
0
500
1,000
1,500
2,000
2,500
3,000
3,500
1996 1997 1998 1999
MILLIONS
Royal Mail National – UK
Income costs Pre tax profit
19. Does your organisation need some
transformative development?
• It might;-
• be running a deficit or a loss
• just benefit from a review of the growth opportunities
• be considering an acquisition or merger
Then call Charles Darley on 07802 907631
Charles.darley@bgd-group.co.uk