Testimonials
Find Out How We Have Helped Businesses SucceedRoberts Bakery
Interim Business Unit MD
“Mark was engaged for a 12-month assignment as business unit MD. Mark is a true professional interim and with that has a wealth of valuable experience – he is therefore able to hit the ground running but importantly also takes the time to understand the business and culture. Mark delivered profit improvement against both a challenging market context and the challenges of the pandemic. With Mark however it’s not just about what he does but how he does it. Despite the interim tag, Mark is focussed on delivering sustainable change in line with business values. He is a good communicator both to his team and the Board / other stakeholders. He is also committed to not just business improvement but developing individuals / teams and hence leaves a legacy beyond the financials. I have great respect for Mark and someone I would trust and recommend. As important, a very nice chap and I look forward to working with him again at some point in the future. I am very happy to provide any future references.”
Robert Higginson
Group Chairman
Chartwell Marine
Business Advisor
“Mark has been working as a business advisor with our board over the course of 2021. He has assisted in a number of areas including but not limited to working with us to develop our business strategy which has helped us realise our ambition and potential. We are seeing positive growth in the business and are excited to continue our journey with Mark into 2022 and beyond.”
Andy Page
Managing Director
FEI Foods
Business Advisor
“Mark supported FEI in 2018 to provide an external perspective on the organisation. The business had been through a sustained period of significant growth, and the organisation was struggling to cope with the demand. Mark arranged the personality profiling of the senior team, and spent time with them to assess workload and capabilities. He then provided feedback on how to better deploy the team, and on how to optimise the senior management resource. This support was invaluable, at a time when the team was stretched, and lacking internal perspective.”
Simon Lewis
Managing Director
Mizkan
Interim Ops & Supply Chain Director
“Mark has great interpersonal skills, mixed with clear leadership experience and an ability to engage with all functions. I have personally been most impressed by his total commitment to Quality and Consumer satisfaction.”
Yann Salaun
Interim Quality Assurance Director
English Provender Company
Interim Operations Director
“Mark is an outstanding operations professional combining great functional leadership and business awareness with the ability and desire to get things done and make a difference for his clients. He engages key stakeholders across businesses generating confidence in his ability to create collaborative solutions to resolve the organisational challenge he has been asked to resolve.”
Steve Brooker
Interim HR Director
KP Snacks
Interim Plant Director
“Mark has done an excellent job for KP Snacks in his Interim role. He quickly identified the key priorities for the site and engaged the relevant stakeholders to ensure alignment with the improvement plans he then implemented. A commercially aware General Manager capable of communicating at all levels and not afraid of making difficult decisions.”
Mark Thorpe
CEO – KP Snacks
Tamar Foods
Interim Managing Director
“When Mark was leading the business, Tamar Foods was at its most stable in all the time that I worked for the Samworth Brothers Group”
Tamar Foods is a subsidiary of Samworth Brothers Ltd and was loss-making at the time.
Richard Armitage
Group Finance Director
R Twining and Company Ltd
Interim Plant Director
“Mark was a very supportive and inspirational manager who gave strong directional leadership that was aligned with the overall business strategy, This was always with consideration to the impacts on the day-to-day and the individual. Mark actively encouraged me to make challenges to the status quo within the Engineering function that has allowed the team and the business to evolve.”
Wayne Sykes
Engineering Manager
First Milk
Interim Site Director
“Mark & I worked together briefly following the acquisition of a new site / business. Mark had the all the ingredients of commercial, operational & technical skills combined with a great way with people which made the integration of the new business so much easier. If you a looking for high calibre professional leader, then Mark is your man.”
Paul Rowe
Site and Group Projects Director
Roberts Bakery
Interim Business Unit MD
“Mark was engaged for a 12-month assignment as business unit MD. Mark is a true professional interim and with that has a wealth of valuable experience – he is therefore able to hit the ground running but importantly also takes the time to understand the business and culture. Mark delivered profit improvement against both a challenging market context and the challenges of the pandemic. With Mark however it’s not just about what he does but how he does it. Despite the interim tag, Mark is focussed on delivering sustainable change in line with business values. He is a good communicator both to his team and the Board / other stakeholders. He is also committed to not just business improvement but developing individuals / teams and hence leaves a legacy beyond the financials. I have great respect for Mark and someone I would trust and recommend. As important, a very nice chap and I look forward to working with him again at some point in the future. I am very happy to provide any future references.”
Robert Higginson
Group Chairman
Chartwell Marine
Business Advisor
“Mark has been working as a business advisor with our board over the course of 2021. He has assisted in a number of areas including but not limited to working with us to develop our business strategy which has helped us realise our ambition and potential. We are seeing positive growth in the business and are excited to continue our journey with Mark into 2022 and beyond.”
Andy Page
Managing Director
FEI Foods
Business Advisor
“Mark supported FEI in 2018 to provide an external perspective on the organisation. The business had been through a sustained period of significant growth, and the organisation was struggling to cope with the demand. Mark arranged the personality profiling of the senior team, and spent time with them to assess workload and capabilities. He then provided feedback on how to better deploy the team, and on how to optimise the senior management resource. This support was invaluable, at a time when the team was stretched, and lacking internal perspective.”
Simon Lewis
Managing Director
Mizkan
Interim Ops & Supply Chain Director
“Mark has great interpersonal skills, mixed with clear leadership experience and an ability to engage with all functions. I have personally been most impressed by his total commitment to Quality and Consumer satisfaction. Mark has great interpersonal skills, mixed with clear leadership experience and an ability to engage with all functions. I have personally been most impressed by his total commitment to Quality and Consumer satisfaction.”
Yann Salaun
Interim Quality Assurance Director
English Provender Company
Interim Operations Director
“Mark is an outstanding operations professional combining great functional leadership and business awareness with the ability and desire to get things done and make a difference for his clients. He engages key stakeholders across businesses generating confidence in his ability to create collaborative solutions to resolve the organisational challenge he has been asked to resolve.”
Steve Brooker
Interim HR Director
KP Snacks
Interim Plant Director
“Mark has done an excellent job for KP Snacks in his Interim role. He quickly identified the key priorities for the site and engaged the relevant stakeholders to ensure alignment with the improvement plans he then implemented. A commercially aware General Manager capable of communicating at all levels and not afraid of making difficult decisions.”
Mark Thorpe
CEO – KP Snacks
Tamar Foods
Interim Managing Director
“When Mark was leading the business, Tamar Foods was at its most stable in all the time that I worked for the Samworth Brothers Group”
Tamar Foods is a subsidiary of Samworth Brothers Ltd and was loss-making at the time.
Richard Armitage
Group Finance Director
R Twining and Company Ltd
Interim Plant Director
“Mark was a very supportive and inspirational manager who gave strong directional leadership that was aligned with the overall business strategy, This was always with consideration to the impacts on the day-to-day and the individual. Mark actively encouraged me to make challenges to the status quo within the Engineering function that has allowed the team and the business to evolve.”
Wayne Sykes
Engineering Manager
Co-op, First Milk
Interim Site Director
“Mark & I worked together briefly following the acquisition of a new site / business. Mark had the all the ingredients of commercial, operational & technical skills combined with a great way with people which made the integration of the new business so much easier. If you a looking for high calibre professional leader, then Mark is your man.”
Paul Rowe
Site and Group Projects Director
For more information on our wide range of experience please see our LinkedIn page
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