Recruitment Optimisation
PKL are the 2012 SEEK SARA winning generalist and administrative recruitment agency who in 2010 made the business decision to migrate from a fragmented Bond Adapt / Wage Easy / MYOB business system environment to the integrated Fasttrack Platform. Whilst the incumbent software vendor provided an excellent level of IT System input and advice, Elise Zervos was retained by PKL to project manage the process and seamlessly represent the business interests by ensuring the migration and integration was completed effectively; efficiently and most importantly without disruption to the business or blow outs in budgets.
This was very much a "hands-on" assignment (the type Elise loves!) that included purging and preparing the existing database in readiness for migration; acting as the "client representative" in reviewing and considering proposals for the replacement system; ensuring the chosen supplier in fact met the scope; facilitating on site process reviews and re-engineering activities to reflect the new system and then delivering training to all users.
Providing beta test management; "go live" support and importantly a holistic view of issues that ensured the software vendor was accountable for their responsibilities and did not deflect issues as user, hardware or database integrity problems whilst allowing internal resources to continue focusing on their clients, candidates and targets was the greatest achievement of this engagement
Business Development and Exit Planning
After almost 15 years as a successful 40 Winks Franchisee operating four stores in Sydney, Amal Industries were faced with renewing their franchise agreements on altered terms in a much tougher operating environment, trying to exit their business which even with new agreements in place would have been almost impossible to sell given prevailing business conditions, or simply walking away with little or no good will to show for their efforts.
ExecuCon were retained to facilitate the owners orderly exit from their franchise agreements, conduct an exhaustive "what if" analysis of the owners options; develop various business models to validate assumptions; create a business model and project plan from the data; manage the execution of the plan through to deployment.
The outcome of this assignment was the creation of the Beds n Dreams retail brand and franchise model that delivered four (Sydney based) re-branded retail stores in 2 weeks (from shutdown to reopening) including the facilitation of every aspect of business operations from branding; product range; supply chain transition; communication, advertising and marketing strategy; to the development of a unique (in that market) franchise model. This led to the identification and engagement of master franchisees in Vic and Qld and the opening of three stores in each of those estates including site selection, lease negations, recruitment fit-out, store establishment and staff recruitment and training. A unique achievement during the toughest retail trading environment in recent history.
Business Reconstruction
A.H. Beard are a proud fourth generation family manufacturing business established in 1899 with factories across Australia and New Zealand. In 1999 (their Centenary of operation) they were the Australian Family Business of the year and buoyed by this success made a significant investment in acquiring a competitor and in so doing relocating their primary operations, all at about the same time as the GST was being introduced.
Faced with previously unencountered business challenges, all presenting themselves concurrently that included, change management; cultural and operational integration; system re engineering; and a (new) business, larger and more complex than the expertise and capacity of the leadership and existing systems, by late 2000 the business had reached a critical and very fragile state that could have in fact proved fatal.
At the invitation of the Company's external accountant, Jack Zervos lead the most comprehensive reconstruction program in the proud 100+ year history of the business. Every area of operations from manufacturing, performance management, recruitment and employee engagement, WHS system implementation, negotiating performance based enterprise agreements claims management and premium reduction, supply chain management, product development and customer / supplier engagement to rebuilding the balance sheet and recapitalising the business was attacked and re engineered.
Under Jack's stewardship and thanks to the support, trust and vision of the stakeholders, AH Beard went on to be recognized as the Manufacturer of the Year in 2002 (and again in 2005 after he left the business) and by 2003 his third year of engagement had doubled both EBIT and Revenue performance. They continue to grow, prosper and set the benchmark for Manufacturing Excellence and Family Business Performance in their category to this day.