Eye on French Turnarounds
Founded in 1991 at Walter Butler’s initiative, Butler Capital Partners is a French investment fund backing turnarounds, underperforming companies, complex situations and companies seeking cash and support for a growth strategy. Read more

Every Child’s Dream
Last autumn James Wheeler of PILOTpartners alerted the specialist stressed business advisory firm, theXtraMarket, that there was a sweet little business urgently needing a rapid solution to its various problems. Read more

Retail Outlook in 2012
Every three months the press speculates on the health of retail. Their comments coincide with quarter day when the rents are next due. These payments are not only in advance but are also a large item in a company’s outgoings. Read more

In an article a year ago Nick Vine focused on managing the execution of change imposed by Private Equity investors. In this follow-up article he broadened his view to talk about the need for Change Strategy. Read more

Turnarounds in private equity

If every buy-out manager in the frothy leveraged buy-out days of pre-2008 had to truthfully identify themselves with a bumper sticker there would have been a plethora of ….
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Pilot’s Log Q&A
After spinning out a community mental health business from the NHS and turning it into a standalone organisation, turnaround director and healthcare consultancy owner, Steve Macro, saw a market opportunity. Read more

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When a good plan comes together

Dave Hall, Managing Director of YFM Equity Partners, speaks to Katherine Steiner-Dicks on how the firm’s re-branding exercise was not as painful as expected, but rather useful; how the firm empowers management teams from the start and how a portfolio of 200 companies has lent a broad sector outlook on deal opportunities across the UK.

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Pilot’s Log Q&A

James Wheeler sat down for a spot of lunch and a chat with Andy Etherington a distinguished interim CEO with an individual approach to complex change, turnarounds, acquisitions and disposals for private equity investors.

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Marrying the right CEO to your investment
Interview with Mark Ligertwood, of Dunedin Capital, on getting to grips with one of the most critical and widely debated issues facing private equity investors…selecting the right CEO for your investment. Read more

Private Equity and Pension De-RiskingKelvin Wilson, Associate Director with Grant Thornton’s Pensions Advisory Practice focuses on critical issues for private equity investors, often forgotten in the first round of due diligence or the euphoria of looking at an exit.
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Bribery and the Risks for Private Equity Investors
In 1995 the UK signed up to the OECD’s Anti-Bribery Convention. 16 years later we attempted to comply with our obligations by passing the Bribery Act 2010.
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Delivering value for our clients
Presenting summary case study extracts for PILOTcases has the approval of the interim executives and the clients concerned but to preserve confidentiality, names have been changed or abbreviated.
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Getting management right: bigamy, burning platforms and bottlenecks
In 1910, Ralph Furse joined the Colonial Office’s ‘patronage office’ and set about improving the way that young men were selected for their roles directly governing large swathes of Africa and Asia.
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Point of View
Peter Hammermann, Co-Head of Barclays Private Equity Europe and Managing Director of the firm’s German operations, speaks to Pilot Partners’ Michael Gebauer. Read more

PE and Interims in CEE
Tamas Toth, CEO of Interim Resourcing LTD, PILOTpartners’ affiliated firm in Hungary, talks here about trends in the CEE private equity market and the response of the interim management sector to new opportunities in the region. Read more

The Pilot’s Log Q&A
Michael Gebauer talks to Robert Deri, an interim Executive about internet mail order growth and his latest role as Group Finance Director for Scala Holdings plc and the process resulting in the successful sale of the business. Read more

Change Management and Private Equity
Change Management is surely just the internal actions in a company to execute the structure plan and correct the business processes, right?. No, there’s a lot more to it than this, says Nic Vine. Read more

PILOT on launching SMI
PILOTpartners announces the formation of a global resourcing partnership with a common focus on senior level interim executive resourcing, operating within a framework of common ethical and operational standards. Read more

Bowmark Capital’s Kevin Grassby dissects private equity’s fittest proposition. Now is the time for many private equity investors to play it safe.

Industrial Revolution

Bruno Deschamps, a senior adviser to 3i and founder and managing partner of development capital firm, Entrepreneurs Partners LLP, shares his views on the future role of private equity and why it will mean a cultural evolution for many firms.

Turnaround to remember

La Seda de Barcelona turnaround completed with capital increase and relisting following debt restructuring in an English Court. Alan Tilley of Bryan Mansell & Tilley reports on how it became a name to remember in debt restructurings in August 2010.

PILOT launch CANE

PILOTpartners announces the launch of its Chairman and Non-Executive Practice (CANE). Why CANE and why now? John Gerry outlines the three main structural reasons for this initiative and explains why it should matter to private equity folk.

In challenging times, businesses more than ever need experienced leadership and wise independent counsel. PILOTpartners has assembled (and continuously recruits to) a panel of senior experienced Chairmen and Non –Executives. Members of the Panel will share these characteristics:

• Demonstrable leadership skills, particularly in challenging situations.
• Deep experience of their sector/s
• Ability to provide sound and rapid commercial evaluation of a business
• Experience of handling diverse stakeholders and advisers, particularly in a private equity portfolio situation
• Proven organisational skills
• Top class mentoring experience
• A track record of strategy development and a commitment to timely completion
• Keen awareness of corporate governance guidelines

As part of its service to clients, PILOTpartners offers a Corporate Governance Review. This takes the form of a semi–structured set of interviews with board members leading to a full report to the Chairman (or relevant stakeholder) covering;

• Definition of governance roles
• Identification of key Board functions
• Improving Board processes
• Plan for continuous improvement

The aim of the Review is to assist boards in ensuring that they are carrying out their governance obligations and making the most of the talents available to them. The proposition that boards should understand and manage their own performance has become a global trend, and boards are coming under increasing pressure to recognise and correct corporate governance problems. This review will act as a measure of board’s ability to achieve this.

The Practice is managed by partner John Gerry

E: j.gerry@pilotpartners.eu

T: +44 (0)777 485 0508

Managing partner, James Wheeler, says “John Gerry’s appointment and the launch of the Chairman & Non Executive practice complete PILOTpartners’ planned full service offering for board level resourcing for its clients in UK and European private equity portfolios, small to mid-sized listed and private companies and business going through crisis and transition.

John Gerry has 15 years’ experience resourcing board level executives as managing director of EIM and Whitehead Mann’s Interim Partnership and latterly the CEO practice at AshtonPenney where he worked closely with the founding members of PILOTpartners, James Wheeler and Michael Gebauer. John has been a non executive with PILOTpartners since its inception in January 2009.

Before embarking on his executive resourcing career John was managing director at Wickes Retail, Mecca Holidays and Hotels and Londis Ltd following senior management positions at Fisons and Imperial Group. Aside from his executive positions, John has chaired charities and held non-executive roles in a number of SME’s.

PILOTpartners specialises in resourcing board level executives & teams who deliver leadership & lasting change in challenging situations throughout the UK & Europe.  These include interim & high level project management, permanent , chairman & non-executive appointments, commercial due diligence and specialist sector advisory.

For further information please contact:
John Gerry, PILOTpartners E: j.gerry@pilotpartners.eu T: +44 (0)777 485 0508
James Wheeler, PILOTpartners E: j.wheeler@pilotpartners.eu T: +44 (0)780 859 0176