I have over 15 years experience working and developing fast growing consumer brands. I played a key role in growing the Cobra Brand in the UK and making it a household name and in establishing a manufacturing and distribution footprint of the Cobra brand in India. I also played a key role in establishing the ebookers brand in Europe from it being just an idea to becoming Europe’s largest online travel agency. I have broad management and board experience covering a number of roles including being Chief Operating Officer, Finance Director, Head of HR, Head of IT and Head of Operations. I have worked with dynamic, high profile entrepreneurs as well as blue chip corporate management teams.
Specialties: Specialities include maximising working capital finance, raising finance, business modelling, cost cutting, risk management, preparing a business for sale, change management, building a finance, IT, operations and HR function to cope with fast growing organisations, dealing with the reporting requirements of Nasdaq, LSE listed, Private Equity and Hedge Fund companies, Corporate Governance, Investor Relations, Outsourcing.
Group Chief Financial Officer @ Lebara, the universal brand for the world’s migrant community, helps people unite across borders, generations and cultures.
Founded in 2001, the Lebara Group has built a trusted and established MVNO business with operations in eight countries. Offering inclusive and accessible products and services that make migrants’ lives easier – from communications, to entertainment and financial services – is the guiding principle behind Lebara’s continued expansion.
Lebara has been recognised for its innovation and business success as well as it as its best in class customer service through several industry awards including the latest Best MVNO at the Mobile Industry Awards 2013, Best Large Contact Centre at the European Call Centre and Customer Service Awards 2012 and 2013 and Best MVNO, for five consecutive years, and Best Community and Social Enterprise, for two years running, at the Mobile News Awards 2014.
Through the work of the Lebara Foundation, the shareholders are committed to giving back to the communities that Lebara serves.
Lebara is a privately held company. Visit www.lebara.com to learn more. From July 2014 to Present (1 year 6 months) Non Executive Director @ Committed to 6 board meetings a year as a non executive director. Cobra Beer Partnership Limited is a joint venture with Cobra Beer and Molson Coors UK (the owner of the UKs best selling lager brand Carling). From July 2009 to Present (6 years 6 months) Mentor @ As a board director and charter member of TiE UK helped develop the Tie UK Mentoring programme and am now Involved with mentoring various businesses. TiE’s mission is to foster entrepreneurship globally through mentoring, networking, and education with a particular focus on support for the next generation of entrepreneurs. TiE links its Regular Members with its Charter Members who are prominent entrepreneurs who have decided to give something back by supporting the next generation of entrepreneurs with mentoring advice and access to contacts. The organisation currently has more than 11,000 Regular Members and over 2,500 Charter Members in 53 chapters (branches) across 12 countries. From January 2006 to Present (10 years) Chief Financial Officer @ Successfully raised £22.5m of equity from leading water investors to fund the future growth of the Company. As part of the deal all existing debt in the Company was converted into equity to ensure a debt free company (other than project finance debt). The deal represented one of the largest VC, PE water deals in the last 12 months. Also established a project finance revolving credit line of US$8m to fund the working capital of existing and future projects of the Company.
Put in place an acquisition strategy for the business including the successful completion and integration of Bluewater Bio's first two acquisitions
Bluewater Bio is a global specialist in the treatment of wastewater. In addition to its own proprietary HYBACS process, it also provides a complete range of integrated technologies, equipment and services for our municipal and industrial customers in the water industry.
Bluewater Bio is also focused on delivering end-to-end solutions across the entire water industry, including: desalination, design & operation, water treatment, sludge treatment, project finance, equipment specification & supply.
Its proprietary HYBACS technology treats a wide range of municipal and commercial effluents, substantially removing the inorganic nutrients nitrogen and phosphorus as well as biological matter. HYBACS generates an effluent of a very high quality, suitable for water re-use in agricultural, industrial and social applications. From March 2010 to June 2014 (4 years 4 months) Group Chief Operating Officer & Finance Director @ Responsible for the Finance, IT & HR functions of the Group.
In addition was appointed Chief Operating Officer from June 2004. Cobra Beer today is one of the fastest growing beer brands in the UK and is exported to over 45 countries. Was also responsible for Cobra Beer India and helped set up the operations in India in 2002 and establish the brand with a manufacturing and distribution footprint in 15 states in India. In May 2009 the company entered into a Joint Venture with Molson Coors (the UKs second largest brewer). As part of the deal Molson Coors takes full operational control of the Joint Venture (now known as the Cobra Beer Partnership Ltd).
The Cobra Beer Experience :
- Raised over £50m over the years to fund the growth of the business in the UK and in India.
- In addition to the above raised over £20m of working capital facilities including bank overdrafts, factoring, invoice discounting facilities, trade finance facilities, lease finance, duty deferment facilities and stock finance
- Successfully led the exit of the company which started as a fund raising process, then a sale process and ended as a Joint Venture with Molson Coors.
- As Chief Operating officer helped overhaul the total supply manufacturing and production platform which is now more flexible, caters to future growth and has brought significant cost savings.
- Implemented a change programme when a new CEO, Commercial Director, Marketing Director (all from blue chip company backgrounds) and 50 new staff joined the company. – this involved implementing better planning procedures, a more focused strategy, professionalizing the organisation but at the same time keeping the entrepreneurial spirit of the organisation.
- As Head of HR, was involved with a continuous recruitment program for a business growing at a compounded annual growth rate of 40% since inception. The number of staff increased from just under 20 in 2001 to over 300 in 2008 including India. From November 2001 to February 2010 (8 years 4 months) Group Director of Financial Operations @ Joined the company when it was set up in June 1999. Was the 5th employee in the company. Floated the company on the Nasdaq (Symbol: EBKR), Neuer Market in Germany and the London Stock Exchange (EBR). By October 2001, ebookers had 630 employees and was Europe's largest online travel company (Source PhoCusWright 2000) with Gross sales of over $300m. Helped establish its operations in 11 European countries Denmark; Helped the company achieve its first quarter of being cash flow positive for the quarter ended 30 September 2001.
The ebookers Experience :
- Responsible for the ebookers detailed business model
- Responsible for Financial and management reporting of the group including quarterly reporting needed for the Nasdaq and LSE
- Worked with the CEO in for making 15 acquisitions in Europe including negotiating the deals and carrying out the due diligence
- Helped implement a change in business model to a low cost business model when the dotcom market crashed by moving the call centre and back office operations to India. From June 1999 to October 2001 (2 years 5 months) Assistant Manager @ Audit of Retail and Investment Banks
SFA and IMRO audits for small to medium sized clients From 1997 to 1999 (2 years) Trainee @ - Specialised in business plans for companies and individuals raising finance
- Audit & accounts preparation of small / medium sized companies including group audits
- Tax computations for small companies, partnerships and individuals From 1993 to 1997 (4 years)
Diploma, Building Value Through Inspired Leadership @ Cranfield University - Cranfield School of Management From 2004 to 2004 Diploma, Value Forum (Creating value for business) @ Cranfield University - Cranfield School of Management From 2002 to 2003 First Time Pass, ACA @ ICAEW, London From 1993 to 1996 Distinction (Merit List), Foundation Course @ London Guildhall University From 1991 to 1992 Distinction (Merit List), Bachelor of Commerce (Hons) @ Osmania University (Indian Institute of Management and Commerce) From 1988 to 1991 First, ISC (Equivalent to A levels) @ The Doon School From 1987 to 1988 First, ICSE (Equivalent to O Levels) @ The Doon School From 1982 to 1986 Dynshaw Italia is skilled in: Capital Raising, Cash flow Management, Communication, Leadership, People Skills, M&A execution, Change Management, Management, Entrepreneurship, Acquisitions, Acquisition Integration, Investor Relations, High Pressure Situations, Multi Tasking, People Management
Websites:
http://www.supercfo.com/blog/superchat-with-supercfo-dynshaw-italia.html,
http://www.financeweek.co.uk/corporate-finance/profile-retaining-start-spirit-dynshaw-italia-cobra-beer,
http://www.accountancyage.com/accountancyage/features/2168757/awards-2006-dynshaw-italia