David Stover Email & Phone Number

Oakville, Ontario

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

As top executive overseeing the Canadian geography, held full general management, P&L, and operational responsibility for one of Canada's largest, most diversified multi-divisional publishers. Overall management, strategic direction, daily oversight, and full and final responsibility for meeting top- and bottom-line targets all fell within my brief.• Accountable for all financial metrics, including sales, profit, cash conversion.• Developed, implemented comprehensive multi-year strategic plan to grow and re-invest in high-margin business units while “smart-sizing” legacy businesses.Achievements included:-- Growing sales more than 25% in an environment which saw double-digit declines over same period-- Doubling profit to record levels-- Implementing long-overdue operational efficiencies, including SAP upgrades and bulk-pick functionality to improve efficiency in the distribution centre, resulting in lower DC overheads and elimination of overtime-- Relocating office and DC from high-cost, badly configured legacy buildings to new sites-- Outsourcing of IT support, improving response times and cutting costs 20%-- Repatriated Web support, boosting site traffic 50% while cutting costs by one-third-- Comprehensive revamp of benefits program that resulted in 90%+ approval rating on follow-up employee survey while cutting cost to company-- Introduction of full-service people management system, including overhaul of recruiting processes, integration of quantitative tools, rollout of health/wellness programs-- Company-wide ergonomic audit, follow-up to reduce injury, absenteeism-- Enhanced training, learning opportunities, including “Management Fundamentals” seminar, “mini-university” sessions for new hires-- Embedding high-performance, entrepreneurial culture into process-heavy legacy organization

As division's general manager, held full P&L responsibility for the company's largest, most profitable division. Sales, marketing, and editorial departments all fell within my remit.As a member of the board of directors, I participated in general management of Canadian firm, including finance, budgeting, distribution, production, and intercompany relations. Accomplishments included:-- Led fastest growing higher education division in any company in North America-- Doubled domestic revenues in four years-- Tripled divisional profit-- Grew market share by 67%-- Achieved these metrics while also re-investing heavily: product investment increased three-fold-- Dramatically improved compensation plans to compete for top performers in tight job market-- Developed, executed comprehensive 10-year strategic plan for revenue, profitability growth-- Modernized the division’s sales, marketing, editorial, and IT infrastructure-- Created divisional culture of innovation, entrepreneurship, empowerment

Managed Canada's largest humanities, social sciences, and technology team and list, including acquisition and development of new product. Achievements included:-- Exceeding sales and new-product acquisition targets throughout tenure.-- Building leading Canadian career/technology list and growing it by 300% over 3 years.-- Working closely with list marketing manager to create unique top-performing discipline team, winning joint “Editor of the Year” and “Marketing Manager of the Year” honours in 1999.

Outstanding sales performances included 30% increase in 1995, 25% in first 3 quarters of 1996 before being promoted. Played instrumental role in new product acquisition, including the acquiring of core products that remain market leaders today.

Generated largest territory increase (+18%), and also served as marketing manager for humanities/social sciences list for second half of year

Managed market-leading social sciences and humanities product line. Achievements included:-- Compiled comprehensive market research surveys, pioneering use of quantitative data collection and analysis in core publishing areas.-- Launching innovative sales incentive program to spearhead sales of core products.-- Exceeding targets every year with double-digit sales increases.

-- Revitalized flagging Toronto territory, reversing $50,000 deficit to generate 10% sales increase after 6 months with further $200,000 sales increase in 1989.

M.A., Journalism

Activities and Societies: Executive Producer, IMPACT

M.A., History

-- Awarded SSHRC Special M.A. Scholarship -- Thesis analyzed relationship between science and society in 18th century England -- Awarded.

Bachelor’S Degree, English And History (Honours), Gold Medallist