Mario Blasi Email & Phone Number

London, United Kingdom

FeedForward Consulting was founded with the idea of providing a tangible, personal and measurable support to our clients, who want to improve their present situation.Using their past experience as a base and complementing it with creative and innovative solutions, we are able to generate new conditions for future profitable growth FeedForward can count on the expertise of its partners and professionals, who gained first class experience in several senior positions in… Show more FeedForward Consulting was founded with the idea of providing a tangible, personal and measurable support to our clients, who want to improve their present situation.Using their past experience as a base and complementing it with creative and innovative solutions, we are able to generate new conditions for future profitable growth FeedForward can count on the expertise of its partners and professionals, who gained first class experience in several senior positions in multinational environments. Underpinning this expertise there is a deep knowledge of several industries, both industrial and financial, and the market dynamics, gained over many years of operating “hands on” involvement , always delivering positive and tangible results.Over the years, we learnt how important is to have a clear and straightforward relationship with our clients, with whom we share their challenges and work side by side to achieve them, getting to a point where they perceive us as colleagues rather than consultantsIn particular, the services we can provide are: STRATEGY DEFINITIONCOMPANY CHECK UP / DUE DILIGENCEREVENUE INCREASECOST REDUCTION & PROCESS STREAMLINENEW PRODUCT INTRODUCTIONFINANCIAL ADVISORY TO CORPORATIONSBUSINESS SET UP IN EMERGING COUNTRIES Show less

London, England, United Kingdom

Bringing together the willingness of British Schools to expand their business in the Far East (mainly China, India, South Korea, Malaysia) and the desire of local investors to create new opportunities of investment in a highly profitable industry like Education. I had the opportunity to work with more than 20 schools among the most prestigious British institutions. In essence, the main steps of the activity were:a) Identify the schools willing to participate and evaluate their readiness… Show more Bringing together the willingness of British Schools to expand their business in the Far East (mainly China, India, South Korea, Malaysia) and the desire of local investors to create new opportunities of investment in a highly profitable industry like Education. I had the opportunity to work with more than 20 schools among the most prestigious British institutions. In essence, the main steps of the activity were:a) Identify the schools willing to participate and evaluate their readiness through a 5 dimension model b) Identify target territories and potential local investorsc) build a financial model and a business plan to verify the financial viability of the projectd) work in close contact with Bird&Bird to finalise the deal and all financial, legal and administrative aspectse) Act as PMO for the schools from the first phases of the project to the completion Show less

London, United Kingdom

ASIS is set to become the preferred portal for international students & pupils seeking educational opportunities in the UK and Europe.In addition, ASIS offers services to educational institutions seeking to ensure their overall financial health. This will include, but not be limited to, finding partners, sales and acquisitions and financial health checking.ASIS is primarily working in the Far East, but as its product portfolio develops, so too will its international market scope

Spilimbergo (Pn)

Domino spa is a €70m turnover company operating in the high end of the wellness and hydro massage business, with an important penetration in markets like China, India, Russia, United States. The sophisticated product range designed by famous architects and produced with the best materials has always been synonymous of quality and luxury. In order to increase its sales locally and abroad the company decided to investigate the possibility to allocate some production to China. The assignment… Show more Domino spa is a €70m turnover company operating in the high end of the wellness and hydro massage business, with an important penetration in markets like China, India, Russia, United States. The sophisticated product range designed by famous architects and produced with the best materials has always been synonymous of quality and luxury. In order to increase its sales locally and abroad the company decided to investigate the possibility to allocate some production to China. The assignment was to support the Managing Director in evaluating the possible partners in China.Actions and Results- Identified potential Partner in China- Visited the Partner and set quality and quantity standards- Started negotiations with a potential client in Russia- Signed agreement with Partner for a €500k initial supply Show less

Ferrara Area, Italy

DIMMS CONTROL is a holding company operating worldwide in the field of geophysics, geological surveys, and laboratory tests on rocks, land, and building materials. It has a presence in East Europe, Africa and Middle East with a turnover of €50m. The scope of the assignment mainly to integrate the new acquired company into the existing business. Besides, there was to grow the sales penetration of the company in Europe. In order to grow substantially the revenues from new clients in 2013 the… Show more DIMMS CONTROL is a holding company operating worldwide in the field of geophysics, geological surveys, and laboratory tests on rocks, land, and building materials. It has a presence in East Europe, Africa and Middle East with a turnover of €50m. The scope of the assignment mainly to integrate the new acquired company into the existing business. Besides, there was to grow the sales penetration of the company in Europe. In order to grow substantially the revenues from new clients in 2013 the sale process had to be revised in order to increase its effectiveness. In essence, the core process “Add new clients to the books and increase revenues” was split into its main components: a) Origination (select potential clients, visits), b) Contract definition (contract details and set up), c) Contract approval (contract final specifications, contract internal signature), d) Contract activation (client’s signature). Each phase was then measured in terms of: 1) time necessary to move to the following phase, cost associated, missed opportunities. At the end of the analysis I identified two bottlenecks, one in the Origination and the other in the Contract Approval phases, responsible for the poor commercial performance. Making the necessary changes to the two phases, the overall process produced an increase in new customer wins of about +54% with associated revenues of €1.5m Show less

Battipaglia Area, Italy

Medium sized industrial company operating in the disposable tableware industry with a turnover of over €50m. Over the last years the business had lost market shares due to problems linked to the quality of their products and the consequent inability to respect the time commitments with their clients. The situation kept deteriorating and a more substantial intervention was needed, due to the high level of accumulated debts of the company. The scope of the assignment was to define a restructuring… Show more Medium sized industrial company operating in the disposable tableware industry with a turnover of over €50m. Over the last years the business had lost market shares due to problems linked to the quality of their products and the consequent inability to respect the time commitments with their clients. The situation kept deteriorating and a more substantial intervention was needed, due to the high level of accumulated debts of the company. The scope of the assignment was to define a restructuring strategy and a viable operating plan.Actions and Results- write a 5 yr business plan to revert the situation- negotiate with banks and suppliers viable solutions- increase customer base, hence revenues- rationalise cost base through simplifying processes and eliminating wastes- implement new governance for the company Show less

Bari Area, Italy

Large agricultural business (450 ha, 40 employees) based in the south Italy, particularly active in the production of tomatoes and vegetables, with turnover of approximately €28m and a debt exposure of €20m. Hired by a pool of banks with the aim of finding a viable solution to restructure the debt exposure with the following priorities: a) generate enough cash to guarantee continuity to the business cycle (sowing, harvesting, processing) b) facilitate the payment of the debts to the bank and… Show more Large agricultural business (450 ha, 40 employees) based in the south Italy, particularly active in the production of tomatoes and vegetables, with turnover of approximately €28m and a debt exposure of €20m. Hired by a pool of banks with the aim of finding a viable solution to restructure the debt exposure with the following priorities: a) generate enough cash to guarantee continuity to the business cycle (sowing, harvesting, processing) b) facilitate the payment of the debts to the bank and the suppliers, c) redefine the business strategy. Actions and results5) Responsibility over a team of 5 deployed locally. 6) Implementation of an ad hoc three year business plan which contemplated the progressive sale of the acres to local farmer to raise cash to continue the business and progressively pay the debts. (30% 1st yr, 35% 2nd yr, 35% 3rd yr)7) Actions on creditors to increase payment terms and on debtors to recover outstanding debts.8) Progressive transformation of the business from “production” to “distribution”, leveraging the existing commercial links with nationwide retailers while saving on general production expenses.9) Strategy agreed by banks and flow of actions started in June 2011. Show less

Brescia Area, Italy

Medium size (€50m turnover, 120 employees) manufacturing company active in assembling fire fighters trucks based in Brescia with serious problems of developments and growth. The company had been making losses for six years (average €700k) and did nothing substantial to reverse the situation. Eventually, the owners decided to investigate the main causes and find viable solutions. The main challenges of this assignment were: a) map the company issues, b) measure their impact on profitability, 3)… Show more Medium size (€50m turnover, 120 employees) manufacturing company active in assembling fire fighters trucks based in Brescia with serious problems of developments and growth. The company had been making losses for six years (average €700k) and did nothing substantial to reverse the situation. Eventually, the owners decided to investigate the main causes and find viable solutions. The main challenges of this assignment were: a) map the company issues, b) measure their impact on profitability, 3) analyse causes and generate viable solutions, d) decide which solution to implement, e) after implementation, measure results. Actions and results1) Responsible for coordinating a team of six senior managers to conduct the due diligence: Critical areas identified: the Purchase dept; the Production dept; the Commercial dept.2) Restructured the Purchase dept. through the streamlining of the process (Lean Quality Management 12 steps cancelled); list of current suppliers revised; new foreign suppliers identified.(avg saving -30%). Organized a “supplier day”: €300k cash collected. Total savings identified in the medium term: €1.2m 3) Implemented a new production control chart scheme based on Lean Manufacturing. Production schedules respected in terms of time and costs: production delays < 3gg, penalty cost =0, total savings as a result of actions: €2,5m 4) Implemented “Find More, Win More, Keep More” methodology to increase sales effectiveness: +15% contracts Show less

Rome

In 2007 Fiera di Roma spa e Fiera di Rimini set up a joint venture company, Expoglobe, to create an international exhibition hub focused on tourism development. The exhibition, organized every year in May and involving more than 300 international tourist operators, proved to be a loss generator due to a lack of cost control and managerial focus. The sequence of exponential losses (€2m average per year) convinced the two partners to shut the business and liquidate the company.… Show more In 2007 Fiera di Roma spa e Fiera di Rimini set up a joint venture company, Expoglobe, to create an international exhibition hub focused on tourism development. The exhibition, organized every year in May and involving more than 300 international tourist operators, proved to be a loss generator due to a lack of cost control and managerial focus. The sequence of exponential losses (€2m average per year) convinced the two partners to shut the business and liquidate the company. . Actions and results1) Appointed Liquidator in June 2009 and responsible for a team of 4.2) Analysis of the debtors / creditors situations. Defined a list of priorities according to value and aging.3) Negotiations with creditors resulted in an agreement to pay residual debts at 45% of the value4) Several actions taken towards the debtors resulted in collecting 80% of outstanding balance.5) Liquidation terminated smoothly with repartition of €800k between the two stakeholders. Show less

Mazzara Del Vallo (Tp) Italy

In 2005 this Group, active in real estate developments, decided to invest €30m in the construction of a 5 star deluxe resort in the South West of Sicily, with the idea to create one of the best resorts in Europe. The Group also bought some land behind the hotel to build a 27 holes golf course and a club house. Unfortunately, the stakeholders were caught in the 2008 credit crunch and couldn’t complete the golf course, limiting considerably the effectiveness of the whole project. The resort was… Show more In 2005 this Group, active in real estate developments, decided to invest €30m in the construction of a 5 star deluxe resort in the South West of Sicily, with the idea to create one of the best resorts in Europe. The Group also bought some land behind the hotel to build a 27 holes golf course and a club house. Unfortunately, the stakeholders were caught in the 2008 credit crunch and couldn’t complete the golf course, limiting considerably the effectiveness of the whole project. The resort was not taking off as planned either. By then, the banks’ exposure reached €38m and a debt restructuring was definitely needed. . Actions and results1) Headhunted by Norton Rose, started negotiations with pool of banks to restructure debt exposure. 2) Coordination of a team of 4 senior mamagers. Definition of a financial three year plan to define the sustainability of the project3) Sale of the golf project to international real estate developer (€15m) to generate cash.4) Allocation of hotel management to primary international group: created a revenues flow. Expenses reduced by 70% 5) Two new segments launched: convention business and wedding parties resulted in a revenues increase of 25% Show less

VVR is a unique realty in the Business Consulting and Restructuring market, having focused its attention on working closely with SME clients during the delicate phases of their change process, obtaining tangible and long lasting results. Founded in 2006 with a business model that integrates Financial Advisory, Management Consulting and Operation Management, the company has now entered its fifth year of business, with constant growth rate and great appreciations from clients. VVR mainly… Show more VVR is a unique realty in the Business Consulting and Restructuring market, having focused its attention on working closely with SME clients during the delicate phases of their change process, obtaining tangible and long lasting results. Founded in 2006 with a business model that integrates Financial Advisory, Management Consulting and Operation Management, the company has now entered its fifth year of business, with constant growth rate and great appreciations from clients. VVR mainly originates its business from Private Equity, Financial institutions, Private & public shareholders. The focus is on practical, effective and measurable effort on Portfolio & business strategy, Performance improvement, operations excellence and Turnaround. Show less

London, United Kingdom

Merial plc is a multinational company with a turnaround of approximately $2.6bn acting in pharmaceutical business for animals. In order to increase the effectiveness of their UK pets vaccine department, especially in the new product introduction, they decided to implement a Design for Six Sigma program to speed up the process and increase revenues. . Actions and results1) Responsible for a team of 5: identified the team components and measured the actual performance of the… Show more Merial plc is a multinational company with a turnaround of approximately $2.6bn acting in pharmaceutical business for animals. In order to increase the effectiveness of their UK pets vaccine department, especially in the new product introduction, they decided to implement a Design for Six Sigma program to speed up the process and increase revenues. . Actions and results1) Responsible for a team of 5: identified the team components and measured the actual performance of the process.2) Prepared and delivered training to a team of fifteen employees3) Applied Quality techniques to redesign the new process, resulting in less steps (savings of appr. £400k) and quicker NPI (7 mths compared to the original 12mths)4) Tested successfully the new process in a selected area5) Implementation of the new process and transfer of experiences to other processes. Show less

Florence Area, Italy

Lineapiù is an important supplier of wool threads for many renowned brands in the Italian fashion arena. In 2007, due to a strategic mistake and to the increased competition from the east, the company went into administration. Having a considerable real estate portfolio of industrial properties on the books (€40m), it was decided to sell the majority of them to raise a vital cash flow. I was appointed to manage the sale process. The two main issues were that the properties were “industrial” and… Show more Lineapiù is an important supplier of wool threads for many renowned brands in the Italian fashion arena. In 2007, due to a strategic mistake and to the increased competition from the east, the company went into administration. Having a considerable real estate portfolio of industrial properties on the books (€40m), it was decided to sell the majority of them to raise a vital cash flow. I was appointed to manage the sale process. The two main issues were that the properties were “industrial” and not “residential”, and also that they were spread all over the country, increasing the difficulty of completing the sale quickly. . Actions and results1) Responsible for a team of 5 managers: mapped all the properties, got an updated evaluation of the Fair Market Value .2) Prepared a list of potential buyers, including real estate funds, public investors, private companies.3) Conducted a series of meeting with potential buyers. Contacted also local industrial associations. 4) Conducted negotiations with buyers till the signature of the contracts.5) Out of 14 properties 8 were sold within four months, 2 within six months with a total cashed result of €28m. Show less

Rome Area, Italy

Apply Quality Six Sigma Tools to align the productivity of the credit overdraft approval dept. to the company average.1) Responsible for a team of 15: mapped the process, calculated the actual performance in terms of time and cost.2) Prepared a list of potential steps in the process identified as “non value added”, quantifying their impact.3) Discussed with management how to modify the bank procedures. 4) Designed a new flow for the process, presented the new version to… Show more Apply Quality Six Sigma Tools to align the productivity of the credit overdraft approval dept. to the company average.1) Responsible for a team of 15: mapped the process, calculated the actual performance in terms of time and cost.2) Prepared a list of potential steps in the process identified as “non value added”, quantifying their impact.3) Discussed with management how to modify the bank procedures. 4) Designed a new flow for the process, presented the new version to management, got green light for implementation.5) After a test period of three months, the bank could achieve an increased control of the process and savings in the region of €500k. Show less

Birmingham, United Kingdom

Reporting to the Managing Director, Introduction of a Quality Six Sigma Program called: "War on Waste" in this medium sized fleet business, with problems of customer retention and market penetration. Main task of the assignment was to create a customer/quality mindset inside the company and teach how important is the customer relationship to to win more business in the future. The company was able in a very short time and to revert the situation within a year.Actions:- Delivered… Show more Reporting to the Managing Director, Introduction of a Quality Six Sigma Program called: "War on Waste" in this medium sized fleet business, with problems of customer retention and market penetration. Main task of the assignment was to create a customer/quality mindset inside the company and teach how important is the customer relationship to to win more business in the future. The company was able in a very short time and to revert the situation within a year.Actions:- Delivered Green Belt Training for 25 Managers on basic quality tools and methodology- Identified areas of concerns and measured bad quality impact on clients- Started 30 DMAIC quality projects in four specific areasResults- Saved £8m in reduced waste across the company- Reduced customer complaints by 70%- Streamlined processes (Commercial / Administration) by 50% Show less

Equifax plc is an American multinational company active in providing credit information to banks and financial institutions. In 1999 they acquired a medium sized company in Italy (€14m turnover, 118 employees), as part of their European expansion strategy. Unfortunately, the business begun to lose money due to lack of focus and weak management. The loss was in the order of €1.5m per year, and the situation became to be a real issue for the London European Headquarters. Headhunted by Korn… Show more Equifax plc is an American multinational company active in providing credit information to banks and financial institutions. In 1999 they acquired a medium sized company in Italy (€14m turnover, 118 employees), as part of their European expansion strategy. Unfortunately, the business begun to lose money due to lack of focus and weak management. The loss was in the order of €1.5m per year, and the situation became to be a real issue for the London European Headquarters. Headhunted by Korn Ferry, I was sent to Italy as Chief Executive Officer with the aim of turn it around and make it profitable. Actions and results1) P/L responsibility with revenues in excess of €15m and report. Direct responsibility of 6 functional directors.2) Identified the causes of loss through a product profitability analysis: one product line responsible for 70% of loss.3) Activated measures to drastically reduce the loss: reduced cost of structure by 25%, cost of data by 30%. 4) Brought company back to B.E.P in eight months. Profit (+€150k) achieved after twelve months.5) Strategic decision of getting rid of the vehicle. Sale of the company to the competitor Experian at the end of 2004. Show less

London, United Kingdom

After the acquisition of Natwest, the Royal Bank of Scotland had to go through a huge integration exercise, both from a system as well as from an organisation point of view. The process was successfully completed during December 2002, bringing the bank to become one of the major players on the UK market, with more than 13 million customers. In conducting the integration process across the bank, the management acknowledged that many processes, such as the origination or the customer maintenance,… Show more After the acquisition of Natwest, the Royal Bank of Scotland had to go through a huge integration exercise, both from a system as well as from an organisation point of view. The process was successfully completed during December 2002, bringing the bank to become one of the major players on the UK market, with more than 13 million customers. In conducting the integration process across the bank, the management acknowledged that many processes, such as the origination or the customer maintenance, needed to be reviewed in order to meet the bank’s long-term mission, which is “to become the most admired retail bank in the world”.The management was also aware that tackling these issues with a traditional “quick fixes” approach would not have paid in the long term and a more radical shift was needed in order to create a sustainable future growth. They realised that fixing processes rather products was the way to produce effective and measurable results.Different approaches, based on what successful companies already implemented, were considered and investigated, and Process Management was identified as a possible option for implementation. I was selected because of my previous experience of Process Management implementation to write the implementation plan, drive the first phases and then hand it over to an internal project manager.After a phase of assessment, I chose to apply C.A.P. (Change Acceleration Process) as a guide methodology to drive the implementation. I defined the strategic generations, mapped the core processes and sub processes up to level three, and identified the future state of the processes and their performance indicators. I then started the implementation of phase 1 and then handed over the implementation to a dedicated team. Show less

Potenza Area, Italy

Taking advantage of the recent liberalization of the Telecom industry in Italy, a group of entrepreneurs set up this company to cover the south of Italy. The venture was initially profitable, but rapidly the situation changed, due to the entrance in the marketplace of bigger and more organized companies. Bain suggested to move on to broadband services. The seemingly impossible problem appeared to be to migrate the business from narrowband to broadband, yet the real challenge was to lay off 83%… Show more Taking advantage of the recent liberalization of the Telecom industry in Italy, a group of entrepreneurs set up this company to cover the south of Italy. The venture was initially profitable, but rapidly the situation changed, due to the entrance in the marketplace of bigger and more organized companies. Bain suggested to move on to broadband services. The seemingly impossible problem appeared to be to migrate the business from narrowband to broadband, yet the real challenge was to lay off 83% of the work force (100 over 120) and at the same time raise €30m for the necessary investment. Headhunted by Bain, I was appointed C.E.O. in August with the task of solving both issues. Actions and results1) Extensive negotiations with Unions and local Government to find a viable and non-confrontational solution. .2) Set up of a PPP with the local Government, which allowed the company to allocate 80 of the 100 redundancies.3) Participation to a European Contract Scheme to finance new ventures in developments areas, won in December 2002.4) Started work to create an optical fiber backbone linking 30 major cities in southern Italy.5) Inauguration of the first service using the first part of the backbone in March 2003: real time pollution control Show less

Padova Area, Italy

Italian branch of the German group Autoscout.de, this web company operating in the resale of second hand cars through its website experienced a huge growth rate until 2001, when it got caught in the Internet crisis. A re-launch was then necessary, acting mainly on the customer basis. I was appointed quality Leader with the specific task to review the sale process and increase the revenues. Actions and results1) Conducted customer survey to identify major issue (350 customers… Show more Italian branch of the German group Autoscout.de, this web company operating in the resale of second hand cars through its website experienced a huge growth rate until 2001, when it got caught in the Internet crisis. A re-launch was then necessary, acting mainly on the customer basis. I was appointed quality Leader with the specific task to review the sale process and increase the revenues. Actions and results1) Conducted customer survey to identify major issue (350 customers surveyed)2) Introduced the program “Find More – Win More – Keep More” to improve the sales process3) Trained the sales force and conducted an area test in Padua4) Implemented the program for five months5) Increase sales by 35% (revenues +45% ~ €800k) Show less

London, United Kingdom

• Identified potential targets according to financial business needs. Responsibility over a team of 20.• Approached potential targets at board level to verify interest and start negotiations.• Managed due diligence process in Italy, France, Germany, Turkey, Hungary, Sweden, Spain, Austria

London, United Kingdom

• Trained as Master Black Belt, developed an implementation strategy to deploy the initiative across Europe. • Coordinate performance of 14 European Quality Leaders. (matrix responsibility) • Set up objectives for 14 European countries.Achievements• Successfully deployed the program across Europe in 12 months: 2500 employees trained, 550 improvement projects started with potential savings in the region of $1.3bn.• 1st year certified results: $400k; 2nd year certified… Show more • Trained as Master Black Belt, developed an implementation strategy to deploy the initiative across Europe. • Coordinate performance of 14 European Quality Leaders. (matrix responsibility) • Set up objectives for 14 European countries.Achievements• Successfully deployed the program across Europe in 12 months: 2500 employees trained, 550 improvement projects started with potential savings in the region of $1.3bn.• 1st year certified results: $400k; 2nd year certified results: $850k Show less

London, United Kingdom

• Develop a 100 days integration plan to achieve the planned results• Applied GE Capital methodologies to speed up the integration process (Change Acceleration Process)• Created a Best Practice Database to facilitate experience exchange and future integrations• Successfully integrated six companies over six assigned. Time respected, financial targets met.• Redesigned the process to be more sensitive of local cultures and include a performance step measurement analysis

London, United Kingdom

• Identified potential targets according to financial business needs. Responsibility over a team of 20.• Approached potential targets at board level to verify interest and start negotiations.• Managed due diligence process in Italy, France, Germany, Turkey, Hungary, Sweden, Spain, Austria.Achievements• Participated to 25 due diligence with managerial and coordination roles. Responsible for strategy and growth analysis.• Completed 10 acquisitions: 3 in Italy, 3 in… Show more • Identified potential targets according to financial business needs. Responsibility over a team of 20.• Approached potential targets at board level to verify interest and start negotiations.• Managed due diligence process in Italy, France, Germany, Turkey, Hungary, Sweden, Spain, Austria.Achievements• Participated to 25 due diligence with managerial and coordination roles. Responsible for strategy and growth analysis.• Completed 10 acquisitions: 3 in Italy, 3 in France, 2 in Germany, 1 in Hungary, 1 in Austria. for a global value of $1.3bn revenue increase. Show less

Turin Area, Italy

managed the annual marketing plan and Strategic Guidelines of 10 European countries. Responsibility over 20 employees and matrix report of 10 marketing managers. Responsible for the functional P/L of Lit.500m .

Milan Area, Italy

functional experience in sales and marketing, financial control, credit and collection, itc, operations: promoted in 1985 to vice director of the Milan Branch

Mba, Master In Business Administration

Economic And Social Disciplines, Business Studies, Magna Cum Laude

Economy and Management