Paul Wheatley Email & Phone Number

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

• hired to bring under control a project deploying around 100 people in a major customer organisation (STC) to enhance profits and improve customer satisfaction resulting in a turnaround securing a 2+1 year Master Purchase Agreement, largely based on building relationships at all levels and firm but fair control to balance company, client and employee interests• initiated development of business processes across the organisation, including project and service management, collections, HRM and financial controls• initiated review and development of financial systems• led company’s response to recommendations arising from a BT Internal Audit, successfully closing all issues, including the first update to the Staff Manual in over ten years and the company’s first ever Information Security Policy, both rolled out to all employees, and the first update to the Finance Manual in over five years• took on a “Chief of Staff” role to pull together the operations of the company and provide general support to the General Manager and to allow him to concentrate on sales, including a quarterly meeting for the whole management team to review performance and direction and to collectively review the newly-created Risk Register• initiated and drove to completion new HR policies that were both employee-friendly and administratively efficient including introduction of a five day working week and “cash in lieu of tickets”• As Acting Finance Manager during a period of uncertainty for the company, in addition to managing the daily “grind” of finance, HR and admin activities, I oversaw: - completion of the new financial system and validation of financial data such that the 2013 external audit was based for the first time on system-generated data - development of URL-based windows onto the system to allow remote access to key reports - achievement of “Tasneef”, certifying the company fit to bid for Saudi government contracts up to SR 21m ($5.6m)

ACM is a mediation service provider offering commercial mediators, primarily in East Anglia. We are a registered provider for the National Mediation Helpline, an initiative of the Ministry of Justice, and are accredited by the Civil Mediation Council. As well as being a mediator and general partner, I was also financial controller, webmaster and set up mediations on behalf of our panel members. "Sleeping partner" since October 2010 involved only in high level decisions.

Business plan development and bid support, for clients on a consultancy basis or with associates on an entrepreneurial basis. Projects have included bid support for an MVNO in Saudi Arabia and “WiMaxing” Riyadh, business planning for an internet-based social monitoring concept and a pub and sales support for Telecom Expense Management solutions. In conjunction with BWCS, various railway-telecom activities, including report on major new railway developments in the Middle East. Over summer 2010, I worked on:- network/service cost model for Irish emergency services call handling for ComReg;- costs of implementing the copyright infringement regime that is about to come into UK law, for Ofcom.

US-based IT consultancy/SI firm focussed on telecom operators. - worked with the CEO/Owner on investment appraisals, lead generation, revenue planning, client relations and development of strategy, value propositions and partnerships;- prepared and presented bids, including complex proposals to supply Bulk Messaging Gateway to a Dutch mobile operator, Customer Care & Billing systems to a Triple Play operator in Bahrain, 3G strategy for a Czech mobile operator and BPR to an Indian telco;- negotiated distribution agreements with suppliers of systems and mobile content and developed marketing collateral, web-site, news stories, corporate presentation and case studies.- successful assignment to produce financial business analysis and plan for a consortium bidding to provide full range of telecom services to Dubai International Finance Centre.

See below

Part of the Deputy CEO’s office, the unit undertook competitor analysis from a broadly technical viewpoint, covering strategic and commercial aspects as appropriate.Building on established work for BT Board and marketing/strategy units (see below), we broadened the customer base to include sales teams, network planning and Group Legal Services and developed a new work area analysing competitors’ IT. I remained personally involved in most major projects including analysis of Global One, AT&T/Unisource, UK cable operators and interactive services on cable networks, competitors’ networks overview for BT Board and benchmarking of service delivery.

Newly created role to support Managing Director on strategic analysis of competitors’ R&D, rationalisation of BT's intellectual property portfolio, production of BT Board’s Annual R&D Review/Preview and secretary to BT’s Technology & Development Committee.Initiated Competitor Technology Analysis Project to advise business units on implications of technical aspects of competitors. Managed project finances, client relationships and internal contracts. Prime analyst on smaller studies (e.g. radio access, intelligent networks, data services, optical access and broadband networks, multimedia services, assessment of US networks/network services). Team leader on larger studies including competitor profiles and the technology modules of major studies of BT's global portfolio and the AT&T Response Project.

Employed for commercial evaluation of research, I recommended and led development of the optical fibre amplifier. Proposed, set up and managed an internal production facility for those devices and was responsible for sales, production, delivery and finance. Assisted transfer to commercial production, including product specification and assessment of intellectual property issues. Expanded internal production to cover a range of advanced optical products; responsible for, and achieved, break-even on revenue of € 130k. Also developed fibre amplifiers for transmission leading to a field demonstration up-grading a 140 Mbit/s system to repeaterless 2.4 Gbit/s SDH on the same installed fibre.

• P/L responsibility for provision of internal business services, mainly customer and network operations, and Telfort-branded payphones, with close involvement in pan-European re-structuring activities;• part-time Managing Director of Intrax (satellite services for broadcasters) in Netherlands & Germany, managing integration into BT and major cost-reduction programme;• non-executive director of various BT subsidiaries, including Farland BV, Yellow Pages BV and ESAT Telecom Holdings Ltd, with combined net assets in excess of €800m.

Responsible for business planning & control for newly-formed department of 1,500 people covering fixed, mobile and internet operations, facilities management for the whole of Telfort (2,500 people) and financial control of the operational units (€160m pa), managing a team of 80 people.Introduced comprehensive performance measurement system for fixed & mobile operations (provision, repair, availability, etc), secured approval for acquisition and build-out, and over-saw build, of two major office buildings, overhauled projects and project management in Operations, rationalising product launches, bid support, order implementation and other projects; developed and rolled out project management training; set up project office and associated cost control..

Negotiation, management & resolution of complex commercial disputes at board and shareholder level. - double assignment of exclusive rights to another JV of the same parent impacted Telfort's business by €100m. Built and managed teams in MNC sales, carrier services and networks, set up an alliance of similarly-affected JV's across Europe and negotiated with the other JV to minimise disruption to Telfort's customers and build co-operative agreements with the others for our mutual benefit;- faced with a lawsuit of almost €150m and court-imposed penalties of €1.5m/day for alleged failure to supply against a customer contract, I built a sales/service/interconnect/networks team to contain and remedy the problems and deliver the contracted service, built a networks/legal team to address the legal challenge (penalties discharged, main lawsuit kicked into the long grass) and took temporary control of all bids requiring interconnect to ensure the situation could not be repeated.

Financially responsible for annual budget over € 250m and deputy to the CEO for internal aspects of running the business.• finalised business plan for shareholders; built 1998 operational plan & budget, including launch plan and org chart• established firm financial control and delivered auditable results, with P/L and cash-flow significantly better than target• built committed team of 45 people• built business process model for Mobile; owner of processes for financial control, procurement and billing & collection• built activity-based business plan for 1999; operationalised this to give specific budgets and targets; instituted monthly reports of financial and non-financial performance against targets; main shareholder contact for facts & figures• led re-negotiation of major supply contracts, with significant savings, for network equipment, construction, IT services and handsets• key facilitator of management communication

Responsible to Networks & Systems Director for financial and business planning, with ‘dotted line’ to CFO. Building a team of, ultimately, twelve people, my major contributions included:• introduced accountability in N&S, including business cases for investments, management of major contracts and Programme Office to control € 30m worth of engineering projects; • creation of cross-department business modelling team and development of tools for portfolio management and cost allocation/product profitability;• led build of Telfort N&S’s first budget, business plan and programme of work;Also directly responsible to CFO for Investment Committee, building it into a key control point across the company, governing investments, pricing, product launches and major bids.

Overall project manager for the start-up of Telfort, a joint venture merging BT’s Dutch sales and service activities with the nation-wide internal network of NS (Dutch Railways) and then expanding to become the Netherlands’ second full service telecom operator.Developed and maintained high-level implementation plan, pursued planning, resourcing and delivery of specific projects and managed work packages with suppliers. Co-ordinated some 500 tasks involving 80 people addressing organisational dissolve & build, business processes, infrastructure roll-out and launch of voice and data products.Discharged critical activities until resources available, including interconnect negotiations, detailed organisational design and personnel budget, processes for product launch and financial approvals, secretary to Investment Committee and preparation of Board/Shareholder papers.

Technology Consultant in Applied Physics Group.Conducting polymers; III-V semiconductors; ceramic sensors; laser gauge in explosive environment; project & bid management.

"Stage", between degrees, working in France as electronic engineer developing digital deconvolution filters to improve image processing of medical ultrasonic scanners.

Accreditation, Mediation

Ll.B., Law

Ph.D., Electronic Engineering

B.Sc. (Eng), Electrical & Electronic Engineering (First Class Honours)

Education record