Richard Albert Email & Phone Number

London, Gb

Lead the UK Government’s efforts to drive large cap and venture capital investment from the United States and Canada into sectors of strategic long-term significance to the UK economy, including clean energy, critical infrastructure, real estate, national security, life sciences, deep technology and sport. Set strategic priorities and key investment themes to maximise inbound capital flows and deliver the capital investment sector plan for North America in support of UK Government policies.Align closely across Government to provide senior-level (CEO/C-Suite/Managing Partner) relationship management of major investors based in North America, including the world's leading private equity firms, real estate investment trusts, public sector pension funds, insurance companies, university endowments and venture capital firms.Drive the UK Government's efforts on a global basis to attract strategic capital investment into the UK sports sector to ensure its long-term financial sustainability and unlock new sources of revenue growth.Advise and engage the Prime Minister's Office for Investment, Minister for Investment, British Ambassador to the United States and High Commissioner to Canada and their respective regional teams on key opportunities, providing strategic input on matters relevant to the UK Government’s broader priorities in North America and their direct impact on inward investment.Lead the North American Capital Investment team on a remote and co-located basis, steering direction, allocating resources, and supporting career development.

Supported a range of clients (including major consulting firms and private equity firms), providing consultation, advisory services and subject matter expertise in: Global strategy conception and market scans.New market entry planning and execution.Inorganic growth-based strategy and business planning.Deal structuring, due diligence and negotiation.

Montreal, Quebec, Ca

Formerly Morneau Shepell (pre-acquisition). Accountable for P&L. Drove accelerated growth on a global basis outside of home market of Canada. Member of company’s Executive Council.Grew international revenue by a factor of 6x through a combination of direct sales to multinational clients, new product launches, strategic partnerships and tuck-in acquisitions.Restructured and revitalised all aspects of the international business, including strategy, product value propositions, global service delivery network, client development activities and talent.Reengineered the organisational design, recruited and led a global team, based both centrally at Toronto HQ and locally in-market (US, Europe and Asia) that grew from 9 to 42 FTE within three years.Spearheaded the identification, due diligence, completion and integration of two strategic acquisitions focused on providing additional scale and capabilities in the US and in major emerging markets.Led the negotiation and development of strategic partnerships with major insurance carriers and other leading employee health & wellness providers in focus markets.Championed the development, start-up and growth of an award-winning, digitally enabled international student support product. Provided executive leadership of the business that successfully grew client base to include over 200 universities in the US and Canada and a distribution partnership in China in less than three years.

New York, Ny, Us

Responsible for all business/corporate development activities for the company in the Asia Pacific region. Established and led Singapore-based regional team.Owned the identification, due diligence and negotiation of potential acquisitions in both core and adjacent business areas, working closely with external advisors.Restructured existing business models in sub-scale markets via asset divestiture and associated licensing agreements.Drove geographic expansion of the company’s newly acquired loyalty coalition business unit. Undertook global market scan and conceived roll-out plan. Prioritised China and led in-market feasibility study, initial discussions with prospective partners, and construction of business case and market entry strategy.

New York, Ny, Us

Played a defining role in building Amex’s proprietary card-issuing business outside of the US by pursuing, structuring, negotiating, developing, managing, optimising and retaining a portfolio of global market-leading cobranded card, rewards and distribution partnerships that were the company’s key engine for international growth.Charter member of London-based team. Promoted three times in seven years, eventually heading business unit.Accountable for a partnerships portfolio that was the world’s largest and constituted over 40% of Amex’s international consumer card charge volume and revenue.Achieved a position of global leadership in the travel rewards sector of the payments industry, including partnerships with most of the world’s major airlines. Regularly spoke as subject matter expert at industry conferences.Structured, led and mentored a high-performing multinational team of 25 FTE, including business development, relationship management, marketing, finance, research and admin personnel, based both in London and Singapore.Displayed thought leadership and coordination of major strategic partnerships across a complex global matrix organisation. Recipient of 2010 American Express President’s Leadership Award.

New York, Ny, Us

Drove strategy conception, pipeline development, deal structuring and contract negotiation of all new card distribution partnerships with leading financial service institutions outside of the US.

New York, Ny, Us

Identified, assessed, developed and negotiated joint venture, cobranded card and distribution partnerships with companies in multiple industry sectors across a number of diverse geographic markets throughout the globe.

New York, Ny, Us

Developed new and existing relationships with an extensive network of leading business travel agents throughout Europe to drive profitable growth of the company’s corporate payment products.

Assessed and progressed the company’s plans for organic geographic growth of its core business, with focus on conception and execution of an appropriate market entry strategy and business plan for South Africa.

San Ramon, Ca, Us

Completed fully comprehensive feasibility study, conceived strategy and constructed business plan for entry into the retail and wholesale petroleum market in Croatia. Established start-up organisation. Represented the company as Country Manager and official spokesperson.

San Ramon, Ca, Us

Led all macroeconomic, financial, legal and organisational aspects of forming a manufacturing and marketing joint venture with the state-owned oil company in Uzbekistan. Headed the company's negotiating team with the Uzbek government. Completed long-term business plan for shareholder approvals.

San Ramon, Ca, Us

Managed regional retail service station network, including on-site operations, site profitability and legal compliance. Prioritised and recommended new investment opportunities while maximising existing asset portfolio and controlling expenditure budgets.

San Ramon, Ca, Us

Chief of Staff position reporting to Regional President. Charged with establishing over-all business direction and driving implementation of strategies across all product sectors throughout the European region.

San Ramon, Ca, Us

Managed multinational customer accounts in the automotive industry, primarily through a strategic alliance with one of the major Japanese oil companies. Advised and coordinated commercial activities of the lubricant product line for the company’s subsidiaries in Southern Europe.

San Ramon, Ca, Us

Represented the company in all phases of business development activity in Central & Eastern Europe, including evaluation of political risk, monitoring of competitive activity, undertaking of economic analysis and marketing research, and development of partner sales channels in focus markets.

San Ramon, Ca, Us

Undertook and executed extensive feasibility study for a prospective manufacturing and marketing joint venture with the largest refinery in Central Europe. Coordinated all business activities in former-Czechoslovakia, including all phases of joint venture negotiation. Represented the company in relations with the government and the media.

San Ramon, Ca, Us

Entry-level position. Assisted divisional management on several projects, including the creation and launch of a Pan-European commercial fleet card consortium with a number of leading national oil companies in their respective home markets.

Mba

Mba Scholarship Recipient

Bsc, Business Administration