I founded Oakbank in 2008, Oakbank is a consultancy based in Wales delivering structured business improvement, learning and development, coaching and training, with a focus on lean practices to drive profitable growth.Examples of recent projects and consultancyWorking to catalyse change within the medical device sector to support quality system development and process improvement. Enabled a change in working methods for a department of 16 quality engineers to reduce factory… Show more I founded Oakbank in 2008, Oakbank is a consultancy based in Wales delivering structured business improvement, learning and development, coaching and training, with a focus on lean practices to drive profitable growth.Examples of recent projects and consultancyWorking to catalyse change within the medical device sector to support quality system development and process improvement. Enabled a change in working methods for a department of 16 quality engineers to reduce factory delays by 30% and increase available capacity by 20%.Enabled the 50% sales growth of a £30million T/O manufacturer by releasing the capacity in bottleneck sub-assembly areas, driving changes in working practice and a focus on developing the skills of the leadership team. Also provided accurate cost information to enable sub-contract negotiations.Developed a bespoke Six Sigma training suite for a Global manufacturer of door lock systems which was delivered to over 80 people across several sites. The resulting process improvement projects have saved the business over $2,500,000(globally) across all departments. The projects were mentored to completion and the savings validated by the Finance Director.Undertook a full strategic review with the senior team to focus their growth ambitions and identify ‘must do’ actions. They are on track to grow from £3m to £7m this year and have achieved a place in the new nuclear build supply chain. Also ran a project to build robust data collection and analysis systems to support the validation process for a new product.Successfully worked with the Directors of an SME to develop a capital investment plan (£400,000) to expand capacity a complete review of manufacturing systems was undertaken. This has driven up yield and productivity and identified potential extra capacity to enable sales growth of over £500,000 in their one production area alone. Project managed the realisation of the new capacity over 4 months. Show less

Awen Cultural Trust is a brand new not-for-profit organisation which went live on 1st October 2015. Working in partnership with Bridgend County Borough Council, Awen manages and develops the council's cultural facilities and services including theatres, libraries, community centres, a country house and park and work-based projects for adults with disabilities.Appointed to the board in May 2015 to work with the Awen management team to help set the trust up and get the vision and forward… Show more Awen Cultural Trust is a brand new not-for-profit organisation which went live on 1st October 2015. Working in partnership with Bridgend County Borough Council, Awen manages and develops the council's cultural facilities and services including theatres, libraries, community centres, a country house and park and work-based projects for adults with disabilities.Appointed to the board in May 2015 to work with the Awen management team to help set the trust up and get the vision and forward strategy in place. Work as a member of the finance and audit subcommittee which presents the accounts and investment plans back to the main board for approval. Show less

This was a continuation of the Strategem role after the business was bought by Enterprise PLC.

• Helped managing the BERR (dti) Manufacturing Advisory Service for Wales (MAS Wales), including brokering projects to give sustainable profitable growth in the SME manufacturing sector. Budget £1.7 million per year. GVA realised for Welsh businesses of over £45 million.• Conducted business reviews as part MAS delivery. Personally touching over 200 organisations over the project life. MAS touched over 2000 businesses and conducted over 550 projects in 4 years. This exceeded the… Show more • Helped managing the BERR (dti) Manufacturing Advisory Service for Wales (MAS Wales), including brokering projects to give sustainable profitable growth in the SME manufacturing sector. Budget £1.7 million per year. GVA realised for Welsh businesses of over £45 million.• Conducted business reviews as part MAS delivery. Personally touching over 200 organisations over the project life. MAS touched over 2000 businesses and conducted over 550 projects in 4 years. This exceeded the expectations of the fund holder Welsh Government (WG).• Advising and supporting construction companies through the Construct Wales Network• Working with the NHS and WG to focus public sector spend in the UK to ensure maximum benefit for taxpayers.• Delivered productivity improvement in a double glazing manufacturer saving £100,000 annually• Warehouse transaction streamlining and supplier development saving £80,000• Change over time reduction in a concrete block manufacturing process saving £40,000• General manufacturing process improvement in an SME Kitchen unit supplier saving £20,000• Process improvement training and mentoring to managers, supervisors and team leaders• TPM initiative in metal process company, leading to downtime reduction and quality improvements Show less