My work is almost exclusively generated from personal reference and word of mouth recommendations. For those who have not worked with me before, this section sets out some of the written references my clients and stakeholders have provided to help others get a feel for my work and the way I operate.
Iain is an excellent programme director whom I highly recommend. He recently supported us on a large colleague engagement initiative which needed a complete reset and replan. He quickly assessed the situation, stabilised the team and managed the replan. His particular strengths include: ability to deal with complexity, calm, thoughtful approach and pragmatic commercially focussed[…]
Iain joined the Arco operations board at a critical time in our business development process. His ability to quickly assess the organisations complexities and make sense of the key priorities is truly impressive. He is able to blend strategic insight and operational requirements to develop business strategies that differentiate and deliver real value. I really[…]
Iain did a superb job for us, far exceeding our expectations. He was engaged for 9 months to help us 1) formulate an IT strategy, 2) lead the IT/Change function with over 50 colleagues and land the required organisational change, 3) support the E-commerce Director and 4) support/develop his permanent replacement in the role. This[…]
Iain has remarkable energy and tenacity. He created an excellent foundation for me in Morrisons, building the CRM capability. His knowledge and expertise in these matters is very strong, he served Morrisons well. I was very worried when he said that he had been consulting for us rather too long (over 2 years) and would[…]
Iain is a fantastic change agent. He has a deep understanding of what makes organisations, teams and individuals tick and what hinders them from delivering on their ambition. Iain has an incisive intellect and scythes through complexity to make the options simple to realise. Iain is not afraid to be tough on the issues and[…]
Iain is a real pro, one of the brightest thinkers I’ve worked with in any company. Very strategic and disciplined in his thinking, but also a real operators ability to put the ideas in to practice. An absolute wealth of knowledge and experience across many industries, I have personally consulted with Iain over the last[…]
Iain is a talented Programme Manager who has the ability to operate at a strategic level but also “deep dive” to a significant level of detail. He has a hands on approach, is pragmatic and delivery focused. A very good mix of business understanding and IT knowledge. Chief Operating Officer Otto UK – Freeman Grattan[…]
Iain is an excellent ‘Change Leader’ – he challenges a business, its strategy and people with a ‘can do’ attitude. Iain is a great team player who can harness the strengths of individuals to drive change and embed new thinking to achieve results. He has a great sense of humour, lots of energy and will[…]
Iain joined WH Smith Direct a few weeks before me. He quickly grasped the business and key issues and developed business plan initiatives. Iain is an exceptional team player and worked very hard to develop the team ethos within the management team and the wider business. Communications on KPI’s and performance improved considerably and each[…]
Iain is one of the best programme managers I have come across (and there have been a few). He has the right balance between detail and big picture focus. He understands how large corporations work and is comfortable providing appropriate challenge at senior board level. He has the tool kit, worn the t shirt and[…]
Iain & I worked together on the MyTravel deal, which was a landmark deal for Xansa. I was hugely impressed with Iain’s pragmatic, results oriented approach. His attention to detail and ability to identify issues and escalate early were critical to the successful outcome of the programme. On a personal note, Iain is a thorough[…]
Iain was the lynchpin in leading the Powergen/E.ON Retail business ‘Formula for Growth’ cross-functional and strategic change initiative, which for 2007 resulted in our best Gross Margin and EBIT ever. A substantial amount of this success is due to Iain skilfully organising and driving our management team forward, including his ability to think laterally and[…]
Iain managed to line up a set of hybrid divisions and service units into a single unified change plan. He had enough force of intellect and personality to then keep the many competing stakeholders to that plan such that it delivered. That is the very point where most change plans fall apart, but ther was[…]
Iain joined me early in 2006 on the Consumer Leadership Team at Powergen, as interim Head of Change, following acquisition by E.ON AG, the global energy group. This was at a time of increasingly competitive conditions in the Energy markets, with retail margins under significant pressure. Iain brought a wealth of senior-level experience from low-margin[…]
Iain Spence joined us as interim Change Director at a very challenging time in our business’ history. With our business forecast to grow by more than double in the next 12 months, we had to develop a clear strategy and plan to handle that type of growth in a tightly controlled way. Iain’s expertise in[…]
Iain performed the role of Transformation Director for Xansa PLC when we won a major Finance & Accounting Services outsourcing contract with MyTravel PLC in 2004. Leading a team of Xansa’s business and technology consultants, Iain was responsible for a major programme of business and systems change which provided significant financial benefits to MyTravel and[…]
I provide this reference in the sure knowledge that Iain can make a significant contribution to your own organisation, in a wide variety of ways. Iain’s significant track record in retail, and in particular his wide experience in online businesses, was the driver for us asking him to take on the role of Chief Operating[…]
I was a contractor involved in some substantial business sytem changes in WHSmith Direct before and while Iain was interim CEO. It was very helpful when Iain arrived and grasped the key important issues very quickly. Consultant WHSmith 22 June 2003
Iain is an affliative manager and as such a successful change agent, always bringing others along with him. He has a visionary leadership style and his lateral thinking abilities are to be admired. Operations Manager WHSmith Direct 3 March 2003
Iain consulted with Asda during 2002 and I am delighted to recommend him to other businesses based on the outstanding results of this assignment. The brief was to develop a business-wide customer data strategy, a complex issue to resolve when you have almost 10m customers transacting with Asda each week through a variety of channels[…]
I worked closely with Iain when we explored our strategic options for entering the personal financial services industry, and more recently when he led the development of our shopping services on Asda.com and Sky Active digital TV. In both of these new businesses, Iain demonstrated excellent strategic thinking, rigorous planning and first rate leadership skills in implementing our strategic plans….