Thomas J Rodger

Tom Rodger , MBA, MInstD, HND Eng has had an extensive and interesting career working in and studying business in a wide range of industries from print to pipeline products. The common thread and the driving force behind everything he has done is a passion for achieving results.

Tom’s original qualifications were in engineering, and he first started work in engineering companies, involved in projects across the UK. He soon found, though, that his talents and his interests lay more in team building and in project management than in specific engineering undertakings. He delighted in taking an idea, a concept, a project, from something fragmentary and unformed and delivering it, polished, finished and highly profitable. He was quickly snapped up by GEC, where he was providing leadership and direction to international project teams undertaking multi-million pound electronic, electrical, civil and mechanical contracts from early conception through design, manufacture, installation and commissioning.

In 1988, he realised that his talents were transferable across a wide range of fields, and decided to set up on his own. Showing the insight and acumen which has characterised Tom’s business understanding, he realised that the quickest way to building a successful business was to buy a well-developed franchise, and so he purchased a Kall-Kwik franchise. He grew the business substantially and achieved an outstanding Return on Investment when the business was sold. Tom’s experience of franchising meant that he understood the model and was hungry to develop it further. In 1995 he became a franchisor of a company which he grew in 3 years from having 20 to 85 franchises across the UK, and which was eventually bought, at a substantial profit, by Greenflag, third in size to the RAC and the AA.

He has acted as interim Managing Director to a range of companies, either to direct a company turnaround or to develop the company to enable the maximum profits at sale, as well as providing consultancy to a wide variety of companies, coaching their boards to enable the companies to grow from “big small companies” to “small big companies”.

Tom recognised that in order for Companies to get to where they wanted to go, the Leadership and Management skills within the organisation probably needed to change, particularly, but not exclusively, at the top management levels. He has subsequently focused on issues relating to Change Management, in order to achieve the ultimate company financial objectives.

Tom has a straightforward mission – to enable small to medium-sized companies to maximise their potential and deliver optimum value for their directors, shareholders and management, whether through increased profits or through sale. He is experienced in working with companies which stand on the brink of becoming publicly quoted, and ensuring they achieve the best possible returns through skilful and thorough pre-IPO grooming. He specialises in the fine tuning of companies to become investment ready, whether this be for incoming investment, bank finance, Management Buy Out, Management Buy In, incoming investment, outright sale or simply just making it a good company to own.

“My clients know their business,” says Tom. “I know business.” And that’s how it works.

Professional Memberships

Member of the Institute of Directors

Accreditations

Masters in Business Administration
HND Engineering