FCMI MIIM
Mobile: 07715 420009 Home: 01733 234 949
Executive Summary:
A Commercial Director / Senior Executive with a track record of transforming underperforming businesses within the financial services & leisure sectors. With extensive interim management experience, key strengths include: developing commercial strategy to drive revenue & profit in challenging market conditions; analysing complex business processes and leading major cost rationalisation programmes to drive bottom line gains; driving effective resource planning and organisational restructures to ensure operations are lean yet highly productive; and superior change management skills to embed significant change across people, processes and systems.
Career Synopsis:
Started career in retail management, before joining Thomas Cook & gaining several promotions to
Global Account Director for their HSBC account. After driving significant revenue gains, selected by the Board to transform the profitability of the compan y’s £10bn Travellers Cheque business. Having succeeded in this global business & becoming one of the top 15 executives worldwide, decided to leverage strong commercial management & business change skills and embark on a career as an
Executive Interim Manager. Over the past 10 yrs, have played a key role in turning around many high profile businesses within the leisure, financial services, utilities & health sectors.
Key Skills:
 Business Transformation / Turnaround
 Strategy Formulation & Execution
 Programme & Project Management
 Cost Rationalisation programmes
 Mergers, Acquisitions & Integration
 Performance Measurement / Assessment
 High-Level Commercial Negotiations
 Extensive International Experience
 Full £multi-million P&L Management
 Sales & Marketing Strategy
 Organisational Restructures
 Full Project Lifecycle Management
 Stakeholder Management
 Business Case Formulation
 Executive Coaching at CXO level
 Assembling Management Teams
Selected Interim Assignments:
Page & Moy Group (£150m t/o): Business Recovery Programme: Interim Director (9 months)
 P a g e & M o y T r r a v e l l h a d d e c l l i i n i i n g s a l l e s i i n a h i i g h l l y c o m p e t t i i t t i i v e m a r r k e t t .
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E n g a g e d a s E x e c u t t i i v e
I n t e r r i i m M a n a g e r b y t t h e C E O t o c r r e a t e a b u s i n e s s s u r v i i v a l s t t r r a t t e g y .
E n g a g e d w i t h C E O & S M T ; ; p e r r f f o r r m e d r o o t t & b r r a n c h r e v i i e w o f f b u s i i n e s s ; ; c r r e a t t e d t t r a n s f f o r m a t t i i o n s t t r a t t e g y ; ; s e t t u p c h a n g e m a n a g e m e n t t s t t e e r i i n g g r r o u p ; ; l l e d m a j j o r r c o s t t r r a t t i i o n a l l i i s a t t i i o n ; ; r r e s t t r u c t t u r r e d w o r k f f o r r c e ( r e d u c e d b y
2 0 % ) ) ; ; a n d r e e n g i i n e e r r e d b u s i i n e s s p r r o c e s s e s .
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S u c c e e d e d i i n a r r r e s t t i i n g a 4 0 % d e c l l i i n e i i n s a l l e s , , f a c i i l i t a t t i i n g y o y r r e v e n u e g r o w t t h & i n c r r e a s i n g p r o f i t b y £ 1 .
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5 m t o e n s u r e s u r r v i v a l l o f t h e b u s i n e s s .
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Thomas Cook: Business Transformation: Global Commercial Director – Financial Services (2 years)
 Thomas Cook’s Travellers Cheque business had an increasing cost-base & declining sales in a declining market. Selected by the Board to lead business transformation. Reviewed business & defined recovery strategy with regional/market variations; revised business model & accounting convention; led cost rationalisation; centralised back office functions; re-negotiated unprofitable contracts; and embedded global performance management framework. Led the largest ever change programme in Thomas Cook’s history, transforming a £20m loss into a £6m profit.

C a n n o n s H e a l l t t h & F i i t t n e s s ( ( £ 3 5 0 m t t / / o ) ) : : S a l l e s S t t r r a t t e g y D e v e l l o p m e n t t : : I I n t t e r i i m M a n a g e r ( ( 1 8 m o n t t h s ) )
 Cannons Health & Fitness had a failing sales strategy, leading to declining profits in a saturated market. Engaged as Executive Interim Manager to create a strategy to drive revenue & profit.
Analysed product portfolio & service offering to define areas of unprofitability; created strategy focused around customer retention across multiple service areas; led cultural change across senior management team; and re-negotiated key supplier contracts. Succeeded in increasing profits by more than £1m, gross profit margins by 20% and customer retention by 15%.
Holidayautos (£150m t/o): Pre Acquisition Transformation: Interim Manager (6 months)
 Holidayautos were seeking a trade sale. Engaged by the CEO on an interim management basis to groom the business for sale. Implemented a highly prioritised change management strategy; led management team to deliver key business transformation initiatives; delivered major cost rationalisation; identified prospective acquirers; and created a business plan / business case focused on how an acquirer might gain economies of scale through the acquisition. Succeeded in increasing operating profit by £1m & facilitating the sale of the business to Lastminute.com.
L a s t t m i i n u t t e .
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c o m ( ( £ 6 5 0 m t t / / o ) ) : : P o s t t A c q u i i s i i t t i i o n I I n t t e g r a t t i i o n : : I I n t t e r r i i m M a n a g e r r ( ( 1 2 m o n t t h s ) )
 Lastminute.com acquired Holidayautos & required effective integration to achieve cost benefits agreed with shareholders. Engaged on an interim management basis to deliver this major integration. Engaged with executives within both organisations; defined key areas for cost savings; designed new organisational structure; conceptualised & implemented new operating model; re-engineered back office processes; and removed areas of duplication. Succeeded in delivering an effective integration, exceeding £12m synergy savings agreed with shareholders.
A M P P e a r l l A s s u r r a n c e : : S a l l e s S t t r r a t t e g y D e v e l l o p m e n t t : : I I n t t e r i i m M a n a g e r ( ( 6 m o n t t h s ) )
 AMP Pearl Assurance had a large national sales force but lacked a coherent sales strategy.
Engaged by the Sales Director on an interim management basis to improve productivity & profitability of the sales organisation. Reviewed the business; created new sales strategy with supporting processes; improved lead generation; defined target markets based on profitability; and made radical changes to performance management across KPIs, salaries & performance related pay. Succeeded in increasing productivity by 10% & increasing revenue by £5m p/a.
N H S : : O r r g a n i i s a t t i o n a l l R e s t r r u c t t u r r e & O p e r r a t t i n g M o d e l D e s i i g n : I n t e r i m M a n a g e r ( 4 m o n t h s ) )
 Peterborough & Stamford Hospitals Trust were transitioning from 3 locations into one (£335m project). Hired on a consultancy basis to assist with the creation of a new operating model & organisational structure. Engaged with CEO & key executives; designed scaleable structure in line with organisational goals & capacity needs; and oversaw HR programme to align existing resources with new structure. Played a key role in reducing costs by £500k & creating a leading edge operating model & structure that will facilitate a doubling of turnover within 3 yrs.
Career Chronology:
 1999 to date: Executive Interim Manager: PIMS Management Services Ltd
 1997 to 1999: Global Commercial Director: Thomas Cook Group
 Earlier Career: Various Sales & Marketing / Commercial roles with Thomas Cook Group
Thomas Cook:
Performed various senior commercial roles with expatriate assignments in Hong Kong and
Bahrain and gained experience of European, Middle East, Africa and Far East business cultures.
Held the position of Board Director for 10 years with full P&L responsibility throughout whole career and oversight of up to 2,000 staff. Progressed to Global Commercial Director, responsible for the company’s £10bn Travellers Cheques business and became one of Thomas Cook’s top 15
Executives worldwide prior to leaving the company in 1999.

Qualifications & Memberships:
 Member of the Institute of Interim Management (IIM)
 Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute (FCMI)
 Qualified Myers Briggs and OAD Assessor
 INSEAD Advanced Management Programme (AMP)
 Stakeholder Selling / Relationship Management Course
 Constructive Contention Management Course
 3 A Levels: English, Geography, Economics
Personal Details:
 Email: neil@pimsltd.com
 LinkedIn Profile: http://uk.linkedin.com/pub/neil-pirie/17/413/a84
 Driving Licence: Full UK (clean)
Recommendations:
“In my view, Neil is tough, fair, incisive and culturally sensitive; an excellent communicator, senior manager and director. Thomas Cook was a better business for having him on board and I recommend him unreservedly.” John Bavister, Head of Global FX Development, Thomas Cook
“Neil is forthright in what he believes and cuts through sensitive issues extremely well. As a
Chairman of several SMEs within the Travel & Tourism industry, I have used him in challenging situations that need turning around, and turning around quickly. I have the utmost confidence in
Neil’s ability and recommend him highly.” John Donaldson, Former CEO of Thomas Cook Group
“I hired Neil as an interim Programme Director on the recommendation of former Thomas Cook
Group CEO John Donaldson. Neil worked with the Board to set up a rigorous programme and project management framework and reporting structure, saw through 6 months of driving key projects, and appointed and then trained up an internal successor. He did a great job and I thoroughly recommend him ”. William Burton, CEO, Page and Moy Travel Group