I am currently writing successful books on business issues and carrying out consultancy work for business and charitable organisations on writing business plans, corporate governance and effective financial control.
I was Director of Business Development for leisure companies such as Pleasurama plc and, when it was taken over, for Mecca Leisure Group plc; and for Pentos plc, which owned retail chains Dillons Bookshops, Ryman and Athena. As well as developing planning processes I was active in acquisitions and disposals in the UK and abroad. The biggest acquisition was Hard Rock Cafe for Pleasurama in 1988 and I was later closely involved in negotiating the disposal, for Pentos, of the Ryman and Athena retail chains.
Subsequently I co-founded a retail bookstore chain, acting as Finance Director and Company Secretary and helped take it into internet bookselling.
Following a first degree in engineering at Cambridge and a period with Unilever, I took an MBA at the London Business School and am also a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants.
I became interested in writing in the early 1990's. My first book was on how to write a business plan, followed by one on negotiating and another on the Alternative Investment Market. I have published on Corporate Governance through FT Prentice Hall and on Insolvency through Bloomsbury - this links to my work on "Effective Financial Management" by emphasising practical means to avoid insolvency and get out of financial difficulties!
I am working on materials derived from some of these books to offer as a resource on this site. Any suggestions or requests will be gratefully received. Contact me through the contact page on this site - I avoid giving my direct email in order to deflect spam.
