A presentation by Steven Ward
Developing Innovative Strategies for
ACHIEVING GROWTH
Business Unit Manager / Managing Director UK
Introduction
I pride myself on being kind, humble and emotionally intelligent. I've been very lucky, to have enjoyed so many life experiences, personally and professionally, that have made me a well rounded, decent human being.
I fully commit to everything I pursue; with tenacity and hard work, I not only achieve my goals, but also set and maintain high standards while doing so.
I bring over 30 years of experience leading sales and operational teams for large corporations. I have always worked in high pressure, target driven environments.
I have also founded two successful start-ups: a media company which I led for ten years, and an import e-commerce business that continues to thrive today, although I have not been involved since 2020.
I was responsible for the strategic growth of both start-ups, including developing new products and overseeing operations, often managing teams delivering projects overseas.
Central to all my roles, has been a constant drive for new business, selling products, services and solutions directly to C-Class executives, enterprise businesses, SMEs, and consumers alike.
Combining corporate leadership experience with an entrepreneurial mindset and a consistent track record of delivering growth in target-driven environments, I offer a strong commercial and strategic edge. This positions me to drive performance and succeed as Managing Director at Storopack.
People and Culture Development
I truly believe that a company’s success hinges on its people.
I love people... Happy people are more motivated, engaged, and productive.
When employees feel valued and positive in their environment, they are more likely to collaborate effectively, show creativity, and maintain higher levels of performance.
I will lead by example, setting the tone for workplace values, ethics, and collaboration.
Empathetic, present and approachable.
I pride myself on being emotionally intelligent.
These attributes being extremely important to me personally and to these, I hold myself to high standards at all times.
As Managing Director, I will play a vital role in maintaining a strong corporate culture, which aligns with Storopack's values and guidelines.
By prioritising employee engagement, training, and career development, creating an environment where talent flourishes and productivity soars.
I will inspire the team, recruit and retain top talent, to ensure the organisation’s long term success.
As the Managing Director I will ensure diversity, inclusion and employee well-being are core business priorities.
Operational Excellence
As Managing Director I will be the driving force behind Storopack's day to day operational efficiency.
Oversee key business functions, ensuring smooth operation and collaboration across departments such as sales, marketing, production, and customer service.
By establishing performance metrics and streamlining processes, we can enhance productivity and create a work environment where our teams thrive.
Focus on operational excellence impacts customer satisfaction and business growth also.
I will champion the integration of technology and automation where applicable.
Ensure that business operations leverage the latest innovations to improve efficiency and reduce costs.
Whether it’s adopting AI-driven solutions, outsourcing, or optimising internal workflows, I will lead with a mindset of continuous improvement.
Of course we have challenges, but with the support of our excellent team, I will endeavour to transform challenges into opportunities, ensuring the company operates at peak performance.
Strategy and Vision/ Sales Focused
Work closely with the Finance Director to agree and implement a robust financial strategy.
Agree budgets and implement a sales strategy to exceed financial targets.
Accountable for P&L performance, overseeing revenue, cost control, and profitability to ensure alignment with Storopack Group targets.
Drive sales performance, control expenses and make strategic decisions that improve the overall business results while aligning with the business objectives.
Grow market share with core products and packaging logistics.
Identify opportunities to introduce new products within the UK market.
Customer retention.
Focus on building stronger relationships with our existing client base. Delivering consistent value and service, make sure we are present, even with our distribution partner's end user clients, to ensure customer satisfaction, encouraging repeat business and long-term loyalty.
We need to lock out the competition and not be complacent.
A more front foot approach to engage with the end user in my opinion is a must.
Ensuring strong distributor relationships means building trust, clear communication, and mutual value with distribution partners.
It means supporting them with the right tools, training, and incentives, while maintaining consistent collaboration to drive sales, improve market reach, and achieve shared business goals.
However...
Direct new business is top priority!
As Managing Director, with the wealth of experience I bring to the table, this is an area where we can shine.
I will create a new business culture that I don't think Storopack UK has really experienced to date. As we have been reliant on distribution partners historically.
This is a key strength of mine.
I will lead from the front, continuing to take a hands on approach to sales.
Through hard work, clear KPIs, and creating the right new business sales culture, I will drive results and inspire strong commercial performance.
As Managing Director, I will implement clear, targeted strategies and techniques, to win direct end-user business, while also providing the tools, training, and support needed to empower our team to achieve these goals and deliver consistent, high quality results.
Since joining Storopack, I have been confident that there are strong direct opportunities for growth, even in a challenging market .
I remain completely focused and confident that we can convert opportunities into tangible results and thrive.
I have a lots of ideas to support a direct new business strategy, including the introduction of a telesales team, outsourced lead generation campaigns, and the recruitment and training of "hunters" to name just a few.
These initiatives and of course others, can be explored in more detail at the appropriate time to ensure the right approach and alignment with business goals.
Change Management
We know that generally, its human nature to resit change.
By default people find a comfort zone and push back.
So the management of charge is so important and should be implemented with consideration.
Businesses must constantly evolve to remain competitive and relevant.
Therefore Change Management is so important in my opinion.
I will ensure we have a structured approach that enables us to adapt effectively to ongoing challenges such as technological advancements, competition, changing laws and regulations, and shifting economic trends.
Failure to embrace change, an inability to adapt, can lead to stagnation. Businesses can lose market share, and becomes less attractive to customers.
Implementation of change management involves clear communication, strong leadership, and employee engagement. Essentially a core part of change is influencing people so having "change champions" is one of many ways to ensure smooth transitions.
Communicating the reasons for change and the expected benefits is a must, while providing the necessary training and resources to support those affected by change.
Gathering feedback and monitoring progress ensures that adjustments can be made when needed. All the while minimising resistance and pushback from employees.
As Managing Director I will ensure that change management processes are always considered and implemented, whether these be for adaptive changes or transformational changes alike.
Business unit collaboration
Encourage stronger relationships between business units, with a particular focus on Europe as a strategic priority.
The digital lead campaign I have been working on with the team in Italy has already delivered positive results, and I will ensure this success is further leveraged across the business.
Furthermore leverage the CRM system to conduct cross check analysis, identifying existing clients within specific regions who also have a presence in other countries.
I believe that by adopting a more international mindset and improving communication during the discovery phase, we can better identify large multinational organisations and leverage our position as a global business to secure international opportunities. Which can then be serviced by regional business units.
I can reference a recent client engagement from this morning, where I successfully secured the UK business. Through more effective discovery, I also identified additional opportunities in Denmark and Italy, demonstrating the value of an international approach/ thought process.
As Managing Director, I would encourage greater collaboration between business units, ensuring that opportunities are fully maximised through a more aligned and cohesive approach.
Richard, I hope you have found this presentation informative.
If you would like further detail or greater specificity, please do not hesitate to ask. I would be happy to explore the strategies and execution plans in more depth, although I felt this would be more appropriate for a follow up discussion if required.
Thank you
Steven Ward