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- Time in the job: 1 year
- Career highlights: Group Finance Director and Chief Operating Officer at Keller, previously at Reuters and PWC, qualified CA
- Outside interests: Family, keeping fit and St Mirren FC
- Family highlights: Married with three daughters
Keller Group:
- Description: Construction and Civil Engineering Services
- Turnover (FY 2004): £596m
- Employees: 4,626
- Key Markets: Infrastructure, Housing and Energy Prod’n.
- Geography: Europe, North America, Australia Ownership: Quoted
Build trust in the planning round
There is a tension to be managed between the board and the business unit heads on setting budgets. They like to aim low and have something up their sleeve. The board wants to stretch them, and get consistent outcomes.
To do this the chief executive needs to have a good understanding of the businesses, the markets they operate in, and the capabilities of the team. We have worked hard at this over the last few years and now have a stable management team, and more accurate budgeting.
On top of the budget targets – the business unit leader’s day job – we set 2 or 3 bigger strategic tasks, tackling what we collectively believe are the biggest strategic issues. I have set some discretionary incentives for performance against these strategic tasks, which helps to focus the managers’ minds.
Anticipate the issues
You need to hear about things that are not working whilst you can still do something about it. This requires a management team with trust and judgement. And it needs to become part of the culture right through the organisation. We have the advantage of a stable management team and have built up trust and judgement over time. I also try to get out into the business as much as possible to find out the issues. I don’t go looking for just good news.
I have set discretionary incentives for performance against strategic tasks.
Grow talent within the business
Capable people will only stay if they can grow within the business. You have to find a way to bring them through the organisation based on their merits. This is a cultural point and it needs to be in place to make a success of any formal management development programmes.
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