Jonathan Lee

Summary

Finance Director with PLC Board experience and expertise in development/implementation of successful business strategy, MBO, M&A transactions, business turnaround, growth and creation of value for investors including Private Equity. Highly commercial and credible Board member who contributes to strategic and operational decisions and activities

Broad experience ranging from large multi-nationals and PLCs to SMEs and start-ups. Responsibilities have included management of French and US subsidiaries.

Experience

Before joining the Board of Planit Holdings PLC in 2001, Jonathan held a number of positions including with Ford Motor Company, Reed International (now RELX Group), Asda Stores and BBC World Service. He also served as Finance Director at Canterbury Christ Church University.

Planit Holdings was a B2B CADCAM software developer which Jonathan helped grow to the second largest independent developer globally. During his time there, he managed five acquisitions which doubled the size of the business, initiated a PE backed MBO, disposed of a non-core business for 3x sales and completed a successful exit to a Canadian based software developer in 2011.

Following a year as part of a turnaround team that rescued a PE Telecoms merger play, Jonathan chose to join EFM to work with smaller businesses to help them grow top line as well as bottom line,  recognise where value is and help manage increasing that value, and raising funds to support this.

Over his career as a Finance Director he has:

  • Acted as Finance Director in management team of a global B2B software business that completed a public to private PE backed MBO and highly successful exit five years later. Also part of a team (as non-exec FD) that completed an MBO in the construction sector.
  • Been part of a team that managed a turnaround of a PE backed telecoms business, involving cost restructuring, securing new working capital funding and negotiating write down of existing debt.
  • Completed of five company acquisitions (total value c£30m), together with subsequent integration and achievement of targeted scale economies.
  • Completed £20m disposal of multinational business to Canadian acquirer.
  • Completed a £400k Crowdcube round for a retail start-up
  • Led business development and profit improvement actions for global B2B software business that doubled net margins over two year period.
  • Improved management information and forecasting across a number of businesses. One then realised it was going to run out of cash while one realised it wasn’t.
  • Led strategic reviews leading to expansion in product opportunities disposal of un-profitable or non-core businesses and focus on growth opportunities.