|
|
|
|
|
-
Professional "Backgrounder"
-
After High School Ian spent 7 years skiing, racing and mountain guiding at Whistler, B.C. and Mt Tremblant, Quebec.
Ian initially pursued sales and marketing at Vancouver Community College, but decided that business school would provide a broader grounding. Ian was admitted to the University of British Columbia Bachelor of Commerce Program and after graduating (1980) with a double major in Accounting and Finance, achieved his designation as a Chartered Accountant (1982) while working with Coopers & Lybrand.
In 1983, Ian accepted a secondment to London, England with Coopers & Lybrand and worked with top computer experts to develop and apply computer audit software for security audits of large banks and insurance companies. Many of these tools were built using the first wave of Personal Computers. Ian became a Certified Information Systems Auditor and an expert in computer system security. This led to a career in management consulting, initially in technology, but branching out into his original passion - sales and marketing.
In 1986 Ian started a technology consulting firm - Sutcliffe & Associates - in Vancouver. The firm quickly grew to about 20 staff working on technology projects for organizations including the Vancouver Stock Exchange, BC Ministry of Finance, BC Liquor Distribution Board and IBM Canada.
The firm grew and broadened its focus into strategy, quality management and sales productivity with the common underpinning of technology to aid execution. The firm emphasized the linkage between strategy and implementation and developed a series of important methodologies to improve performance. To accelerate growth and breadth of services, the firm merged with BDO Dunwoody. At BDO, Ian was a partner and Vice President of Consulting Services. A major client at this time was IBM where Ian led a series of Merger and Acquisition activities to help IBM move into the services and personal computer market.
In 1992 IBM offered Ian a role in restructuring IBM Canada's mid market sales organization. Ian took early retirement from BDO Dunwoody and moved the family to Unionville, Ontario where they currently live.
This led to a series of projects with IBM and other large technology organizations, primarily in developing channels, exploiting competitive intelligence, and improving sales and marketing performance.
In 1996, Ian was recruited as President (and employee #1) in an Internet startup - Mediconsult (www.pol.net). Mediconsult developed a family of award winning web sites to support patients and doctors in improving the quality of health care outcomes. Ian led the development of the company from the initial concept and business model through to an IPO on NASDEQ and eventual sale.
The company attracted over 4 million visitors a month including 220,000 registered physicians and is still the most highly respected and used site for physicians on the net. The company won the Internet World Site of the Year in 2000 and over 30 top awards for business innovation and excellence.
Revenue grew from $10,000 in 1996 to US$23 million in 2000 when it was sold to Andrex Corporation. 2 years later Andrex sold the properties to WebMD where is is operating today.
Ian took a year sabbatical to spend time with his family and race sailplanes after the sale of Mediconsult closed in March, 2001.
In October 2001, Ian became Chairman and CEO of BluePoint Data Storage, a troubled Canadian public company (TSE-V: BLP). This innovative technology services company was hemorrhaging cash and was only months from insolvency, however, under the direction of the CTO, Paul Sachse, the company had developed a market leading proprietary technology for managing data storage. By December 2001 the product line had been revamped, costs dramatically reduced, sales and marketing programs redeveloped and relaunched and the executive team largely replaced. The company began to recognize recurring revenue from long term management contracts in early 2002. Paul Sachse was promoted to President & CEO in July 2002. Revenue growth and cost management has moved the company to $8 million in recurring revenue, positive cash flow and revenue growing at 25%+ annually as of December 31, 2008. Ian continues as non executive Chairman of the Board of Directors.
In December 2002, Ian took on the turnaround of BCS Global Networks, a TSX listed public company, as President and CEO. In just one year, working with a dedicated team, the company was restructured, revenues quadrupled, costs reduced by 40% and margins grown from 13% to 34%. In March, 2004 the company was taken private and sold to a UK telecommunication company.
In the summer of 2004 Ian joined Champion Solutions Group, a $100 million technology integrator, as president of their new managed services division. This division grew from start up to $3 million in recurring revenue over the next 2 years. In June 2006 the division was sold to Bluepoint Data for $6 million.
In October 2006, Ian took on the leadership of a major payments industry project for Symcor, the leading financial payments industry outsourcing company. The multi-year, multi-hundred million dollar project, known as TECP in the Canadian payments industry, involved converting a paper based cheque processing business to a fully image enabled exchange.
In June 2009 Ian will complete his assignment as Symcor. After the summer break, Ian will be looking for the next challenge.
For a Resume (Downloadable) click on Resume
|
|
| | | |
|
|
|
|
