Alan Wick

Alan joined Shirlaws in 2007, having previously developed his own consultancy and coaching practice. He specialises in delivering increased shareholder value to B2B service businesses - he is particularly effective working with creative, scientific or technically-minded people. During current market conditions, Alan is focused on helping his clients maximise operational efficiency, sharpen their market positioning, and build capacity while keeping overheads under tight control.

After completing his education, Alan worked at an advertising agency and trained as a computer programmer at a large corporate, before setting up his own company. He gained over 25 years' business experience as an entrepreneur nationally and internationally. He founded, co-founded or invested in four businesses, each of which was sold or turned around successfully. Alan piloted two of these businesses through the recessions of 1979-82 and 1990-92.

While MD of professional audio manufacturing company Turbosound, he worked all over the world setting up and growing an international distribution network. For several years during this period he was based in New York as President of the US distribution arm. As a result of his efforts, the company won the Queen's Award for Export Achievement, the first in its field to do so. Later on, he was Joint MD of Scher International, a company that worked with hospitality and foodservice companies such as Hilton, Café Rouge, Marriott, Pret A Manger and Whitbread, measuring, advising and training on their customer service quality. While there, he developed the UK's first Customer Service Benchmark for Hotels, for which he was awarded a Fellowship of the Institute of Hospitality.

Alan is a trustee of Pilotlight, a not-for-profit organisation, which builds the capacity of charities by managing a process of coaching and mentoring by teams of senior business professionals. When time allows he plays the drums, is an avid football fan (modesty forbids him mentioning which team), and he enjoys hiking, skiing and scuba diving.

Click here to see Alan's LinkedIn profile: http://www.linkedin.com/in/alanwick