Alastor Consulting

Alastor Services

We advise on ensuring the delivery of business benefits: the improvement of business performance, the realisation of business benefit from change and the effective management of IT.

We have built an impressive track record of delivering quality results to our blue chip clients across a range of business sectors, and our success is underpinned by a selection of tried and tested tools and techniques.

We deliver measurable business benefit and “fit for purpose” solutions and recommendations through:

Benefit realisation, ensuring the delivery of benefits throughout the project life cycle
Strategic development and governance
Performance transformation and change management in business and IT
Aligning IT to its customers and stakeholders
Sourcing, procurement, vendor and process management
Programme and project (including change) management

Benefit Realisation

In all our work, Alastor is focused on outcomes, helping clients to realise the planned business benefit from their investment in business or IT change. This focus on benefit realisation means that we can look at:

A specific project or programme, to identify benefit in clear unambiguous business terms and to plan backwards from the desired outcome to ensure that those benefits are delivered
A portfolio of projects, to establish those investments that deliver the greatest client return or benefit, along with key dependencies
A major change activity, such as outsourcing or a merger, to understand clearly how business benefit is expected to be realised and to ensure that all activities are focused on the outcomes.

In addition to this rigorous approach, we have significant experience in managing change, ensuring that all stakeholders are ready, willing and able to realise the benefit from the change programme.

We have transferred our expertise to clients and third parties to deliver value more widely.

Almost all of our engagements, included those listed under other services, include elements of benefit realisation and management.

Case studies where we have applied this service include:

Department of Health/Local Authorities – Benefit Realisation. Worked on a strategic programme to quantify potential benefits from implementing new government policy in the area of adult social care across all local authorities in England and Wales, building a business case, helping to firm up policy and briefing the relevant minister.
Oil Industry – Benefit Realisation and Procurement. Reviewed blending plants and refinery systems throughout Europe for a multinational oil company, including joint venture sites, to identify the benefits of implementing common systems, common interfaces and reporting structures to integrate with a European-wide architecture. Advised and participated in the procurement of pan-European materials control systems for blending plants.
Bank – Risk Management and Organisation Design. Worked with the Chief Executives of a major bank to implement the same rigorous portfolio and risk management process to the IT project portfolio that was applied to the commercial operations of the bank. This led to a redesign of the organisation structure, including joint business and IT staffing, career planning and skills development. Implemented end to end customer focused processes and service portfolios resulting in improved operational stability and a headcount reduction of 10%.
Mining – Benefit Realisation. Worked with the senior management team of a diversified natural resources group to identify major performance improvement opportunities flowing from the implementation of common SAP based processes. Identified significant “headroom” for improvement, well in excess of the required $500m. Worked with the CFO and project management team to ensure that the benefits will be delivered.
Performing Rights Society – Benefit Realisation. Worked with the senior management team at PRS for Music to support the development and implementation of a major portfolio of projects to ensure that the project plans were robust and focused on the delivery of significant change and business benefits.
Building Society – Benefit Realisation. Helped to build a process for quantifying business benefit associated with a change project portfolio of £300m and to implement a more rigorous process for assessing the individual projects as well as the portfolio against benefits.
Professional Firm – Training in Change and Benefit Realisation. Worked with a major, global consultancy to introduce change and project management techniques to “Make Change Stick”. Trained the internal consultancy teams and then worked on assignments with the teams, applying the tools and techniques and mentoring the client teams.
Civil Aviation Authority – Benefit Realisation. Developed and delivered executive training courses to instil an approach to effective investment appraisal and benefit realisation.
Local Government – Strategic Planning and Benefit Realisation. Worked with a major Local Authority in the Midlands and the local Primary Care Trust to develop an integrated and shared vision for adult social care in 2020. We worked with the clients to translate the vision into specific actions and used these to review the current LA and PCT projects to identify those that were redundant (generating savings), reprioritising those projects that were relevant, and identifying those specific additional projects that were required to deliver the vision.

Strategic Development and Governance

Alastor has worked with a range of organisations to set strategy and direction for business and IT and to build a structure for management, governance and reporting.

Many organisations are overwhelmed with portfolios of IT change projects and the demands of managing these portfolios and component projects in the manner of an ‘à la carte menu’. This often results in a continuous process of reallocation of priorities and resources

There is a better way.

We can work with the senior management team and users to:

Assess the appropriate levels of IT expenditure, and where the expenditure should take place (within IT, at local or corporate level)
Ensure that the IT structure is appropriate for the benefits expected to be delivered by IT
Establish processes to manage unit costs in IT and the impact of business complexity and volumes
Design governance processes that ensure management of IT, and the delivery of benefits from change projects

We also have significant experience of working with management to implement their strategies, and to revive projects that have lost focus or momentum. We help them to move beyond the traditional risk containment focus of formal project management methodologies, reenergising the team through a focus on the benefits to be delivered and the excitement of change.

Additionally, our experience of IT procurement and outsourcing enable us to work with the management team to identify alternative methods of delivering (and funding) the required IT functionality.

Case studies where we have applied this service include:

Fashion – IT Strategy. Worked with the senior management team of a global luxury brand to develop the global IT strategy, governance and systems routemap in support of a major global expansion that has delivered a 50% increase in revenue and doubled profits.
Catalogue Retailer – Business and IT Strategy. Worked with the MD and IT Director of a catalogue sales company to identify the likely cost of a move to a direct sales and distribution model. The costs identified led to the decision to divest the company, rather than invest in the required business and IT changes.
White Goods Manufacturer – IT Strategy. Worked with the IT services subsidiary of a major international manufacturer of white goods to redevelop the IT strategy, following the consolidation and outsourcing of many of the core technical services. This resulted in the development of new (global) governance structures and cross-charging mechanisms to differentiate the impact of IT unit cost reductions from the effects of increased business volumes. This further led to improved decision processes and improved relations with the operating divisions.
Membership Organisation – Strategic IT Review. Reviewed the IT strategy of the Wine Society, leading to changes in governance processes and organisation structure.
Membership Organisation – Strategic Development. Helped to build and implement the strategy for a membership organisation in the direct marketing sector, leading to the development of enhanced services relating to B2B and B2C data and the creation of a virtual consultancy.
Housing Charity – Strategic IT Advice. Carried out of a strategic review of IT service delivery leading to significant changes in strategic direction, organisation, governance and process.
Highways Agency – Information Strategy. Worked with the UK Government Agency responsible for the major roads network to develop an information strategy to make better use of existing assets and road capacity without the need to build additional roads, with the objective of significantly reducing congestion.
Household Goods – Strategy and Outsourcing. Developed a business-led IT strategy for this national retailer, and subsequently assessed the business case for outsourcing and established a “proxy bid” to compare options. Also carried out a number of operational performance reviews.
Professional Body – Strategic Development and Procurement Advice. Helped the Royal Institute of British Architects to develop of a new strategic direction for RIBA’s commercial competitions advisory service, with additional support to align RIBA’s offerings with European (OJEU) procurement legislation
Construction Industry – IT Strategy. Developed an IT strategy for a builder and operator of retirement homes to support continuous growth of international operations, to support delegation of authority and reduce administrative complexity. Managed the IT function through the transition period.
CCG – Strategic Development. Board facilitation to quantify the strategic direction, priorities and outcomes for two new Clinical Commissioning Groups in Essex.
Local Government – Strategic Planning and Benefit Realisation. Worked with a major Local Authority in the Midlands and the local Primary Care Trust to develop an integrated and shared vision for adult social care in 2020. We worked with the clients to translate the vision into specific actions and used these to review the current LA and PCT projects to identify those that were redundant (generating savings), reprioritising those projects that were relevant, and identifying those specific additional projects that were required to deliver the vision.
Sevenoaks School – IT Strategy. Helped to develop a clear IT strategy aligned to the School’s objectives, together with structuring a change programme and a well-defined set of objectives and measures.
Naval Dockyard – IT Strategy and Cost Review. Reviewed the IT strategy of a large Naval Dockyard (including responsibility for submarines) to ensure that it supported the business requirements at an appropriate level of risk, resulting in a recommendation to scrap the planned development of a £7m materials control system.

Performance Transformation and Change Management

Alastor has worked with a range of clients to transform operational performance in business and IT.

We believe that performance transformation may be delivered by one or more dimensions:

Appropriately aligned services
Improved capacity
Reduced costs
Reduced complexity

We believe that the key to performance transformation is implementing change, with a sound understanding of the benefits to be delivered, how they are to be delivered, and how they will be measured.

In contrast, many formal performance transformation processes (such as BPR, Business Process Redesign) focus on analysing the current state and get bogged down in great levels of detail, well beyond the level of analysis required to demonstrate the need for change and identify the core process requirements.

Where required, we are able to carry out rigorous process analysis, including the measurement of volumes, service levels, error rates, elapsed time and effort.

Uniquely, our process analysis technique, based on standard software (i.e. accessible to all PC users, at no extra cost) shows the relationship between processes, the organisation unit (down to employee level, if appropriate), IT applications and data flows.

Our approach to change management is underpinned by processes that enhance the certainty of delivering expected benefits.

Case studies where we have applied this service include:

Global Shared Service Centre – Process Improvement. Developed and implemented purchasing, sales, logistics and accounting processes in a Shared Services Centre in Switzerland for a major US paper manufacturer. The improved controls and procedures supported explosive sales growth without increased costs, enabling most national and all (non US) regional offices to be closed.
Cruise Operator – Portfolio Management. Advised the board of a major cruise line operator to help plan and prioritise an inventory of 18 major strategic systems initiatives. Structured the initiatives into three portfolios (customer facing and sales distribution, logistics and supply, finance and HR) to support initial capacity growth of 37% within existing resources. Identified additional savings of £1.8m initially and £3m annually thereafter.
Jewellery Retailer – Performance Improvement. Worked with the senior management team of the largest global jewellery retailer to identify major service improvement and cost reduction opportunities in HR and payroll, identifying direct savings of between 20% and 33%.
Travel Company – Merger Advice and Outsourcing. Managed the due diligence process for the merger of two travel companies. Advised on the subsequent consolidation of outsourced services (IT and business process) to reduce cost and improve performance.
Aid Charity – IT Improvement and Management. Advised a worldwide charity on the recruitment and appointment of an IT Director. Acted as interim IT Director during the recruitment process. Subsequently worked with the new IT Director to develop a framework for portfolio management of short, medium and long term IT project planning. This facilitated resource allocation, elimination of duplicated activities and identification of systems dependencies across local, regional and global initiatives.
Training in Inventory Management. Designed and presented workshops on the use of advanced inventory management and forecasting techniques to support enhanced customer services at reduced costs and inventory. This course was initially presented as a two day workshop for the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply and more recently for specific clients and their customers.
Record Company – Systems Selection and Process Improvement. Worked across Europe to define common business processes and associated business benefits for logistics, warehousing and sales order processing. Managed the accelerated selection of packaged software using our “Agenda Based Selection” approach to meet those requirements.
Entertainment Company – Training programme. Ran a management training programme for the Dutch subsidiary of a major distributor of entertainment products including CDs and DVDs. Topics covered include problem solving, facilitated workshops, effective team management, coaching and empowerment.
Corporate Recovery – Process Redesign. Advised a “big four” accountancy firm on the redesign of processes in the Corporate Recovery function. The Shared Service Centre supports significant improvements in the Corporate Recovery function, at reduced costs, utilising integrated workflow and accountancy software to ensure seamless integration of the national practice.
Department of Health – Business Process Improvement. Within a central government department, managed a team of business analysts and subject matter experts to prioritise sustainable efficiency improvements of £1bn in Adult Social Care across 150 local authorities in England.
International Bank – HR Improvement. Worked with the Global HR Director of a major global Bank to identify core HR competencies and redesign the global HR function to focus on value added services and the effective management of outsourced transaction processing.
Association of MBAs – Leadership. Chaired the Board of an international charity during the development and implementation of a new strategy to replace declining revenues from financial services and replace these with paid for services for members and commercial organisations.
Paper Company – Software Selection and Performance Improvement. Improved business processes and selected package software to support enhanced business in the areas of manufacturing, finance and HR for this paper and packaging company.
Automotive Industry – Cost Reduction and Performance Improvement. Managed the review of the cost structure of two automotive parts manufacturing plants. This resulted in the design of a faster product development and engineering process to support specialist markets, rationalisation of product lines, the introduction of manufacturing cells and statistical process controls. This ultimately enabled the closure of one of the manufacturing plants and consolidation of the remaining production requirements.
Packaging Company – Performance Improvement and Training. Supported a highly innovative global packaging company and its customers in the implementation of significantly enhanced manufacturing processes in the Saudi Arabia based plant that supported the company’s Middle East markets.
Gaming Company – Performance Review. Reviewed the overhead costs structure for the operator of a national chain of betting shops. Reorganisation of the property and systems functions generated initial savings of 15% and ongoing savings of 10%.
Music Company – Benefit and Process. Established the business benefits associated with changing processes for managing international royalties and structured the programme to deliver new systems and realise benefit.
Building Society – Purchasing Improvement. Redesigned the purchasing procedures of a large building society and introduced the purchasing life cycle concept, generating initial savings of £6m, as part of a pilot application of an integrated performance improvement and systems development methodology.
Global Bank – Shared Service Centre. Helped implement the pilot shared service centre for handling all paper transactions for the UK subsidiary of a large global bank.
Insurance Company – Cost Reduction. Worked with the subsidiaries of a major international insurer to identify the costs of complexity (following a number of acquisitions) and explore methods of reducing those costs.
Global Bank – Process Definition. Defined business processes for internal service provision at a global bank.
Financial Services – Business Process Redesign. Worked with a major financial services company to redesign its sales force structure, processes and supporting IT, following the merger of a number of different operations and to respond to a proposed regulatory change.
Global Insurer – Business Change. Worked with the COO of the London branch of a major global insurer to review the commercial arrangements for systems to manage the global risk portfolio, to implement significantly enhanced governance procedures across the international offices, and to bring the global risk portfolio project back under control.
Factoring Company – Organisation Change and Cost Reduction. Worked with the factoring subsidiary of a large bank to restructure and redesign its factoring operations to reduce costs and to deliver improved and measured client service levels, supported by implementing nationally consistent processes. This enabled the operations to cope with additional volumes without growth in complexity and administrative overheads.
Business Travel – E-commerce. Worked with the team developing a new service line for business travel, based on e-commerce principles, the use of web-enabled applications, call centres and voice recognition technology, with the long term objective of changing the pricing structure of the industry.
Law Firm – Performance and Process Change. Worked with a large regional law firm to support a significant expansion of services on a UK-wide basis. This required the redesign of core processes, the implementation of shared service centres to support the increased transaction workload, and the implementation of e-commerce applications to support customer acquisition.

Aligning IT to its Customers and Stakeholders

Alastor has worked with a range of clients to ensure that their IT is more closely aligned with the objectives and direction of the business. We work across the functions, with IT directors and CEOs/CFOs, to deliver results.

We believe that a key element of aligning IT with its customers and stakeholders is in understanding the “maturity” of the organisation deploying its IT, the state of the IT itself, the culture and the environment within which the organisation operates.

These factors will help to define:

The operational objectives for IT, which typically migrate through automation, through cost reduction to improved effectiveness, and ultimately as a tool to support differentiation in the market
The performance measures applied to the IT function, which typically migrate through minimising internal IT costs (and containing service levels), to maximising the value of IT to the business through competitive advantage
The focus of the IT management function, which typically migrates through managing applications, through managing the infrastructure through which user managed applications are delivered, to managing a portfolio of IT services to support the strategic objectives of the organisation
The structure of the IT function, which typically migrates through the management of technology “silos” to the management of end-to-end services to internal and external users of technology
The appropriate governance structure, as the benefits of IT migrate through delivery in specific departments or functions (e.g. accounts and procurement) to delivering benefits at corporate level, possibly to the detriment of individual organisational components

Case studies where we have applied this service include:

Fashion – IT Strategy. Worked with the senior management team of a global luxury brand to develop the global IT strategy, governance and systems routemap in support of a major global expansion that has delivered a 50% increase in revenue and doubled profits.
White Goods Manufacturer – IT Strategy. Worked with the IT services subsidiary of a major international manufacturer of white goods to redevelop the IT strategy, following the consolidation and outsourcing of many of the core technical services. This resulted in the development of new (global) governance structures and cross-charging mechanisms to differentiate the impact of IT unit cost reductions from the effects of increased business volumes. This further led to improved decision processes and improved relations with the operating divisions.
International Airline – IT Value Improvement. Worked with each of the divisional directors of a large international airline to maximise the value from using IT as part of a programme to improve annual profits by £1bn, following the devolution of central IT budgets to the individual business units.
Membership Organisation – Strategic IT Review. Reviewed the IT strategy of the Wine Society, leading to changes in governance processes and organisation structure.
Environmental Agency – Aligning IT. Advised a major agency responsible for the regulated recycling, reprocessing and recovery activities of its members in the UK on how to structure IT to support volume growth as well as the increasing service expectations of its members, while retaining the flexibility to respond to regulatory changes.
Food Manufacturer – IT Process and Organisation. Developed and helped to implement a new IT organisation structured against key IT delivery processes. Reviewed projects against benefit criteria to focus and reduce portfolio.
Housing Charity – Strategic IT Advice. Carried out of a strategic review of IT service delivery leading to significant changes in strategic direction, organisation, governance and process.
Oil and Gas Industry – IT Cost Reduction. Worked with a major oil company to develop a migration plan to a single worldwide consistent desktop environment to reduce complexity, improve systems reliability, enhance systems security and reduce costs by US$300m.
Insurance Company – IT Improvement. Worked with the global IT Director of a major international insurer to assess and quantify the benefits flowing from improved global co-ordination of IT and consolidation of data centres. Savings in excess of £10m were identified, as well as opportunities to enhance the resilience of systems and consistency of global services. Identified additional opportunities to reduce the cost of complexity following a number of acquisitions.
Household Goods – Strategy and Outsourcing. Developed a business-led IT strategy for this national retailer, and subsequently assessed the business case for outsourcing and established a “proxy bid” to compare options. Also carried out a number of operational performance reviews.
Record Company – Systems Selection and Process Improvement. Worked across Europe to define common business processes and associated business benefits for logistics, warehousing and sales order processing. Managed the accelerated selection of packaged software using our “Agenda Based Selection” approach to meet those requirements.
Paper Company – Software Selection and Performance Improvement. Improved business processes and selected package software to support enhanced business in the areas of manufacturing, finance and HR for this paper and packaging company.
Construction Industry – IT Strategy. Developed an IT strategy for a builder and operator of retirement homes to support continuous growth of international operations, to support delegation of authority and reduce administrative complexity. Managed the IT function through the transition period.
NHS Blood and Transplant – IT Organisation. Advised on the most appropriate design for a recently-merged IT department.
Government Department – IT Organisation. Worked with the management team of a large government department to develop a new IT organisation structure to integrate multiple technologies (including e-commerce) and improve service delivery with reduced costs. Led the future state process and organisation design activities that identified significant cost reductions.
Sevenoaks School – IT Strategy. Helped to develop a clear IT strategy aligned to the School’s objectives, together with structuring a change programme and a well-defined set of objectives and measures.
Naval Dockyard – IT Strategy and Cost Review. Reviewed the IT strategy of a large Naval Dockyard (including responsibility for submarines) to ensure that it supported the business requirements at an appropriate level of risk, resulting in a recommendation to scrap the planned development of a £7m materials control system.
New Build College – IT and M&E Strategy. This College of Arts and Technology on the south coast of England was a £65m new build that sought to use ICT to enhance the teaching and learning experience. We worked with the Principal and her management team to develop a common language covering all the functions of the College (admin, teaching, learning, resources and ICT) and a comprehensive ICT strategy. We also developed the specialist IT-related mechanical and electrical requirements for the new build.
New Build School – IT and M&E Strategy. Worked on a £32m new build for a school for boys, with particular responsibility for the ICT strategy and IT-related M&E components. The objective of the ICT strategy is to deliver a step change in the use of ICT (the school is a Mathematics & Computing Specialist School) within a sustainable (technology and cost) environment.

Sourcing, Procurement, Vendor and Process Management

Alastor has advised a wide range of clients on all aspects of IT and business process outsourcing, including:

Initial strategic issues, value and option analysis
Smart sourcing, including managing the selection process for a new supplier
Developing “proxy bids” to provide a baseline for costing required services
Developing the contract (working with law firms for the legal aspects)
Structuring the schedules of the contract (including the commercial aspects such as benchmarking, innovation, gainsharing, performance measurement, remedies etc.)
Defining service schedules/catalogues supported by effective and pragmatic service management policies
Defining the retained organisation and new working practices
Managing the relationship to deliver value throughout the lifecycle

We have significant wider experience of procurement, initially as line managers with responsibility for major projects, then through working with private and public sector bodies on the procurement of integrated ERP solutions.

This expertise has been extended with more recent in-depth experience of global vendor and service management as well as business and IT outsourcing.

The core principles underpinning our approach to procurement are the need to identify the unique requirements of the organisation, and the need to procure demonstrated (not promised) capabilities.

Our IT procurement advice is underpinned by our understanding of organisational processes, the appropriate IT and organisational maturity, governance structures and project management.

We have successfully deployed our procurement expertise in a wide range of business processes (ranging from HR to facilities management, mobile phone telephony to kitchen installations) as well as IT.

We work with external organisations to manage price benchmarking of outsourcing deals.

When completing outsourcing contracts, we recommend that clients work with qualified law firms to negotiate the legal clauses and can recommend suitable partners with whom we have successfully worked.

Case studies where we have applied this service include:

Oil and Gas Company – Procurement. Managed the procurement of an integrated accounting package for the recently acquired Dutch joint venture oil and gas field operating subsidiary of a UK-based oil exploration company. The package had to support the reporting and statutory requirements in the Netherlands (where the operations were based), Norway (where some of the oil and gas fields were located), Italy, and the UK (where the headquarters of the joint venture partners were based).
DIY Retailer – Outsourcing/JV. Worked with the senior management team of a DIY retailer to resolve bathrooms, kitchens and conservatory installation issues – a major growth area that was generating unacceptable remedy and warranty claims. Worked with the management team to establish a joint venture with a partner specialising in installation management, generating savings in excess of £15m and eliminating significant capacity barriers.
Container Terminal Operator – Outsourcing Performance Improvement. Worked with one of the world’s largest operators of container terminals with 50+ container terminals (spanning 31 countries and five continents) to identify strategic savings opportunities from consolidating services, and outsourcing engineering maintenance, shared business services and IT.
United Nations World Food Programme – Procurement. Advised a large UN agency on the procurement of a worldwide integrated accounting and logistics systems in the Rome head office and eighty regional offices, to enable the agency to meet UN and sponsoring organisation reporting requirements (including public and private sector bodies) as well as the operational needs of field operatives.
Shipping Company – E-Procurement. Worked with the global procurement function of a container shipping line to identify, select, define and implement pilot e-procurement projects across different categories of supplies and services.
Mobile Phone Company – Outsourcing. Worked with the German subsidiary of a major global mobile phone operator to outsource all IT activities (including the mobile network operations and all applications management and development). The negotiations generated significant reductions in running costs of €6m per year and released €20m cash in time to fund a Christmas promotion of handsets.
Travel Company – Merger Advice and Outsourcing. Managed the due diligence process for the merger of two travel companies. Advised on the subsequent consolidation of outsourced services (IT and business process) to reduce cost and improve performance.
Household Goods – Strategy and Outsourcing. Developed a business-led IT strategy for this national retailer, and subsequently assessed the business case for outsourcing and established a “proxy bid” to compare options. Also carried out a number of operational performance reviews.
Electronics Manufacturer – Programme Management and Outsourcing. Managed the senior management seeking to outsource the global IT infrastructure covering 800,000 client systems for a major electronics manufacturer. Managed the subsequent vendor assessment, board presentation and contract negotiation process. This generated annual savings in excess of €20m per year.
Oil Industry – Benefit Realisation and Procurement. Reviewed blending plants and refinery systems throughout Europe for a multinational oil company, including joint venture sites, to identify the benefits of implementing common systems, common interfaces and reporting structures to integrate with a European-wide architecture. Advised and participated in the procurement of pan-European materials control systems for blending plants.
Professional Body – Strategic Development and Procurement Advice. Helped the Royal Institute of British Architects to develop of a new strategic direction for RIBA’s commercial competitions advisory service, with additional support to align RIBA’s offerings with European (OJEU) procurement legislation
Accounting Firm – Global Vendor Management. Worked with one of the “final four” major accounting firms to create a global service management function in the Netherlands covering all IT supplies. The service catalogue provided a hierarchy of performance measures that enabled the Global Vendor Management function to move beyond the measures of failure (remedies) to measuring genuine service improvements.
Ministry of the Environment – Outsourcing. Worked with the Ministry in The Hague to develop a consistent benchmarking structure for outsourcing 7,000 client systems and 200 servers. The benchmark structure covered the current performance benchmark, proxy bid for outsourcing, benchmarking of supplier offers and tracking of supplier performance over the timescale of the contract, including the quantitative and qualitative benchmarking of supplier performance. The study identified annual savings of €3m.
US Biotech Company – Outsourcing. Worked with a US-based biotech business to develop the most appropriate IT sourcing strategy to support a major service improvement in line with significant corporate growth.
Paper Company – Software Selection and Performance Improvement. Improved business processes and selected package software to support enhanced business in the areas of manufacturing, finance and HR for this paper and packaging company.
Building Society – Purchasing Improvement. Redesigned the purchasing procedures of a large building society and introduced the purchasing life cycle concept, generating initial savings of £6m, as part of a pilot application of an integrated performance improvement and systems development methodology.
Government Department – Outsourcing. Worked with the senior management team of the government department responsible for all infrastructure projects in one of the UAE states to outsource all IT activities. We were asked to intervene during the final stages of contract negotiations to ensure that the client had the appropriate commercial and legal protection in place. Despite the many clauses and schedules that were originally identified as being missing, the client was able to progress to signing the contract with all appropriate protection in place within two months.
NHS Trust – Procurement Advice. Supported a major regeneration programme in South London, including managing the strategic procurement of a design team (architects, landscape designers, engineers) and advisers to develop the business case for site redevelopment. Additionally, advised another NHS Trust on a similar procurement process through a design competition.
Business Travel – E-commerce. Worked with the team developing a new service line for business travel, based on e-commerce principles, the use of web-enabled applications, call centres and voice recognition technology, with the long term objective of changing the pricing structure of the industry.
Insurance Company – Outsourcing. Helped an insurance start-up, which had been set up to combine sophisticated risk and capital analysis with traditional insurance underwriting, to outsource all IT and back office functions.

Programme, Project and Change Management

Alastor has worked with a range of clients to structure and manage various business and IT programmes and projects.

We believe that the test of successful implementation is not only delivery to specification, timescale and cost, but the delivery of business benefits.

We have developed significant project, programme and change management experience, initially as line managers with responsibility for major change programmes, through working with large (and smaller) private and public sector bodies – including global change programmes.

We have worked with a range of clients through the full hierarchy of programme and project management activities, from defining and implementing project management methodologies, through implementing benefits realisation methodologies, to implementing governance process for managing global portfolios of projects.

We also have significant experience of taking responsibility for projects by working with management to revive projects that have lost focus or momentum.

Typically, we will move the project beyond the traditional risk containment focus of formal project management methodologies, to reenergising the team through a focus on the benefits to be delivered and the excitement of change.

Case studies where we have applied this service include:

Paper Manufacturer – Project Director. Operated as Project Director of the international logistics review for a US based pulp, bleached board and kraft manufacturer. The project resulted in a new international sales organisation structure, reallocation of responsibilities between manufacturing and sales, simplification of the US based distribution process and a partnership programme with key customers. The project identified benefits and savings of $109m.
Insurance Broker – Project Director. Ran a major project for a large global insurance broker. The objective of the project was to improve client acquisition and retention in the mid-market sector by streamlining risk acquisition and placement processes.
Electronics Manufacturer – Programme Management and Outsourcing. Managed the senior management seeking to outsource the global IT infrastructure covering 800,000 client systems for a major electronics manufacturer. Managed the subsequent vendor assessment, board presentation and contract negotiation process. This generated annual savings in excess of €20m per year.
Oil Industry – Project Management. Worked on a project to implement ERP enhancements required to meet SEPA requirements. Managed the implementation for a number of European countries.
Aid Charity – IT Improvement and Management. Advised a worldwide charity on the recruitment and appointment of an IT Director. Acted as interim IT Director during the recruitment process. Subsequently worked with the new IT Director to develop a framework for portfolio management of short, medium and long term IT project planning. This facilitated resource allocation, elimination of duplicated activities and identification of systems dependencies across local, regional and global initiatives.
Association of MBAs – Leadership. Chaired the Board of an international charity during the development and implementation of a new strategy to replace declining revenues from financial services and replace these with paid for services for members and commercial organisations. Iebe also chaired the International Accreditation Advisory Board where he assessed Business Schools.
Construction Industry – IT Strategy. Developed an IT strategy for a builder and operator of retirement homes to support continuous growth of international operations, to support delegation of authority and reduce administrative complexity. Managed the IT function through the transition period.
Major Charity – Accreditation. Carried out the first business school accreditation in Europe under the Bologna Accord, resulting in the Dutch Government Department for Education granting MBA degree-awarding powers to the business school.