Robert McKenzie

https://www.eurofins.ie/environmental-services/
Managing Director, National Business Line Leader, and legal entity director: leading Eurofins’ ISO17025
accredited Environmental Testing business in Ireland & Northern Ireland: delivering water analysis
(chemistry and microbiology) to allow customers to meet their regulatory licencing requirements.

Responsible for operational delivery and P&L (team of 150), reporting to the board. Based in Sharjah UAE, AAE specialise in design, engineering and production of defence related products from high-strength and armoured steel for private and government end users, delivering to customers globally.

• Delivered profitable growth, improved cash flow
• Obtained bank facilities to support growth
• Implemented compliance and governance controls to mitigate business risks
• Introduced and improved critical SOPs across key functions
• Navigated UAE Ministry of Defence registration and evolving MOD import/export regulations
• Improved HSE, customer service, on-time delivery and quality performance of the team
• Increased capacity to meet 2022 budget (+50%) with targeted investment & recruitment

Eurofins are a global leader in the testing, inspection, certification sector. This was a fixed term contract to lead the start-up and operation of their UK COVID-19 PCR service to meet evolving regulatory, customer, government, and market requirements in a fast-moving consumer market.

• Opened two new labs and a mobile lab, recruited and trained team 80+
• Established UK wide network of consumer sampling locations and logistics network
• Delivered direct to consumer and B2B PCR testing, obtained 17025 & DHSC accreditation
• Developed and commercialised new technologies and solutions to deliver PCR testing
• Delivered digital marketing strategy and app development

Element are an international Testing, Inspection and Certification business. Led the Oman business from December 2015, adding Qatar in August 2018. Led Sales, Operations and P&L for both legal entities as director, including eight profit centres and a team of 250 technical experts across multiple ISO17025 accredited multidisciplinary laboratory’s providing minerals, oil and gas, air, water, food, and built environment services, plus over 40 construction project site laboratories.

• Delivered strategic repositioning of Qatar business, achieved double digit growth in target markets
• Started minerals analysis as new business line. 6x increase in revenue 2018 to 2020, $500k revenue.
• Implemented Environmental Services strategy. Secured investment for new chemistry, food and water microbiology lab in Doha to expand capability and capacity. CAGR 7% growth from $2.9m.
• Delivered annualised cost savings $500k through restructuring and efficiency improvements to offset downturn in Oman business performance due to economic downturn in 2019/2020.
• Construction sector: secured USD multi-million contract awards with international and local construction contractors, as well as government entities.
• Oil and Gas: developed key relationships, including QP, PDO, Orpic, OQ, BP, McDermott.
• Environmental services: renewed and increased value from key contracts including $1.5m long term contract renewal with PDO for environmental monitoring.
• Buy-side pre-acquisition assessment and due diligence, and successful post-acquisition integration.
• Built HSE culture: zero LTI in 5 years.
• Customer Service Delivery Excellence: addressed performance issues to achieve NPS>50
• Achieved local Omanisation and In Country Value targets
• In 2018 led global review of pricing, reporting to group CEO, and implementation of key findings.

I left Element after 5 years due to the impact of the economic downturn on their Middle East business.

Led sales, operations, P&L, reporting to the chairman, with a team of 200, across two entities and four business units: fabrication, coil service centre, tube and pipe production, and manufacturing.

• Designed turnaround plan to recover an underperforming business.
• Initiated recruitment to strengthen management team.
• Developed a 5-year plan and business strategy to double the size of the business.

Left after 6 months when headhunted by Element.

Led sales, operations and P&L for Harsco’s joint venture entity in Saudi Arabia, a team of 450, providing industrial services and engineered solutions into the steel industry including by-product processing, recycling, reuse and sale.

• Delivered 25% growth
• Designed long-term strategy, and implemented two-year turnaround plan.
• Achieved Saudisation in country value, navigated company through Saudi labour law changes.
• Negotiated and renewed key long-term contracts. Turned around underperforming contracts.
• Developed and improved relationships with key existing and targeted customers.
• Reduced receivables, improved cash flow, reduced bad debt.
• Obtained and maintained 9001, 14001 and 18001 accreditations for all operations.

Secured $100's millions long term contracts across UAE, KSA, Bahrain, Oman and Egypt. Developed technical, commercial proposals, negotiated and finalised T&C on long-term agreements. Designed and implemented the Regional Business Development Strategy covering Harsco’s core business areas.

Delivered $10's millions P&L improvements globally through business restructuring and turnaround. In three years, my team conducted assessments on 29 operations in 18 countries.

Coordinated the group R&D programme globally, developing safety systems, industrial by-product recycling and reuse products and processes, resource recovery, logistics and material handling solutions.

Led and improved operations across flat- and long-products steel business units: QHSE, product and process development, supplier and customer development, implemented lean manufacturing.

Technical and operational development, and production, of precision-rolled and heat treated stainless and carbon steel products, including Testing, Inspection and Certification.