Robert McKenzie, Managing Director

Robert McKenzie

Managing Director

Eurofins

Location
Ireland - Cork
Education
Bachelor's degree, Management
Experience
22 years, 4 Months

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Work Experience

Total years of experience :22 years, 4 Months

Managing Director at Eurofins
  • Ireland - Cork
  • My current job since February 2023

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.

General Manager, UAE at Advanced Armour Engineering
  • United Arab Emirates - Sharjah
  • June 2021 to June 2022

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

Interim Business Unit Manager (9 month contract) at Eurofins Scientific
  • United Kingdom - London
  • October 2020 to June 2021

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

Regional General Manager, Qatar and Oman at Element Materials Technology
  • Oman - Muscat
  • December 2015 to October 2020

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.

Managing Director at Albawardi Steel Industries
  • Saudi Arabia - Dammam
  • April 2015 to September 2015

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.

General Manager, Saudi Arabia at Harsco Environmental
  • Saudi Arabia - Jubail
  • April 2013 to February 2015

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.

Director Business Development MENA at Harsco Environmental
  • United Arab Emirates - Dubai
  • January 2011 to March 2013

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.

Group Operations Transformation Manager at Harsco Environmental
  • United Kingdom - London
  • January 2008 to December 2010

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.

Operations Development Manager at Outokumpu Stainless
  • United Kingdom - Sheffield
  • October 2006 to December 2007

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

Development Metallurgist at Outokumpu Stainless
  • United Kingdom - Sheffield
  • March 2001 to September 2006

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

Education

Bachelor's degree, Management
  • at Nottingham Business School
  • August 2005

Postgraduate diploma in Management Studies

Master's degree, Materials Science and Engineering
  • at University of Leeds
  • June 2002

Specialties & Skills

Team Building
Profitable Growth
Continuous Improvement
Business Development
Pre-acquisition due diligence
Government entity relationship development
Project management and on time delivery
Profit and loss management
Contract management
Customer service delivery excellence
Budgeting
Bank facilities
Team building and development
Quality and HSE management
Operational Excellence (lean six sigma)
Business leadership
Cash flow management and improvement
Business restructuring and turnaround
Strategy development and implementation
Capital investment and funding approval
Joint venture partner management
Post acquisition integration
Change management
Communication
Sales management
Relationship development
Contract negotiation: technical, commercial, T&C
Organic growth

Social Profiles

Personal Website
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Languages

English
Native Speaker