Julian Knott. Managing Director and founding partner:
Julian is a service sector expert who has delivered performance management, strategic consulting, change management, interim management, and training programmes for organisations in the commercial, not-for-profit, charitable, and public sectors,world-wide.
Consistent themes (in all operational and consultancy roles) include focusing on strategic, organisational and operational transformation; improving service delivery; enhancing customer focus; Client Relationship Management; partnership development; business growth; staff engagement and enhancing financial performance.
A record of success: He brings a proven track-record,with over 25 years’ board level success, encompassing, senior level, operational expertise in all aspects of the travel, tourism and transportation industry, IT and e-business, MICE and hospitality industry, retail sector, the franchise sector, the environmental / home services, and civil engineering services, as well as charity, social enterpriseand public sector (NHS,Education, and Justice).
International experience: He has extensive knowledge of cross cultural, globalmarkets including the Middle East, China, India, US and Europe which gives him a strong grasp of the operational drivers and financial levers that impact service businesses.
Charitable sector experience: Julian has advised major organisations in the charity sector – including Marie Curie, Victim Support, VSO,and Help the Hospices - and commercial organisations at board and seniorexecutive management level, on strategic change, service realignment, programme management, IT integration and modernisation. At VSO, he redesigned and restructuredthe procurement and travel programmes, including online booking tool, travelpolicy and alignment of the sales force and integrated technology.
IT project management: He has led on IT change andintegration projects as well as chairing decision making boards for content management systems. He has led operational teams managing the definition of operational requirements, headed the operational teams on major IT projectboards transitioning to new operating systems and managed the transfer of services and information to new content management systems. Board level experience:Julian has held Board-level roles with, Rosenbluth international, Kanoo, CIP, TAG, Dyno-rod(part of British Gas). He has also led and worked on programmes and projectsfor IT and online services for INAA and travel portal with ETravelGalaxy, the first B2B portal with a Meta Search Engine.
Transformation and re-engineering: In his previous role, based in the Middle East, Julian led the strategic evaluation and re-engineering, as GM of Kanoo travel group. He led business travel management,corporate service centres, leisure groups, MICE, airport services, 28 GSA’s, holidays and retail operations, on-line and e-business strategies, CRM, Sales and Marketing, supplier management and also 20 affiliated Country partners.
Global growth and integration: Before that, Julian was VP Global for Rosenbluth International travel management. His responsibilitiescovered 35 markets in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, India, Far East and Australasia. As part of The RI Global board he helped reset the strategicdirection for the organisation. He rolled-out international online and e-business strategy and set up the European service centre.
Global business development and CRM: Prior to Rosenbluth,Julian worked for BTI, (Hogg Robinson) as part of the start-up / management team of their global partnership operation, developing consistent and coherentservice, sales, CRM and marketing methodology to help develop BTI (Hogg Robinson) into a major force in global travel.
Not-for-profit expertise: He joined BTI after studying for an MBA at Huron University (now HULT) in London. He took electives in not-for-profit and social enterprise.
Travel, tourism, transportation experience:Julian’s early background was with Thomas Cook. He had grounding in all aspects travel and management in various leadership roles spanning his thirteen years with theorganisation. Julian held various leadership roles in Corporate, Leisure / retail and FX operations, sales and marketing and CRM.
Global perspective: He has travelled extensively, visiting or working in, more than 60 counties on business or pleasure, including over 5 months travelling independently around India and 4months travelling around China which gained him intimate knowledge of the workings of both markets.
Not-for-profit activity: Julian has held a number of non-executive roles (such as KET and CIP) and served on boards of variouscommunity, charitable trusts (including Amicus Horizon) and educational establishments. Previously, Chair of Fern Hill school, he is now Board member of Grey Court school and Vice chair of the finance and resources committee. He is also Chairman of Mini Rugby at Teddington.
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