> >> >
Home— Operating Partner — Operating Partner / CEO CEO & Managing Director Mandates & Deployment — Transactions — Commercial Due Diligence Sell-Side Readiness — Value Creation — Commercial Engine Profit & Working Capital Performance & Scalability Commercial Performance Value Dashboard Branch Expansion Calculator Demand Translation Calculator Pricing Leakage Calculator Working Capital Calculator — More — Track Record Investment Work Insights References Contact

Melbourne, Australia  ·  CEO  ·  Managing Director  ·  Operating Partner  ·  Industrial Businesses

Performance drifts quietly.
Until the P&L makes it visible.

Hands-on execution to grow EBITDA, improve cash flow, and drive enterprise value.

I work with private equity, boards and founders — inside the business, with full P&L accountability, until the numbers move.

P&L

$110M+ · 12 Countries

EBITDA Growth

300%+

Experience

PE · Listed · Private

View Track Record → Book a Conversation

Engagements are high-impact interventions — not ongoing advisory or coaching.

Discuss a Mandate → View Mandates →
Scroll

When I Get Called

Five situations.
One pattern.

01

EBITDA growth has stalled despite stable or growing revenue

02

Pricing discipline has broken down across customers or branches

03

Working capital is consuming cash and suppressing enterprise value

04

Post-acquisition integration isn’t landing and the thesis is drifting

05

Forecasts can’t be trusted and leadership can’t see what’s actually happening

How We Create Value

Operational value creation
across the full business.

Whether you need an operating partner, performance transformation specialist, or hands-on EBITDA improvement — Scott Foster brings 25+ years of P&L leadership in industrial businesses across ANZ and APAC.

01

Margin & EBITDA Improvement

Pricing architecture, cost structure, and commercial discipline to expand margin and move EBITDA — typically 300–500bps in the first engagement.

02

Working Capital & Cash Flow Optimisation

Inventory reduction, debtor management, supplier terms, and freight recovery. Cash flow improvement that compounds across the business.

03

Execution & Operating Cadence Reset

Decision rights, KPI architecture, management cadence and branch accountability frameworks. Performance that holds whether you are in the room or not.

04

Pre-Exit Performance Uplift

EBITDA normalisation, management team development, pipeline discipline and value gap closure. Preparing the business for the scrutiny of a PE process.

05

Post-Acquisition Stabilisation

100-day plans, commercial assessment, management alignment and operational reporting. Protecting value in the critical months after a transaction closes.

06

CEO & Operating Partner Mandates

Full P&L CEO leadership across turnaround, transition and growth mandates. Available for full-time appointments and selective operating partner roles. Typical term 12–24 months.

Margin & EBITDA Pre-Exit Uplift PE & Due Diligence Operating Partner / CEO
Operator-Built Value Creation System

EBIT is not managed at the P&L. It is built across the system — from pipeline to exit value.

The Commercial Engine → Demand Translation Engine →
25+Years Experience
17xBest Exit Multiple
300%Best EBITDA Expansion
ANZ & APACGeographic Reach
About

Scott Foster
Industrial CEO & Operating Partner

Scott Foster is an industrial operator, PE operating partner and interim CEO with over 25 years of full P&L accountability across APAC. He has led multi-site, multi-country businesses across manufacturing, distribution and building materials — delivering measurable improvements in EBITDA, margin and working capital.

Most businesses are not broken. They are under-optimised. That is where he focuses.

Outside the boardroom: avid coffee lover, dedicated husband and father of six, part-time Melbourne Football Club supporter, and lover of all things on two wheels.

Sales & MarketingOperationsM&A Business AnalyticsHR & EAP Cross-Cultural LeadershipMarket Entry · APAC

Three Ways to Engage

s.style.color=\'')' onmouseover='this.style.background=\'var(--dark)\';this.querySelectorAll(\'span\').forEach(s=>s.style.color=\'var(--white)\')' style='display:block;padding:2rem;text-decoration:none;border-right:1px solid var(--pale);transition:background 0.2s;'> Full-Time CEO & Managing Director Full P&L accountability across industrial and distribution businesses in Australia and APAC. s.style.color=\'')' onmouseover='this.style.background=\'var(--dark)\';this.querySelectorAll(\'span\').forEach(s=>s.style.color=\'var(--white)\')' style='display:block;padding:2rem;text-decoration:none;border-right:1px solid var(--pale);transition:background 0.2s;'> Embedded Operating Partner EBITDA improvement and value creation in PE-backed and founder-led industrial businesses. s.style.color=\'')' onmouseover='this.style.background=\'var(--dark)\';this.querySelectorAll(\'span\').forEach(s=>s.style.color=\'var(--white)\')' style='display:block;padding:2rem;text-decoration:none;transition:background 0.2s;'> Interim Interim CEO Stabilisation, performance reset, and leadership continuity during transition periods.

Insights on Performance

Available for CEO mandate and operating partner engagements across industrial and distribution businesses.

Pricing discipline and margin control The fastest lever for EBITDA improvement is almost always pricing — not cost. Execution cadence and performance drift There is a moment in every underperforming business when the CEO must stop delegating. Working capital and cash flow pressure The gap between what businesses think their working capital is — and what it actually is. Post-acquisition integration issues Five operational failures in the first 100 days that erode acquisition ROI. EBITDA performance issues hiding in the pipeline When sales activity is high but revenue and margin are not moving. Early warning signs before performance breaks Autonomy doesn't fail dramatically — it fails through signals that accumulate quietly.
All Performance Insights →

Where I Focus

EBITDA Growth When revenue grows but EBITDA doesn’t Pricing Discipline Margin improvement through pricing control Working Capital Cash flow improvement in industrial businesses Post-Acquisition Integration and performance improvement Exit Readiness EBITDA improvement before a transaction CEO & MD Industrial CEO mandates across APAC

Ready to think differently?

Whether you're at a crossroads, planning your next move, or simply want a fresh perspective — let's start a conversation.

Discuss a Mandate
Contact

Let's talk
about your business.

Send a message and Scott will be in touch personally. No sales teams, no gatekeepers — just a direct conversation with someone who's been there.

LocationMelbourne, Victoria, Australia
ServingAustralia · New Zealand · APAC