CEO · Managing Director · Interim CEO · Operating Partner · Industrials · Manufacturing · Distribution · APAC Industrial CEO · Operating Partner · APAC

Turning Operational Complexity Into EBITDA, Cash Flow And Enterprise Value

Scott Foster works with manufacturing, industrial processing, distribution and multi-site industrial businesses across ANZ and APAC as an industrial CEO, managing director and operating partner — delivering operational performance from inside the business.

I work with private equity firms, boards, founders and CEOs when performance is under-optimised, execution has drifted, or the business needs experienced leadership inside the operating rhythm.

Not advisory. Embedded operational leadership with full P&L accountability across industrial, manufacturing and distribution environments. Selected testimonials and board references are available on request.

Discuss A Mandate Run The Value Diagnostic

View Track Record →

Scott Foster, Industrial CEO, Managing Director and Operating Partner in Australia and APAC

17× EBIT Exit Multiple

300% EBITDA Growth

$110M P&L Managed

12 APAC Countries

Identify The Issue

Where Is Value Leaking?

Most under-optimised businesses do not have one isolated issue. Pricing, margin, working capital, visibility and execution cadence compound through the operating rhythm.

EBITDA Pressure

Margin not converting despite revenue growth.

Revenue is growing, but operating leverage and EBITDA are not following. The gap is almost always pricing structure, cost drift or margin not being captured at the operating level.

This requires a P&L owner with accountability inside the operating rhythm — not a report.

Explore EBITDA Pressure

Working Capital Drag

Profit on paper, cash trapped in operations.

The business is profitable but cash is not showing up. Inventory days are climbing, debtor terms drifting, working capital cycle absorbing margin.

This is fixable — but requires operational authority, not treasury advice.

Explore Working Capital

Pricing Discipline

Price and mix moving faster than governance.

Discounting has become the default. Product mix drifting toward lower-margin lines. Pricing decisions made at the sales floor rather than the board table.

Margin recovery is a structural problem, not a commercial one.

Explore Pricing

Operational Visibility

The business moves, but leadership cannot see it.

The business runs on lagging reports and gut feel. Variance analysis is retrospective. Forecast integrity is low. Execution cadence is inconsistent.

Visibility is the first 30 days. Everything else follows.

Explore Visibility

Founder Dependency

Too much value sits in one person.

The business is performing — but depends entirely on one or two people to function. PE buyers discount this. Buyers reduce offers because of it.

The fix is structural: accountability, process and leadership depth.

Explore Founder Readiness

PE / Transaction Readiness

Buyers price the gap before the process starts.

PE sees EBITDA quality, pricing discipline, working capital and founder dependency before anything else. The 12–24 months before a sale is where valuation is determined.

Not at the data room.

Explore Exit Readiness

Why These Issues Compound

The Commercial Engine Behind The Numbers

These are rarely separate problems. Pricing leakage, working capital drag, weak visibility and execution drift compound through the same commercial engine. That is where EBITDA quality, cash conversion and enterprise value are either created — or lost.

Explore The Commercial Engine

Pricing → Margin

Discipline at the transaction level converts to EBITDA at the P&L level.

Working Capital → Cash

Inventory, debtor and creditor control determines whether EBITDA becomes actual cash.

Visibility → Confidence

Reporting integrity and execution cadence create the operating confidence buyers and boards require.

Where The Work Applies

Where This Applies

Founders

Before succession, scale, sale or PE conversations expose value leakage.

Founder-led industrial and distribution businesses preparing for the next phase — before the market forces the decision.

Assess Readiness →

Advisers & M&A

When the numbers show the issue, the fix needs operating authority.

Operational support alongside transaction and sell-side processes. When advisory alone is not enough to move the business.

Discuss A Client Situation →

Private Equity

During the hold period, integration, EBITDA recovery, working capital improvement or exit preparation.

Operating partner, post-acquisition integration, EBITDA recovery and commercial performance across the hold period.

Test The Value Creation Thesis →

Leadership Mandates

When the business needs an operator inside the rhythm, not advice from outside it.

Interim CEO, operating partner and operational leadership for complexity, transition or performance pressure.

Discuss Leadership →

Evidence, Not Autobiography

Track Record Highlights

PE Exit · Dotmar · Crescent Capital 17× EBIT Exit Multiple

Revenue $38m to $93m. Gross margin +500bps. Operational restructure and commercial rebuild across 14 ANZ sites under full PE ownership.

EBITDA Turnaround · Polyflor Australia / APAC 300% EBITDA Growth · Australia

300% EBITDA growth in Australia, within a broader APAC mandate across 12 countries. Pricing discipline, product mix and operating leverage.

EBIT Recovery · Plascorp ~85% EBIT Improvement · 18 Months

Tighter operating control, commercial discipline and execution focus inside a PVC pipe and steel reinforcement manufacturer.

Operating Scale $110M P&L Accountability

Multi-site, multi-country P&L leadership across manufacturing, distribution and industrial processing businesses in ANZ and APAC.

View Full Track Record

Decision Gateway

Start With The Operating Issue

Start with the operational pressure point closest to the business. Different situations require different entry points.

Situation 01 The business is moving, but value is leaking. Run The Value Diagnostic

Situation 02 PE, sale or succession pressure is approaching. Prepare Before PE

Situation 03 The business needs operating leadership inside the rhythm. Discuss A Mandate

Situation 04 Show me where this has worked. View Track Record

Executive Mandates

Leadership For The Moments
When The Numbers Need To Move

Some situations need advice. Others need an operator inside the business with accountability for cadence, decisions and results. ShapeExec supports leadership mandates across CEO, Interim CEO, Managing Director and Operating Partner roles.

Full Mandate

CEO / Managing Director

When: permanent or defined-term engagement

Full P&L ownership, operating authority and accountability for business performance. For boards, owners and investors seeking experienced industrial leadership.

View CEO / MD Mandate →

Immediate Deployment

Interim CEO / Acting MD

When: transition, gap, crisis or performance window

Immediate leadership inside a defined performance, transition or ownership window. Deployable within days — full accountability from day one.

View Interim CEO Mandate →

PE Hold Period

Operating Partner

When: EBITDA improvement, integration or exit preparation

Embedded value creation support across EBITDA growth, working capital, execution cadence and exit preparation. For PE firms and sponsors across the hold period.

View Operating Partner Mandate →

Full P&L ownership, operating authority and accountability for business performance. For boards, owners and investors seeking experienced industrial leadership.

View CEO / MD Mandate →

Immediate leadership inside a defined performance, transition or ownership window. Deployable within days — full accountability from day one.

View Interim CEO Mandate →

Embedded value creation support across EBITDA growth, working capital, execution cadence and exit preparation across the PE hold period.

View Operating Partner Mandate →

Not sure which mandate fits? View all mandate types →

Founders & Sell-Side

Before You Say Yes
To Private Equity

Buyers see EBITDA quality, working capital, pricing discipline, customer concentration and owner dependency before the founder thinks the process has started. The 12–24 months before a sale is where valuation is determined — not at the data room.

Improve Value Before Selling Run Readiness Diagnostic

What PE Sees First

EBITDA quality, margin structure, working capital, customer concentration and management depth — before a single document is shared.

When Valuation Is Decided

Often 12–24 months before the formal process begins. The operating decisions made in that window determine the multiple offered.

What Founders Underestimate

How much buyer confidence is shaped by operating visibility, founder dependency and execution rhythm — not just the P&L.

Ready To Move From Diagnosis To Action?

Whether the issue is EBITDA, cash, pricing, working capital, founder dependency, leadership capacity or transaction readiness — the first step is a clear conversation about the pressure points and the value to be created.