CEO and Managing Director
across APAC industrial businesses

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

Available for full-time and interim CEO mandates across PE-backed, privately held, and ASX-listed industrial businesses. Board-appointed. P&L accountable. Outcomes measurable from month one.

Mandates focus on EBITDA growth, margin performance, and capital efficiency — the levers that move enterprise value in industrial businesses.

Discuss a CEO Mandate → View Mandate Types →

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When I Get Called In

• A board needs a CEO who can own the P&L, not manage it by committee
• A PE firm needs an operator in a portfolio business who has run this type of business before
• An interim gap needs to be filled without losing performance momentum
• EBITDA is below where it should be — and the management team cannot fix it from the inside
• A transaction event — acquisition or exit — needs hands-on operational leadership

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Mandate Scope

Mandates are built around one thing: measurable performance improvement, owned from inside the business. Not strategy papers. Not advisory retainers. Full accountability from day one.

Related: pricing discipline and EBITDA improvement  ·  execution cadence and when to intervene

• Full P&L accountability — revenue, margin, cost base, working capital, and cash
• Multi-site and multi-country operations — experienced across 12 APAC markets including Australia, New Zealand, South-East Asia, India and Greater China
• Board, chair, and investor engagement — direct reporting to boards across private equity, public, and private company environments
• Commercial and operational performance — pricing discipline, cost-to-serve management, working capital improvement, and operating cadence
• Industrial, manufacturing, and distribution businesses — multi-site, high-complexity, capital-intensive operations
• Performance improvement, integration, and scale execution — turnarounds, post-acquisition integration, and growth mandates

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Types of CEO Mandates

Full-Time CEO

Engaged to lead an industrial or distribution business on a permanent basis. Full P&L ownership, board reporting, and accountability for the commercial and operational agenda. Suited to businesses requiring a step-change in leadership, EBITDA performance, or market position.

Managing Director

MD-level leadership in businesses where the structure sits below a group CEO or board chair. Full operational and commercial accountability within the agreed mandate scope. Common in PE portfolio companies and large private businesses with group structures.

CEO for Underperforming but Viable Businesses

Businesses where the fundamentals are sound but execution has drifted — EBITDA below potential, working capital poorly managed, commercial discipline weak. The mandate is to identify what is causing the underperformance, implement the corrections, and build the operating structure that holds the improvement.

Transformation CEO

Businesses that need a step-change — not incremental improvement. Revenue model needs to change, cost structure needs to be rebuilt, market position needs to be reset. The mandate is to lead that transformation with full accountability while keeping the business operational and the team intact.

CEO for Scale or Transition Environments

Businesses growing faster than their management and operating systems can handle. Revenue is growing, but margin, cash, and organisational control are deteriorating. The mandate is to build the structure, discipline, and accountability that allows the business to scale without destroying value.

CEO for Pre-Exit or Post-Acquisition Situations

Pre-exit: improving EBITDA, working capital, and operational credibility in the 12–24 months before a transaction. Post-acquisition: integrating an acquired business, establishing performance standards, and delivering the value creation plan agreed at deal close.

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CEO Capability, Not Just Advisory Support

Scott does not provide strategy-only support. He does not sit outside the business and provide recommendations. He leads performance from inside — with direct accountability for the outcome.

The distinction matters. A board or PE firm engaging Scott as CEO or MD is engaging someone who will own the numbers, manage the team, engage directly with customers and suppliers, and be accountable to the board for results — not someone who will advise the incumbent management team and step back.

This is the difference between advisory support and operational leadership. The mandate type determines the structure. The accountability does not change.

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What Boards and Investors Expect

When a board or PE firm appoints a CEO, the expectations are consistent regardless of mandate type:

• Clarity of numbers — the P&L is understood in detail, the drivers are clear, and performance is reported accurately without spin
• Execution visibility — the board can see what is happening, what is being done about it, and what the trajectory looks like
• No surprises — problems surface early, not when they are already embedded in the quarterly result
• Accountability — outcomes are owned, not managed by committee; when something is not working, it is addressed directly

These are not aspirational qualities. They are the operating standard for every mandate.

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Track Record

Polyflor APAC — Managing Director, APAC Region

August 2015 – December 2025  ·  Wholly owned subsidiary of James Halstead PLC (LON: JHD)  ·  AUD 110M revenue, 170 staff, 12 countries, 4 entities

Full P&L, balance sheet, cashflow, CAPEX and budget authority across four operating subsidiaries — Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, and Malaysia — with commercial reach across 12 APAC countries.

• Grew Australian revenue from AUD 35M to AUD 50M while expanding EBITDA from AUD 1.3M to AUD 5.2M — 300% earnings growth on 43% revenue growth. Margin expanded from 3.7% to 10.4%
• Grew New Zealand revenue from AUD 8M to AUD 20M through a deliberate social housing sector strategy
• Scaled South Asia (Martex acquisition, Malaysia) to AUD 16M; North Asia to AUD 14M organically
• Saved AUD 2.5M annually through inventory optimisation, stock placement discipline, and freight recovery
• Decentralised profit centre model across ANZ and Asia — management accountability and cleaner unit economics at subsidiary level
• Architected and implemented Microsoft ERP, CRM, and Power BI across the APAC region

Dotmar EPL — Group General Manager

2001 – 2010  ·  PE-backed (Crescent Capital)  ·  14 branches, Australia, New Zealand and India

Senior operating executive within a PE-backed platform business. P&L accountability for revenue, margin, and cost performance across the group.

• Grew group turnover from AUD 38M to AUD 93M — 145% growth — while expanding gross margin from 38.5% to 43.5% at exit (500bps)
• Business sold at 17x EBIT under Crescent Capital alongside PwC — one of the strongest industrial distribution exits in the market
• Supported acquisition and integration of four businesses — Malco, Universal Plastics NZ, Change Parts Australia, and Engineering Plastics Limited — combined value approximately AUD 30M
• Reduced operating costs by AUD 2.2M through strategic restructuring
• Decreased inventory from AUD 12.6M to AUD 9.3M over 12 months — improving stock turns and working capital
• 60% market share across Australia and New Zealand at exit

Plascorp Pty Ltd — Executive General Manager

2013 – 2015  ·  Mid-market private company  ·  PVC pipe, mine ventilation, industrial ducting  ·  AUD 60M revenue, 105 staff

• Grew EBIT from AUD 3M to AUD 5.64M — approximately 85% expansion in 18 months — through manufacturing productivity, pricing discipline, and revenue growth from AUD 30M to AUD 47M (57% uplift)
• Managed segment relationships with BHP, Glencore, and Byrnecut alongside REECE and Tradelink
• Delivered AUD 400K in operating cost reductions across fuel, IT, and communications

Consistent Pattern Across Mandates

EBITDA improvement, working capital release, pricing discipline, team capability uplift — and a structure that holds after the mandate ends. The numbers move. The business does not revert.

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