James inspired confidence during a period of change. “Our Spanish business is a critical business unit. We needed a safe pair of hands to take the helm until we could find the right leader for the expanded business. James business acumen, industry experience and leadership skills were exactly what was needed. Our people felt heard, and were coached and developed by James, and our clients didn’t experience any disruption to service levels. We also kept to plan, which was crucial for the overall cusses of the LINK Mobility Group.”
Benoît Bole, European COO for LINK Mobility,
The business challenge
LINK Mobility is one of the largest providers of mobile messaging. It boasts a customer list that features some of the world’s biggest retail brands.
Its Spanish business is among the largest in the LINK group employing 35 people, and operating in a mature market, servicing many of the large network operators in the region.
Following an acquisition, and personnel changes, LINK Mobility needed to find an interim MD to act as a safe pair of hands during a period of flux.
LINK asked Graystone to step in as interim MD. Key deliverables were to keep the ship steady, ensuring service levels didn’t slide, new business was secured and support the process of finding a new MD.
The solution
James Gray was asked to become the fractional managing director. James was chosen for his knowledge of the operator landscape, his experience of delivering service to high standards, and engaging teams.
James’ first role was to reassure the team during a period of change, retain the skill, and then keep the day to day running smoothly. By building trust with the individual functions, he ensured people continued to work collaboratively and remained focused on their targets.
With a more settled team, James could then work on business development and go to market delivery. James made adjustments to the sales process and ensured marketing campaigns were targeted so they delivered results.
James also played a pivotal role in the search for a permanent MD and provided a comprehensive handover and coaching to the successful candidate.
The outcome
Over an 11-month period, James helped LINK UK achieve its missions
- Team performance was recovered thanks to James’ leadership. Key talent was retained and new ways of working ensured a collaborative approach to delivering goals became second nature.
- Clients were managed carefully during the changes, and growth was maintained according to plan.
- James ensured new client onboarding was well planned and executed, and made sure every client had a tailored service model to suit.
- A new MD was selected and shadowed James so they could be brought into post quickly and smoothly and without disrupting the foundations laid in the previous months.