says James provided stability, innovation and energy to the business. “We appointed James because he has such broad industry knowledge that translates well into a scaling business with a bold strategy. But it’s James’ expertise in managing teams, bringing out the best in people and his high energy commitment to tasks that really makes the difference. We won several accounts within months of James joining and the model he put in place has ensured these clients have not only been retained but grown in size too.”
Benoît Bole, Western Europe COO for LINK Mobility,
The business challenge
LINK Mobility is one of the largest providers of mobile business messaging. It boasts a customer list that features some of the world’s biggest retail brands.
Following a period of change in the UK, LINK Mobility needed to appoint a new MD. One who could take the business in a direction aligned to the LINK Mobility Group’s strategy.
Until a suitable candidate could be found, LINK asked Graystone fulfil the role of interim MD. Key deliverables were aligned to specific missions LINK had identified, including to grow the client list, expand the team and establish core competency and acumen and drive overall growth.
The solution
Graystone Strategy appointed James Gray to be LINK’s fractional Managing Director. James was chosen for his expertise in the industry, experience of building successful teams and winning business.
James’ first role was to build a team of skilled professionals who could help deliver growth. As well as finding talent, James needed to ensure people were coached in role and could perform at their best and therefore deliver the strategy.
With the expertise in place, James could then work on business development. With a clear product roadmap and a capable sales team, LINK UK won several high street brands and SaaS providers. This set a firm foundation for further growth.
James also supported the search for a permanent MD and provided a detailed handover and coaching to the new appointment.
The outcome
Over an 11-month period, James helped LINK UK achieve its missions
- He recruited talent in sales, service, product and account management so new business opportunities converted to happy customers.
- Current employees and new recruits were coached from day one to ensure they were aligned to the LINK vision, strategy and developed their competency quickly.
- A new business model was developed to ensure the team worked together seamlessly and had a consistent approach to winning new business.
- The team won three large accounts in retail and the SaaS sector, all of which are still considered key accounts today.
- The team delivered on targets, building momentum month by month.
- James helped with the recruitment of an MD and delivered a handover to ensure the groundwork that had been laid continued at pace.
- On the strength of James’ work in the UK, he was asked to act as MD in Spain after a change in leadership.