EUROPE
ITALY WINNER:
Chris Dixon Bundy Refrigeration
About Chris Dixon
Career Background / Highlights 1978 Started work with Pilkington PLC as Sponsored Accountancy Student
1982 Qualified as Management Accountant
1983 to 1997 Worked for a variety of UK based, multi-national companies in management accountant / financial controller roles (including TI Group, Leyland Trucks, T&N PLC)
1997 Moved to Italy to take up Plant Manager role with T&N PLC subsidiary (400 employees, automotive components). Plant was sold to Dana Corporation in 1998
2000 to 2007 Still based in Italy, carried out a series of operational roles with growing seniority rising to Global Operations Director for the Engine Bearings Division within Dana Corporation
2007 to Today CEO, Bundy Refrigeration - Based in Italy, with operations (2000 people globally) and business across Europe, South America and NAFTA regions
- Design, Manufacture and Supply of cooling system components to almost all global domestic refrigeration OE customers
Most Important Professional Achievements at Bundy Refrigeration I would list 4 major achievements during my six years with Bundy
- Surviving the 2008/2009 economic crisis
- Refocusing Bundy Refrigeration much more towards new product development to generate future growth and to attempt to see off the challenges of commodity producers from low cost countries
- Driving for regional expansion and integrating acquisitions
o Although our first acquisition was in Germany in late 2007, in the past 18 months we have accelerated our M&A activity with acquisitions in Poland, Turkey and Mexico, as well as buying all the manufacturing assets from another direct competitor in Mexico
o We are now the only supplier of our product range to have significant sales and operations across 3 of the 4 major regions of the world – Europe, NAFTA and South America
- Definition and Implementation of a global manufacturing and general business footprint transformation plan for 2013 to 2015, to take advantage of the regional expansion activities referred to previously, and to position our Bundy operations much closer to our customers, with a generally much lower cost base.
What Prior Experience Helped Me To Succeed at Bundy Refrigeration? I believe I came through a very good “schooling” at many of the UK and US multi- nationals already mentioned above. In some of those roles, I was given early international exposure both within finance and operations functions but also with projects and responsibilities in many other areas including business development, people management, operational restructuring, etc.
These all helped me to develop an ability to quickly understand a complete, 360 degree view of a business, a skill which is obviously now important in the role of CEO.
My initial finance experience was the baseline for my career and has also helped significantly in working with a PE owned business like Bundy Refrigeration where there are some specific, financing elements needing regular/constant monitoring.
Finally, I come from a solid, Northern England, background, where my parents, my family and my friends, have always worked hard and conscientiously to succeed in their own business and personal lives. I would hope some of that has rubbed off on me.
Key Success Factors for a CEO - Make sure you have the right strategy and then drive tirelessly to implement it
- Know your customers, know your competitors - Understand your people and listen to their ideas
- Recruit good people, agree the vision and the overall game plan, then encourage and motivate the team to implement the actions and go out and play the game to the best of their ability
- Set the standards, set the vision, then rigorously monitor the details and measure the results
My Leadership Style I would like to think my leadership style is consistent with the key success factors listed above.
I try to understand all the key elements, 360 degrees, within the business and then work with my Executive Team to set the direction. My office door is never closed and I am willing to listen to ideas – from our owners above, from my people below at all levels of the business and from other stakeholders alongside the business. I work hard to get everybody pulling in the same direction and playing their own key part in the overall team.
What Would I Look For In A Successor ? Passion for the Business, Drive, Clear Vision and Open Leadership, Strong Communication Skills at All Levels and With All Stakeholders.
What Advice Would I Give to Rising CEO’s - Always do your homework - as a little bit of prior preparation and focused analysis can give you a clear advantage when meeting customers, competitors, employee bodies, financiers, etc
- Listen, Digest what you Hear, and Act on What you have Learned
- Don’t be afraid to be the first to do something new as it will be those that are Innovative that will be successful in the future.
14 Finance Monthly CeO AwArdS 2013
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