With a professional background as a commercial banker Keith certainly knows his way around balance sheets and facility letters, but his primary interests centre around getting the best out of individuals and teams and more widely on improving overall business performance, by understanding and managing risk and focusing on opportunities for sustainable growth.

Having qualified in 1979 his 30+ year career in the banking industry was spent around the West Midlands and included experience with several major players in the sector. He held key Midlands based leadership roles in business and commercial banking for many years and until 2007 was Area Director - Birmingham for a major bank where his team specialised in managing relationships with £2M to £20M turnover businesses.

In 2008 he was invited to take the role of Group Chief Operating Officer of an independently owned Invoice Finance company and having helped steer that business to a sale to a multi-national he set up his own business Alacriom Limited in 2010 with the intention of providing consulting and implementation support to the SME sector.

Having had direct involvement with Midlands businesses and worked closely with owners and directors for many years he has hands on experience of most sectors.

He is a former President of The Institute of Financial Services – West Midlands and a Fellow of the Institute of Financial Services (formerly the Chartered Institute of Bankers). In addition to his professional life he has also served as Chair of a number of not for profit organisations. He is a former Chair and current board member of The Professional Institute Network West Midlands an organisation primarily concerned with promoting continuing professional development opportunities across the professions.

His particular interests are centre around:-

• Building high performing teams through:
  • developing and supporting the implementation of performance management processes
  • developing performance measures that enable progress to be easily monitored
  • ensuring regularity and clarity of internal communications
• Analysing the risk profile of a business and developing and implementing risk management processes aimed at optimising sustainable profitability.
• Supporting management teams in building effective relationships with lenders and investors.
• Helping business owners to identify future strategic direction and ensuring that the appropriate plans are implemented in the business to achieve the owner's aspirations.

keith@technolink.uk.com