Claude Imbert

Conglomerate of wine merchants and bottling companies of Bordeaux and South-France wines

Implementation of a turnaround and development plan in a crisis context of the wine merchants companies sector:

•Reorganization of production and merchant activities, build-up of a central services pole under Francis Mer’s chairmanship (Chairman of the Supervisory Board)
•Management of the conciliation agreement closing (9 banks and 35 M€ of financial debts).
•Strengthening of the working capital by increase of the capital (French, American, Dutch and Japanese shareholders).
•Implementation of the essence of leadership and excellence.

Sector: Wines - Spirits

DEVELOPMENT MANAGER (2004)
1 M€ turnover, 10 employees with 6 advisors.
Commercial prospecting of computing enterprises clients located in Paris region (materials distributors, network installers).
•Creation and development of Paris office.

Sector: Financial Services

Subsidiary of the AKZO NOBEL Group
MANAGING DIRECTOR ( 2000 – 2003 )
107 employees, three industrial plants and head office

-Implementing the corporate development plan and supervising a production plant extension (Gironde)
-Managing the closure of an industrial plant, including staff redundancy plan (Savoie), and re-engineering at the Ambès plant (Gironde)
-Defining a coherent salary policy
-Defining and monitoring the value creation objectives of the French plants.
-Defining and implementing internal and external communication policy, including representing the company in contacts with local and national authorities.
-Maintaining a positive social climate and developing a working partnership with trade union and other employee representatives.

FINANCIAL CONTROLLER (1993-2000)
Executive Committee Member
Three plants in Gironde and Savoie.
In charge of finance, general administration, legal issues, human resources, management IT, logistics, security, general and industrial accounts, and management control.
Chairman of the Works Committee and the Hygiene and Safety Committee.
- Reorganized the administrative departments and benchmarked all contracts : Overall decrease in costs of 10 % over 9 years, in spite of general and individual salary increases.
- Set up comprehensive financial reporting: Completed in 3 working days per month. Accounts approved by the auditor within one week after closure of the period.
-Involved in implementing and monitoring the internal operating plan for one of 3 plants, classified "SEVESO", and preparing ISO 9002 and ISO 14001 certification at all 3 plants: No work accident s requiring sick leave in 5 years at the SEVESO plant.
- Contributed to defining the 3-year corporate development plan and improving results. Financial reorganization:controlling operational profitability (The profit margin moved into the black, representing nearly 8 % of capital investment (50M€)),
improved shareholders' equity, 15 M€, after regularizing previous losses and reimbursing outstanding financial debt, 30 M€, negotiating subsidies for developing the premises and staff training (0.5 M€).

Sector: Chemical industries

Financial services company
-Remote cash flow management for 10 clients at once
-Assisting shareholders in setting up their own company
-Implementing key business indicators to assist chairman in their company's management
-Training

Sector: Financial Services

Software, CAD/CAM Equipment and Services dedicated to industry
Management of the international growth by creating 20 subsidiaries around the world
Banking commitee with 10 banks to present the development of the company increasing sales by 30% per year
Listing on the second market of the french stock exchange

Sector: Computer Equipment & Peripherals

Management and achievement of the split up between two internal companies, the one belonging to chemical sector, the other to pharmaceutical industry
Management of the development of chemicals specialities for Pharmaceuticals customers with a strong increased sales by year.

Sector: Pharmaceutical