Director Nominations

CANDIDATES ELECTED TO THE BOARD 2010 (in alphabetical order)

Kevin Hewitt - IFT Director (co-opted)

Adviser, Senior Managing Director, FTI Consulting Limited, London

Proposer-Paul Thompson, IFT Fellow & Chairman
Seconder-Philip Davidson, IFT Fellow & Director

I have been a member of IFT since August 2001 and served on the Board since September 2009. I also sit on the Finance & General Purposes Committee.

I am practice leader for FTI’s European Corporate Finance practice with offices in London, Munich and Madrid. Prior to joining FTI in April 2007 I was a restructuring partner at Ernst & Young. I have been operating in the restructuring advisory market for 20 years advising financial institutions, private equity, and management teams on complex restructuring and refinancing assignments across a range of different sectors. I also made Paul Thompsons’s coffee for him whilst on secondment to HSBC’s Lending Services Department between 1993-1995.

I want to play my part in taking IFT to the next stage of its development so that our members can take advantage of the opportunities that I am convinced are still out there. I can bring my personal experiences of growing the FTI business over the last 3 years to the growth plans that sit at the heart of IFT’s strategy. I remain proud to be a member of IFT and will continue enthusiastically encourage the next generation of quality turnaround professionals to play their part in our continued success. I will continue to make available the resources of FTI to support IFT’s growth plans and one of my colleagues, Shaun O’ Callaghan, is a member of the Membership Committee.

Duncan Parkes - IFT Fellow
IFT Fellow, Head of Business Support, Lloyds TSB

Proposer: Iain MacRitchie, IFT Fellow & Co-Deputy Chairman
Seconder: Ian Gray, IFT Fellow & Co-Deputy Chairman

I first joined the IFT in 2005 as an Associate Member, because I saw a strong alignment between the Institute’s objectives and that of Lloyds TSB – to support viable businesses throughout the economic cycle.

I have over 25 years broad experience in corporate banking, including helping to establish Lloyds Bank’s Business Support unit during the recession of the early 1990s. I have also held senior positions within Lloyds TSB Leveraged Finance, from inception in 1995 to 2003 including the creation of its portfolio and credit functions; and more recently Lloyds Development Capital, where I sat on the boards of a number of diverse trading businesses some of which were in distress.

I led the Lloyds TSB Business Support Unit from 2005, and in 2009, this evolved into the Corporate & Commercial Business Support Unit within the expanded Lloyds Banking Group, bringing together turnaround bankers from both Lloyds TSB and HBOS.

Given the unique economic climate we are experiencing, it is crucial that the IFT continues to engage with corporate partners and professionals, to foster a turnaround approach.

I am passionate about saving viable businesses and as a Director of IFT I believe I would be able to utilise and develop my skill set to the benefit of IFT and the wider community that we serve.

Bill Reeves - IFT Fellow
IFT Fellow, Independent Executive,
Chairman, Membership Committee PC’s Sub-Group

Proposer: Paul Thompson, IFT Fellow & Chairman
Seconder: Les Otty, IFT Director

I have worked in turnaround for the last 11 years and I have enjoyed this part of my career more than any other. The sense of achievement when things go well cannot be matched. When things don’t go well you mark it up as another valuable lesson.

I have been a member of the IFT since 2002 and served on the membership committee since 2005. More recently I was involved in the membership consultation on Practising Certificates (PCs) and I now chair the membership committee sub group on PCs.

You will all have received email invitations to complete questionnaires on the key elements of PCs, and more questionnaires will follow. I will offer no apology for pestering you for your views on these subjects as I strongly believe that all our members should be consulted on such matters.

The Institute has made great progress in the last 10 years and is a well established and respected brand. However, there is much yet to do and we have limited resources. By consulting with the membership on key issues we can take advantage of a unique body of skills and experience as well as ensuring that the board, the executive and the membership maintain a strong connection.

I would welcome the opportunity to serve on the board and help further to develop the IFT as a major force in turnaround.

Nick Winks - IFT Director
IFT Director, IFT Regions Group Chairman

Proposer: Iain MacRitchie, IFT Co-Deputy Chairman
Seconder: Paul Thompson, IFT Fellow & Chairman

I am a real fan of IFT and as a Director I have striven to raise IFT’s profile and make IFT and its members the first call for company directors with performance issues in their business.

I passionately believe that IFT’s strength lies in its membership and the contribution that each one can make. The more we all put in the more we will all get out.

As a Director for the last three years I have championed the Regions at Board level and have endeavoured to attend most of the Regional meetings and Regional Committee meetings. I have championed, and been Chairman of, the first two Regional Conferences. The first of these was in Leeds last year and the second in Birmingham in April this year.

I have also championed a new approach and policy for the Regions, the rollout of which is being seen this year.

I particularly enjoy helping those on the periphery of Turnaround to see the way the Institute is developing and to encourage them to join us. Driving our membership is the best way to ensure that IFT becomes the national voice of the turnaround industry.

I live in the West Midlands but my work as an independent turnaround executive takes me across the whole of the UK.

I will fight for the IFT to have a loud and independent voice in the Turnaround market so that all company directors with performance issues in their businesses will know that their best move will be contact IFT for help from one of its members.

If I am elected to be a Director for three more years I shall continue to ensure that the Board and IFT policy does not overlook the wider membership working in the SME market and that the Regions participate in the continuing success of IFT.