accomplishments 4.15[1]

Resume - Simon White

Simon White mobile: 0418 505 410 email: [email protected]

Accomplishments

1. What I have done

Due Diligence, Negotiation and Acquisition:

Played a major role in the due diligence, negotiation and acquisition of a steam turbine / generator workshop in Adelaide as an investment to service the key customers in the region and grow the Industrial Turbine Service business.

How I did it

Assessed the market and growth potential of this key offering and jointly with others (technical experts) developed a short and medium term business plan incorporating business volumes, revenue, profit and manpower.

This included assessing the return on investment to establish the right purchase price and, with the technical experts, developing the key offerings going forward.

I engaged with the key stakeholders from the acquired company as to their roles in the future organisation, dealing also with the expectations of long term employees and their future.

I also liaised with the HQ who was required to approve all acquisitions of this nature. I presented the business case with colleagues to all stakeholders and obtained all approvals both overseas and locally.

What differences it made

I successfully completed the purchase and integration of the business which continues to deliver solid growth in line with the business model. Despite changed market conditions this acquisition continues to be a key asset in the portfolio of the business and supports the capabilities of the local Industrial Turbine service business.

2. What I have done

Company Integration: I was responsible for the financial integration of the Alstom small and medium industrial turbine business into Siemens Ltd Australia and New Zealand which was purchased globally by Siemens AG. This involved managing the financial integration, assets, goodwill, balance sheet transfer etc into the Siemens ledger as well as incorporating the business plan into the official Siemens planning/reporting systems including order backlog, contracts, risks etc.



How I did it

I engaged EY acquisition specialists for the detailed accounting process to ensure the correct transfer of values into the balance sheet accounts. This all had to be done by a key date to ensure that the figures were correct in Siemens books as at the start of the financial year.

I engaged HR to ensure that the transfer of personnel in respect to conditions of employment etc were correctly done and reported on the company’s payroll and HR headcount system.

Order backlog was recorded into the Siemens reporting and planning system and then considered in all forecasting going forward. Manpower was allocated to open projects to complete. Files were opened to ensure proper documentation was retained and customer information readily available for the new ‘owner’.

Liaised with the various factories and product centres in England, Germany and Holland to ensure they were included in the overall planning process.


Seamless integration completed with minimal disruption. Product range now part of Siemens portfolio with a strong increase in market share.

3. What I have done

Business Targets and Budgeting: I was responsible along with the Divisional CEO for negotiating, agreeing and setting up the annual Business Target Agreements for the regional company (Australia and New Zealand) for various businesses in the Energy sector.

How I did it

The process involves the solid understanding of the local market, sales pipeline, employee and cost structure of the business unit/division. Targets set by the HQ entity were reviewed and analysed as to their reality and achievability. Meetings were held in Germany and/or Asia which required presentations of local market particulars, SWAT analysis, pipeline, political influences, market trends etc. to influence the final outcome – a challenging but realistic target setting for the business unit/division. Understanding the drivers from the HQ entity was vitally important for the resolution of the negotiations. Close cooperation and relationships with the HQ staff was paramount to success.


Achieving an agreement on realistic Targets for the business allowed the transparent set up of incentive and bonus agreements where staff felt empowered to personally influence



the outcome. It also allowed proper discussion on deviations during the year where market influences may affect the achievement of against budget.

4. What I have done

Training and Mentoring: Developed, facilitated and co-presented the ‘Operational Excellence’ Seminar. This is a 3 day interactive seminar run twice annually to introduce and workshop the major business processes in Siemens as part of the training and development of identified key talent and future business leaders.

How I did it

We reviewed the complete Sales and Delivery process for major Industrial and Energy projects from step one – ‘customer enquiry’ to ‘end of warranty period’. This was then broken down into 3 key elements (i) Marketing, (ii) Sale and (iii) Operations/Execution.

The seminar stepped everyone through the individual phases looking at techniques, tools and how to assess risks in each area of the process.

It then took participants through a mock tender (stage managed by the presenters) which simulated the real pressures and challenges of marketing, selling and delivering an electrical project in the industry market.


It has been rated by participants as one of the most highly valued seminars offered by Siemens. Feedback ratings were consistently ‘very good to excellent’. Participants cane away from the seminar having an increased awareness of key company processed and practical understanding.

This has been recognised as one of the most practical and relevant training seminars ever run at Siemens. It is home grown and addresses real life situations that are experienced in electrical engineering and project management areas.

It has also survived the test of time in that we have steadily evolved the seminar to ensure that it has kept up with modern trends while at the same time ensuring that the ‘business basics’ are retained and reinforced.

5. What I have done

Leadership: Key contributor to the ‘Leadership Task Force’ to define and develop leadership principles in company.

How I did it

A team of diverse backgrounds was nominated by our CEO who was looking to define the company’s leadership principles and ensure they were developed and rolled out across the organisation. We workshopped the topic over a period of a few months and came up with the principles and a program to roll it out to the leadership group across the company.




Leadership principles are now embraced as an integral part of the company’s organisational culture and values.

There is a higher level of awareness for the need for responsible leadership across the company and these principles are also entrenched in the company’s value system and reward schemes. The work we did many years ago still forms the foundation of the value system in leadership today.

6. What I have done

Staff Development: Representative of the Commercial Business Units on the Graduate Steering Committee: an employee development scheme to identify, develop and retain high performance graduate staff across the commercial, legal and financial functions.

How I did it

Before I came on board the scheme was suffering from high dissatisfaction levels and regrettable staff turnover. As a group, we evaluated the reasons and formulated a ‘constitution’ under which the Graduate Scheme would be run. This involved issues such as quality of candidates, tenure, rotations into different functions and business types, income levels, mentoring and development initiatives.

Once this was established I was involved in the selection, evaluation and recruitment of chosen candidates as well as their placement into the business areas. I also took on the selected ‘mentorship’ of candidates to act as a sounding board for the individual and to help guide him/her with respect to career path and development.


Over the last 3 years there has been a significant increase in the quality and retention of graduates within the business with the majority of candidates expressing a higher level of job satisfaction and greater sense of opportunities for career progression within the company at both a national and international level.

7. What I have done

Transfer Pricing & Tax: Responsible regionally for the company’s Transfer Pricing & Risk and Profit Sharing Model, which was set up to facilitate international collaboration in major power projects



How I did it

As this was an HQ initiative and a process involving two major players, I actively engaged with the developer of the process/policy in Munich and facilitated meetings with key stakeholders in other parts of the organisation in Europe to align understanding and expectations.

I spend time in Munich assisting the development team in preparing the role out presentations for the regional companies eg. Australia. Once this work was done I was responsible for rolling out the training to users in Australia and New Zealand. This required gaining a substantial knowledge and understanding of transfer pricing and international taxation on major projects.

Over 100 people in Australia/New Zealand were trained in the model and I have continued to be the ‘go to person’ in the region for issues on the application of this model.


Developed the business model approved and adopted by Siemens AG and now have first-hand experience in applying the model in complex international power projects in the Energy industry. The number of disputes and accounting challenges have greatly reduced due to a broader acceptance, understanding and experience gained with application of the model both in the HQ and local company.

8. What I have done

Business Restructuring: Evaluated, in cooperation with others, several lesser performing businesses and initiated restructuring, process improvement and strategy development with a view to increasing market share and profitability. This involved two similar businesses (A) plus another business (B) that was performing well but required a new organisational set up.

How I did it

My first task was to understand the size of the market, which parts of the market we would be competitive in and what we were likely to gain from the market in terms of profitable orders. Then we needed to obtain support from HQ in providing products, sales and engineering support to deliver these offerings to the market as well as confirmation of transfer pricing, warranties etc.

Once this was done, in conjunction with the sales and marketing team, I developed a Sales pipeline to ascertain the timeline and volumes of future business opportunities. This information was the basis for a business plan/budget and the required resources to deliver the plan were introduced. Any restructuring and adjustments to assets were done to meet the business plan.




The two restructured and realigned businesses (A) maintained profitability levels despite smaller and challenging business environment.

The third business (B) has showed significant growth since reorganising and has become a key profit contributor.

9. What I have done

Staff Development & Mentoring: Played a role as a ‘mentor’ for numerous employees spanning my career to assist with individual’s career aspirations, dealing with difficulties and conflicts in the workplace and generally offering career advice and direction

How I did it

I had a regular schedule of meetings with the individuals. This was on a relaxed basis. No agenda was required and the meeting covered the persons career and personal development, issues regarding their peers, managers etc etc.


This activity reduced the rate of employee turnover of staff with potential for development. It also helped the organisation identify high potential staff and career development.

10. What I have done

Personal Development: Attended the Siemens Advance Management Course (S3) under Duke University management which was for senior management in operational positions.

How I did it

This involved a period of 9 months of teamwork, seminar work and production of business impact projects. It focused on Siemens specific management and leadership topics culminating on a final seminar and presentations of the business impact projects


I was able to apply much of what I learnt in my day to day job. It gave me additional tools to perform my day to day role. The major learning was the teamwork aspect which came from the challenges that we were presented with and the networking I was able to do. A particularly satisfying outcome was that I was awarded ‘ Best & Fairest’ and ‘ Most Improved Team Player’ which was a vote by the course management and my peers.




Organisational Leadership: Set up the Major Projects Organisation in Siemens Australia and New Zealand together with the Divisional CEO. This was in response to the company receiving several major high value Energy projects where the HQ organisation, the key knowledge and resource carrier, had to enable the local organisation to deliver the projects to the customer’s satisfaction.

How I did it

Agreed with the HQ organisation what tasks would be required to be fulfilled by the local company in AUS/NZ. These tasks included local infrastructure and facilities (eg. accounting, HR, real estate etc), project management, commercial controlling and management reporting, local tax compliance etc.

Set up the local organisational structure to facilitate the agreed tasks including the personnel and reporting and financial controlling systems. Documented the internal agreements which stipulated the risk profile and division of responsibilities between the two parties.


This structure enabled the organisation to focus solely of major projects that are not typically part of the ongoing business. All staff were allocated to individual projects and where appropriate, their employment contracts were structured in order for the organisation to adjust its size to the cyclical nature of the business. Staff were able to be allocated to other projects as and when they arose which also helped consistency of skills across projects and protect jobs.

Reporting of the financials and project risk management was of higher quality and more reliable forecasting was a key outcome.


Business Structure & Organisation: Rolled out the commercial structure for an Expertise Based Organisation (EBO) across the Energy Sector in AUS/NZ as part of a company realignment.

How I did it

Identified the key controlling elements of Marketing, Sales and Supply Chain in order to clarify the individual responsibilities of the commercial management in this new structure.



Presented this to the senior management group in a special session. The proposal was accepted with minor adjustments. This was then rolled out as the definitive position description elements for each function.


Absolute clarity was established in the commercial organisation as to the division of responsibility of roles which maximised productivity and avoided duplication of tasks. It also enabled staff with key skills or specialists to focus on their areas of expertise. This is still the case today.


Training & Mentoring: Introduced and drove the introduction of Economic Value Added (EVA) into the organisation as a tool to measure financial performance.

How I did it

Presentations, workshops to effected staff.

What Differences it made

All staff technical and commercial focused on the main EVA drivers which resulted in a year on year improvement in EVA.

14. What I have done – general / other

- Financial & Commercial Management of several business units / divisions

- I was involved in the financial and commercial management of numerous major Energy & Industrial projects at various levels of detail and interaction. These include:

- Cook Strait HVDC Project in New Zealand

- Kogan Creek Power Station

- Mortlake Power Station

- Laverton Power Station

- Anzac Frigate project

- Braemar Power Station

- Neerabup Power Station

- Muja Power Station I&C Upgrade

- Cape Preston gas turbine project



- Huntley power station I&C Upgrade NZ

- Tender negotiations in major Power Generation and Transmission bids with Siemens’ offerings

- Risk Management

- Development of incentive schemes for Sales and Operations staff

- Business Interruption Analysis.

- Office Move from Richmond to Bayswater

- Various coaching and training / presentations on subject maters

- Involvement in the conceptual stage of the Siemens – South East Water Alliance contract (later to become ‘US’) which developed into an important business for both parties

accomplishments 4.15[1]

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