Don Weaver, Principal

A CEO or COO successful at operating mid-sized businesses.  Develops winning strategies quickly, combined with a bias for action and profitability, ensuring that key operational goals are developed, tied to the strategy, and fully executed.  Experienced in manufacturing and technology businesses.  Adept at establishing rapport with all stakeholders from customers, to the Boardroom, to the factory floor.  Significant international exposure in the US, Mexico & Europe.  Board experience in publicly listed and private companies.

SELECTED ACHIEVEMENTS

In an Interim President role, successfully operated a manufacturing business in decline and with poor morale immediately after 9/11.  Improved morale, pruned product lines, reduced inventory, strengthened pricing strategy, and cut costs. 

In another Interim President role for a manufacturing business inside a large multinational, the challenges were dramatically increasing demand and confrontational issues with Head Office and sister companies.  Integrated a new product line into production, implemented new pricing strategy, and re-aligned & motivated existing staff to cope with higher volumes, often up 30% per quarter, thereby leveraging up profitability dramatically.  Negotiating win-win deals with sister businesses, and adopting a more collaborative approach solved the confrontational issues.

Managed the turnaround of a business with poor industrial relations and a violent strike under prior management.  Reduced annual grievances from 100 to 8, while improving productivity and profits. 

Led global Strategic initiatives in overall strategy, market positioning, global mandates and M&A in the Product/Market Groups to which my business units belonged, for 2 different multinationals.

Led a mid-sized manufacturing business unit of about 600 people, and a subsidiary of a large multinational, from last place in profitability in North America to third place, closing on second.  Took the business from significant loss to small profit, while improving the poor labour relations of a major P&L centre inside the unit.

Several successful consulting or project engagements ranging from a strategic market study, to moving a plant, to an Acquisition transition project, to leading a Strategic Plan exercise, to sourcing a scarce key material for a client (leading to significant savings as a side benefit).

On contract, ran a new high-tech start-up in the Information Security field from inception through to Patent application to initial product launches, including coordinating off-shore technology work, assisting in raising capital.

PRIOR EXPERIENCE

The Osborne Group
  - CFN Precision
Lawson Displays & Creative Design – President
Post Glover Resistors – Interim President
IPC Resistors Inc. – Manager, Truro Transition (on Contract)
IPC International – Interim President
UNIQRYPT Technologies Inc. – President (on Contract)
Ferranti-Packard Ltd. (a subsidiary of Rolls-Royce) – President
Federal Pioneer Ltd.
    - Vice President & GM, Transformer Products Business
    - Plant Manager, Regina & Red Deer plants
    - Manager, Inside Sales & Business Systems
McGraw-Edison Ltd. – Sr. Product & Design Engineerr

QUALIFICATIONS

York University – MBA

McMaster University – Bachelor of Engineering,

Professional Engineers of Ontario

Past Boards: several private companies & Associations, one publicly listed company (Inverpower)