In an era of global competition, this company embarked on a strategic business turnaround to enhance its facilities management services and prepare for a prospective trade sale.

Company Profile

This global company specialises in providing a comprehensive range of facilities management services, including cleaning, security, washrooms, and catering. Initially in private hands, the business required a significant transformation to optimise its operations for a potential trade sale.

CEO’s Mission

Brought in to revitalise a stagnating business, the CEO faced challenges including a lack of direction and poor customer focus, which had led to several years of losses. The owners, aiming to sell the business, realised the need for improved performance to achieve their financial objectives. With no CMO in place, a Leadership Group member was tasked to collaborate with the CEO for an interim period, focusing on a strategic business turnaround.

CMO’s Objectives

  • Collaborate with the CEO to develop a branding strategy.
  • Segment market opportunities and create high-value customer propositions.
  • Lead a global rebrand based on new business values and focus.
  • Establish a supportive sales and marketing structure for strategy execution.

What the CMO Did

Supporting Strategic Plan Development

Working with the CEO, the CMO formulated a strategic plan, aligning the Senior Management Team with the company’s vision, mission, and values. This process involved:

  • Conducting customer interviews in key markets to understand needs and develop a quantitative research framework.
  • Implementing a comprehensive market research program in each country to evaluate competitive positioning.
  • Facilitating workshops in each market for management alignment and understanding.
  • Presenting findings to the board for strategy endorsement.
  • Collaborating with sales teams to develop new customer positions and sales support models based on research outcomes.

Brand Relaunch

A significant part of the strategic business turnaround was repositioning the company, necessitating an extensive stakeholder communication program. This included:

  • Engaging shareholders, employees, and customers with the new direction.
  • Conducting a global relaunch of the brand.
  • Working with agencies and management teams to communicate the new positioning.
  • Developing communication strategies to support the branding rollout.

The Results

  • Four unprofitable countries were exited based on improved market and customer research 
  • New customer propositions and service agreements were launched resulting in a churn reduction of 10% 
  • ReBrand was launched globally 
  • The company was successfully sold 
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