AI Issue 10 2017

Acquisition International - October 2017 25 Making the Difference “Here at Vertas, I am very clear inmy communication style and hierarchy. We have a reasonably ‘flat’ hierarchy that allows the senior managers to run the day to day business and the Directors to focus on strategic innovation and service growth. This allows the business to respond with agility but importantly, gives the Senior Leadership Team autonomy. My vision is cascaded downward through the levels of management and communicated via varied means, such as leaderships forums, CEO breakfast meetings and social media articles.” Interestingly, Ian is able to tell us about a wealth of opportunities that have opened up, having rebranded the entire business and moved its Headquarters. Ian believes these changes have benefitted the company, and made it stronger in an ever evolving industry, “Everything has changed since taking over as CEO. I have rebranded the entire business, moved HQ, regionalised the operational boundaries, recruited the right people for the right job, acquired businesses to bolster our current offering, diversified into new markets and services, implemented new management systems, the list is endless. All of these changes have made us stronger as a business and built our resilience in an ever-changing economy.” Moving forward, Ian’s ultimate goal is to grow the business into a UK market leader, and be a company which is recognised for its first-class customer service and quality. Vertas looks to ensure that the business offers all individuals the opportunity to grow within the business and develop as professionals.