The Portfolio Executives

David Parry

David Parry
  • Specialism: Business optimisation and team alignment for international SMEs.
  • Track Record: Over thirty years of proven success working with multiple international investors and leaders of technology businesses in 47 countries to achieve remarkable ‘hockey-stick’ growth.
  • Offer: Transform team dynamics and drive significant business growth for international SMEs through expert coaching and tailored mentoring, with a methodology to break through growth barriers and weaknesses while optimising strengths and future capabilities, aligning team goals with business objectives to enhance performance, productivity, and people engagement.
  • David says: “SmartBRG will work with you to either recover, grow or expand your business internationally.”
  • Try me (www.smartbrg.com)

In a world where business success often treads a fine line between brilliance and madness, established businesses invariably fail not merely because of external market forces but on overcoming internal leadership challenges and internal resistance to change. However, imagine standing at a crossroads of an international business where the paths to unprecedented success or stagnant performance are many and complex. This is the dilemma many entrepreneurs and executives face – a quest for a breakthrough amidst overwhelming odds.

With more than a few decades under my belt, it’s easy to talk about my career with a certain degree of confidence. But it wasn’t always that way. I didn’t exactly stride into this profession as much as I stumbled across it. I initially aspired to be a rock star at University and later qualified as a teacher before eventually transitioning into the business and pharmaceutical marketing sector.

My involvement with business recovery and development began early in my mid-twenties when I took over as Managing Director of a failing automotive aftermarket manufacturing business, successfully growing it many times over. Then, I moved on to larger-scale manufacturing, driving significant sales and profit growth at an organisation for people with disabilities, underscoring the importance of humility and strong values in business. Subsequently, I joined a large international engineering conglomerate and spent eight years learning about mergers and acquisitions. As a leader of the sales, marketing, and product management teams, my role was to drive rapid business growth while other teams stripped out costs and created short-term profits.

Whilst this was exciting and educational, the aggressive strategies employed were not sustainable. This realisation led me to establish my own consultancy in the dynamic world of software and technology mergers and acquisitions, where I developed a keen interest in global business recovery strategies. I realised that all businesses adhere to fundamental principles despite varying sizes and product portfolios.

While business growth is process-driven, building a cohesive, motivated team is challenging and immensely rewarding. It is the key to ultimate business success. By far, the most successful businesses I have worked with have had strong leadership and people-centric values, both internally and externally, hence my particular interest in working with international teams for goal alignment and legacy outcomes, whilst mentoring individuals to achieve personal growth beyond what they think possible.

My passion is to share the knowledge and skills gained over many years in driving growth and sales best practices among national and international sales and distribution teams. To transform team dynamics and drive significant business growth through what has now become a comprehensive program designed to break through growth barriers and weaknesses, whilst optimising strengths and future capabilities, aligning team goals with business objectives, resulting in enhanced performance, productivity, and people engagement.