Hugh Letheren C Eng FIET

 

A former Senior Executive in the Electronics Industry, who regularly delivered £50M+ profitable turnover, now available for consultancy, lecturing and training.

Positions held include General, Sales and Marketing and Technical Management.

Proven Change Management and Organisation Development skills

 

Special Qualities

  • Results focused team leader, with a clear management philosophy, a manager of creativity, a determined motivator, able to bring out the best from highly technically qualified staff.
  • Consistent deliverer of profit, with exemplary customer and partner relationships.
  • Articulate and persuasive, a good communicator, an experienced and confident presenter.
  • Quick to understand new complex technical subjects, able to explain them to non‑technical audiences. Particular knowledge of radio, radar, DSP, computing, photography and image processing.
  • A highly skilled computer user, manages, hosts and publishes several websites.
  • An accomplished public speaker, trainer, coach and facilitator.

Career Highlights

hal enterprises, 2002 - present

Consultant, primarily in business winning, business management and IT Support.  Photographer specialising in Landscapes, Wild Animals and Fast Machines.  Frequent contributor to BBC1 South Today.  International Award Winner.   Lecturer on Photography and Image Processing.  Tutorial published by DP Challenge on the design, build and use of a Beam Breaker for action photography was highest scoring tutorial for over five years.

 

Head of Strategic Communications Projects, CDI, BAE SYSTEMS 1993 – 2002

Briefly Marketing Manager, HF Systems, then appointed General Manager for a changing portfolio of businesses, including Special Projects, Combat Net Radio, Acoustic Weapon Location, HF and Satellite Communications Systems, Customer Support, with P & L responsibility for ~£50M+ turnover. Direct responsibility for 180 specialist staff. Other responsibilities included managing the interface with Roke Manor Research and an appointment as a Change Agent, initiating, promoting, advocating and implementing change in business processes, particularly in the Systems Engineering Process, across the whole of the then Siemens Plessey Systems (2,500 staff).

 

Redifon Group Director and General Manager Redifon SPT Ltd 1991-1992

Appointed General Manager following the acquisition of SPT Ltd. Led the team responsible for evaluating SPT Ltd and selecting key staff. Managed the transfer of the business to Crawley, its integration with the Radio Systems Division and the closure of the SPT Billericay site. All this was achieved in less than six weeks. Responsible for changing the SPT Tollesbury site from a cost centre to a highly successful business. Turnover of the new integrated business was £ 15M, with 202 staff. This acquisition produced an increase of 21% in turnover per employee, which created the potential for a dramatic increase in profit in the succeeding year. 

 

Redifon Director and Divisional Manager, Radio Systems Division 1990-1991

Appointed Divisional Manager for Radio Systems Division with profit and loss responsibility. Turnover £10M, 160 staff, including Production, Sales, Development, Systems and Quality. Exceeded first year‑end performance expectations by 10%. Developed Company-wide computerisation strategy. Project Director for the successful implementation of the resultant PC/LAN based Management Information System. 

 

Management Buy-out (from Rediffusion) and turn-round at Redifon 1988-1990

Invited to join MBO team as Engineering Director, retaining business accountability for Redifon Applied Technology but also responsible for the line management of all engineering matters at Crawley. Played major role in MBO team which achieved turn-round from £1M loss prior to buy-out to break-even in the first year. Carried out slimming operation on Crawley engineering resources, improved development time and money performance parameters by over 25%.

 

 General Management at Rediffusion Radio Systems Ltd- New Business Start-up 1986-1988

Appointed General Manager, Redifon Applied Technology - responsible for creating a new autonomous business, on a green field site, offering a custom R & D service. Commenced fee paying business 1 April 1986 with 6 new staff at Leatherhead. Grew to 17 staff in first year, exceeded performance targets. The second and third years generated profitable growth. The fourth year produced a contribution of over £ 400K from Sales of £1.5M.

 

Senior Management at Rediffusion Radio Systems Ltd 1983-1986

Appointed Sales and Marketing Manager, a member of the Company Management Committee. Responsibilities included all Sales (Home and Overseas), Public Relations, Customer Training, Sales Administration and Systems Engineering and the definition of all new Private Venture development. Achieved improvement in Company order performance of 28% in the first year, exceeded order budget (£ 12M) in second year - the first time for a decade.

 

Middle Management at Rediffusion Radio Systems Ltd 1975-1982

Chief Engineer and then Systems Manager, responsible for 20 rising to 40 professional engineers. Project responsibility for a contract for both development and production, each valued at over £ 0.5M. Subsequently appointed Executive Chief Engineer, responsible for 60 rising to 120 technical staff - predominantly professionals. Budget responsibility for £ 1.5M. Deputised for the Technical Director. Additionally responsible for selling customer funded development services. 

 

Junior Management at Redifon Telecommunications Ltd (former name) 1973-1975

Group Leader of a customer funded development team, specialising in radio interception, with additional responsibility to promote further sales. 

 

Professional Training at Marconi Radar 1963-1973

Four year thin sandwich electronics Student Apprenticeship followed by development laboratory experience leading to Corporate Membership of the IEE at 27. Culminated in leadership of a new surveillance radar trials team. 

 

Qualifications

Chartered Engineer, Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (formerly known as the Institution of Electrical Engineering).

HND and College Associateship, Mid Essex Technical College.

Business Management courses at the London Business School, Ashridge Management College and Cranfield Business School.

Formal project management and recruitment interviewing training.

 

Personal

Date of birth: 19.1.45; married with two adult, self sufficient sons.

Higher Education : Mid Essex Technical College

School : Ardingly College

Interests include music (trumpet, choral, midi), photography, computing, tap dancing.

Lecturer for Understanding Industry, also Neighbourhood Engineer.

Past Chairman, Friends of Ardingly.

Myers Briggs: INTJ

Kai: Innovator

Belbin: Shaper/Resource Investigator