George Smith

About George Smith

For a business to thrive and compete nowadays, it must have a thoughtful near- and long-term strategic plan that can be converted into actionable steps. That also means having executives in place who know how to operationalize the activities required to support that strategic plan and readjust strategy when needed.A growth-focused, versatile C-Suite executive with a unique combination of strategic, operations, and financial background that gives me a multi-faceted view to those critical success factors, I’ve transformed and positioned organizations and portfolio companies across multiple sectors for financial and operational improvement within senior-level roles, family office/private equity (PE) structures, interim management, and corporate transformation environments.Known for my strong leadership, entrepreneurial spirit, and analytical excellence, career highlights include:• Transforming and positioning companies for strategic growth and profitability—manufacturers (steel, appliance controls, building products); infrastructure and public transit providers; direct marketing agencies in the non-profit sector; leasing organizations; distribution and service providers; underground utilities; and mechanical contractors.• Delivering tangible results in enhancing performance and driving value creation.• Improving performance of both profitable and under-performing businesses by cultivating and leveraging strategic C-level relationships and arming senior stakeholders (C-level and board) with essential data and actionable insight to make informed decisions.• An approachable, supportive people person, I actively engage with my teams to create collaborative environments and ensure high-performing, deeply engaged cultures that achieve performance excellence—especially when faced with challenging situations and circumstances. Transparency is key, from the top down to junior resources, so that everyone knows what they’re working on and why it matters.Please feel free to reach out via LinkedIn messenger for more information on how I help my firm and our clients succeed. I look forward to connecting with you.

Experience

1. Managing Director

   Alvarez & Marsal

   Nov 2021 — Present · Atlanta, GA, US

   Action and results oriented, I serve in various interim C-level leadership or advisory roles for PE-owned portfolio companies requiring senior management change, large-scale transformations, and financial and operational performance improvements.Engaged as Interim Global Chief Transformation Officer (served as CEO and COO), I steered a $300M assembler of technology and communication solutions for the public transit industry to overcome performance decline from $50M to $4M EBITDA to $17M run-rate EBITDA, including ~$8M of cost and headcount reduction. Examples of engagements serving as Interim CFO include the following: 1) Drove organization-wide P&L accountability, operating performance improvements, and SKU-level visibility/reporting for a $700M appliance controls manufacturer; closed management gaps; resolved inventory issues; and reversed significant margin erosion.2) Led a $300M building products manufacturer through operational underperformance and global pandemic challenges; decreased run rate costs by $55M and finance and accounting headcount by 28% while increasing working capital by $14M. 3) Reduced finance/accounting staff 26% and realized $22M run-rate cost savings and a $14M working capital improvement for a $250M direct marketing and mail services provider specializing in non-profit fundraising; critical to our success was supporting the development of a performance improvement plan, including near-shoring from China to Mexico, plant consolidations, and other operating cost reductions. 4) For a $400M traffic management services provider/infrastructure projects, I course-corrected an underperforming business to achieve budget mandates within 2 quarters, increasing TTM EBITDA by 18%. As Interim CEO for a toll road, I recruited and groomed a new CEO and COO for success while aligning the capital spending plan with state contractual obligations.

Education

• Northern Illinois University

  Bachelor of Science, Operations Management

• Quinlan School of Business, Loyola University Chicago

  MBA, Finance