Simon Gibson joined the Auditel Cost Management Franchise in May 2011. Prior to becoming an Auditel Consultant, he served with the Royal Air Force. He worked in a wide range of key management positions including, Business Improvement, Supply Chain, Catering and Personnel Management.
These roles included Chief Standards Officer for the global provision of flight catering, including the Royal Flight. He was also Airport Services Operations Manager responsible for fuels and airfield support vehicles. Other assignments were ground-based catering and contracted support services, staff officer for the recruiting, training and deployment of military catering staff. He became the RAF advisor on Programme and Project Management for Military Procurement.
Why Simon took up an Auditel franchise
He recalls: “I wanted to run my own business but not to start from scratch and appreciated the excellent support network within Auditel. I decided that this would help me to overcome the hard yards of starting my own business, while making use of my previous experience. I believe that the cost management service delivered by Auditel gives immense benefit to their clients, as well as providing me with a rewarding and ethical career.”
Simon found Auditel through attending the National Franchise Exhibition in Birmingham. Having compared them with other White-Collar franchises, he was convinced that it was the one for him. He says: “During my due diligence before committing, I was impressed by the generosity of spirit and willingness to assist other franchisees across the network.”
The quality of training and support received from Auditel
Simon confirms: “Auditel provided a detailed and comprehensive multi-stage training programme, developed from their experience. There is a strong set of tools aimed at getting you up and running fast and helping you to absorb considerable detail. Further skills and personal development training maintain and improve your specialist knowledge at your pace, in the areas that you wish to enter.” Simon enthuses about the strong back-up from other Auditel Affiliates and the Head Office team. He also enjoys the freedom and flexibility of managing his personal life as he wishes.
Progress in the marketplace so far
Simon’s previous experience has been invaluable. “It gave me a broad range of project management experience. I gained an in-depth knowledge of how to identify opportunities and provide innovative solutions to increase efficiencies and lower business overheads. As an Auditel Consultant I continue to build on my experience, delivering significant savings and providing a valuable management resource to organisations across many sectors.”
Simon reveals that he is working with a variety of different clients from Academy Schools, Charities and Hotels. Their cost areas are as diverse as Energy, Telecoms, Food Supply, Laundry, Merchant Cards and Waste. He has just started to develop a Partnership Programme with an Accountancy firm.
Asked about the future, Simon says that he intends to continue to build his client base. He plans to employ a further member of staff in order to increase the size of his business. Simon concluded: “Nothing worth doing is easy in life, but that makes the satisfaction of achievement even more sweet!”