Who We Are
Ian D. Smith B.A. C.A.
Smith’s mantra: Companies are either invisible or remarkable. You are
one or the other. He has built and sold over 20 companies by applying
'Repositioning' techniques to create sustainable and attractive businesses.
Strategic business advisor, a Scot and world class masters athlete, Smith
has covered a lot of ground in his nearly three decades in global business.
Originally trained as an accountant in Glasgow, he has logged many miles
as a finance director, a venture capitalist, an investment banker and
successful CEO of a US based software group.
The common thread that links all of these experiences is Repositioning.
From his first assignment in Thomson (now Thomson Reuters) in the 80s
- repositioning a magazine division and selling it at a premium exit
price to Reed International – to the more recent turnaround and repositioning
of the award winning Teamstudio software group, Smith has been positioning
companies and achieving premium exit proceeds throughout his career.
A conservative estimate of shareholder value realized - $400m.
Professional Biography
Ian was educated in Scotland, earning a BA degree from the University
of Strathclyde by the age of 20 and 2 years later he had qualified as
a Chartered Accountant of Scotland with Grant Thornton. Post qualification
he joined Thomson the publishing giant and became one of their youngest
divisional Finance Directors at 26. Two years later he was awarded the
prestigious, Accountant of the Year Award ahead of many experienced
FDs.
From 1988 to 2000 he successfully built up two major boutique M&A
advisory firms, Livingstone Guarantee and Capita Corporate Finance.
During this period he completed over 40 acquisition, disposal or finance
transactions, many cross border, many in the technology sector.
In late 2001 he moved to the states to successfully reposition and grow
Teamstudio, an IBM business partner with headquarters in Beverly, MA
and offices in the UK and Japan. Losses were turned into nearly $10m
of EBITDA over the next 7 years.
The Portfolio Partnership was launched in late 2008 to assist ambitious
owners reposition their companies to create remarkable businesses.
A high achiever, Ian expects the highest performance from his clients
and his staff but always mixed with a Glaswegian sense of humor!
Ian lives in Wenham, Massachusetts with his wife and two teenage daughters.