OVERVIEW OF ACUMENPRO

AcumenPro is the consulting arm of Acumen Recruitment, one of the leading Recruitment Agencies in the Life Science and Diagnostics field.

AcumenPro specialises in providing services to the smaller end of our market, from start-up to £10 million turnover and is based around Kevin O'Donovan , a highly experienced and successful entrepreneur in this industry.

The services offered can be split into 3 areas.
1. Non- executive Director or Chairman or interim CEO or Sales and Marketing Director.
2. A very wide variety of project based activities.
3. Selling a business.

About Kevin O'Donovan

Having graduated with an Honours Degree in Biological Sciences in 1978, Kevin O'Donovan became a sales representative for a fledgling Biomedical Distribution business. Over an 8 year period he successfully sold a very wide range of Research and in vitro Diagnostic equipment and kits became sales manager and finally marketing manager for what was then a leading distribution company.

In 1986, having completed an MBA whilst holding down a full time job, he saw the breaking wave of Molecular Biology research techniques that were to revolutionise both Life Science Research and later Molecular Diagnostics. He founded Hybaid, a Molecular Biology business and for a further 8 years ran through a roller coaster of challenges and ultimately success. During his time at Hybaid he:

* Secured venture capital funding of £250K which returned £2.75 million to the investors.

* Directed growth from concept to sale of the company for £12 million in eight years.

* Achieved an average growth rate of 165% p/a in turnover and 148% in profit culminating in £7.56 million and £1.21 million respectively by 1994

* Won Government funding for product research and development, also export, from the following schemes: DTI grants for Innovation and Consultancy; LINK award and Teaching Company schemes, totalling in excess of £500K.

* Put in place a world-wide dealer network of 40 companies resulting in more than 80% of Hybaid's manufacturing output being exported.

* Created more than 100 jobs in Hybaid and its manufacturing associate.

* Won growth and export awards from 3Is PLC, the DTI and the London Enterprise Agency.

* ISO9000 accreditation achieved April 1995.

Since leaving Hybaid in 1996, he has been a Business Angel investor, Non- Executive Director and Chairman of 11 life Science and Diagnostics firms in areas including Molecular Diagnostics, Proteomic Services and Biologicals to augment vaccine efficacy. In doing so he has helped businesses to grow and be sold or become PLCs but has also seen failures and has had to wind up operations.

Who would be interested in learning more about AcumenPro?

* Companies that need an interim or Executive chairman

* Shareholders or Business Angels who need an experienced and straight Non Executive Director or Chairman to represent them on their Board.

* Boards of Directors that need to augment their sales and marketing experience.

* Companies that need an interim CEO or Sales and marketing Director

* Shareholders who need someone to sell their business, or to mentor them through the process so as to maximise value and minimise stress.

* Purchasers who need Technical or Company due diligence

* Businesses that need a variety of project based activities from finding new premises, hiring a new CEO to helping to create a strategic Marketing of Business plan. (See consultancy page (weblink to consultancy) for more information.)