Monday 9th May 2022, 5pm – 9.30pm
Programme
5.00 pm Mello News and welcome
5.05 pm Company presentation by Artisanal Spirits
5.35 pm Company presentation by Surface Transforms
6.15 pm David Stredder interviews the Cockney Rebel Richard Crow
7.00 pm Company presentation by Smiths News plc
7.30 pm Mello 2022 In-Person event in Chiswick
7.40 pm Mello BASH
Company Presentation – Smiths News plc
Smiths News plc is the UK’s largest newspaper and magazine wholesaler, with an approximate 55% market share. For over 200 years, it has been an essential link in one of the world’s fastest supply chains, now distributing newspapers and magazines on behalf of the major national and regional publishers to approximately 24,000 customers across England and Wales on a daily basis.
With ancillary businesses to enhance its core offer – including DMD, which supplies airlines and travel points, and Instore, which offers field marketing services to retailers and suppliers across the UK – Smiths News provides a comprehensive supply chain solution in a uniquely specialised market. Its scale and expertise, combined with intelligent logistics systems, ensures it provides the best and widest range of services for both publishers and retailers.
Jonathan Bunting, CEO
Jonathan Bunting joined the Board on 1 April 2010. Jonathan has deep commercial and operational leadership skills, combined with extensive experience gained within the newspaper and magazine distribution industry, experience which is critical for the long term development and execution of the Company’s strategic plans.
Jonathan joined WH Smith News in 1994. He rose through the organisation in a variety of sales and marketing managerial roles before being promoted to the executive management team in 2001. In April 2014, Jonathan became Managing Director of the Connect News & Media division and, subsequently, Chief Operating Officer in September 2017, a position which spanned wider group business interests held at the time, together with Smiths News. Following his appointment as Interim Chief Executive Officer on 5 November 2019, this appointment was confirmed on 15 June 2020.
Paul Baker, Chief Financial Officer
Paul Baker joined Smiths News on 4 October 2021 following his appointment of Chief Financial Officer. He brings with him a track record of delivering strategic and operational change in fast moving environments. As a highly experienced senior executive, with extensive and relevant financial and business transformation experience, Paul most recently held the position of Integration Director at Compass Group plc. Prior to that, he held various regional and divisional Finance Director roles within each of Compass Group, Iglo Group/ Birds Eye Limited and Cadbury Schweppes PLC.
Company Presentation – Artisanal Spirits Company
Artisanal Spirits Company (ASC) is based in Edinburgh. It owns The Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS) which was established in 1 983 and currently has a growing worldwide membership of over 34,000 paying subscribers.
Harnessing the experience of some of the most knowledgeable stewards in the industry, SMWS provides members with inspiring experiences, content and exclusive access to a vast and unique range of outstanding single cask Scotch malt whiskies and other craft spirits, sourced from over 100 distilleries in 20 countries and expertly curated with diligence and care. In 2021 around 83% of Group revenue was generated online, whilst 13% was generated through SMWS’s four UK venues.
Having initially proven its premium experience model in the UK, SMWS is now able to offer its unrivalled breadth of distinguished flavours to an expanding international market, with 69% of 2021 sales from outside the UK. SMWS has a growing presence in the key global whisky markets including UK, China, USA and Europe.
ASC is building a portfolio of premium brands that bring together some of the world’s best spirits producers with a growing movement of discerning consumers by curating unrivalled collections of craft spirits. In November 2021 it launched J.G. Thomson & Co. Inspired by its namesake, which was originally a wine and spirits merchant in Leith, Scotland, in the 1700s, J.G. Thomson is a new, adventurous blender, creating small batch blended malt whiskies, blended grain whiskies, rum and gin. J.G. Thomson products are available from www.jgthomson.com as well as a range of leading whisky shops, bars and restaurants.
David Ridley, Executive Managing Director
David has been Managing Director of the Company since March 2017, leading the business through revenue growth of 95 per cent. between FY16 and FY19.
David has worked in the international wines and spirits industry for 21 years and has experience across brand development, commercial and distribution management. He has previously held senior general management and business development roles globally, including at Moet Hennessy, where he was Managing Director of MH Vietnam for three years and Business Development Director for Asia Pacific, Africa, Middle East & the Americas for five years with Glenmorangie/Ardbeg single Malt Scotch whisky, where he also worked in Global Travel Retail.
David is a liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Distillers.
Andrew Dane, Executive Finance Director
Andrew has been Finance Director of the Company since August 2020.
Andrew previously worked for eight years at KPMG transaction services in London, Edinburgh and Toronto. During this time he worked on over 100 transactions covering multiple sectors, business sizes and geographies, including five Scottish capital markets transactions.
Prior to joining the Company, Andrew was the Finance Director at Argent Energy, the high growth UK biodiesel producer, from 2014 to 2020. He helped increase the size of Argent Energy’s business from around 65 employees and approximately £50 million turnover in 2014 (following their 2013 acquisition by Swire) to around 350 staff and approximately £350 million turnover in 2020.
Company Presentation – Surface Transforms
Surface Transforms is a Public Limited Company listed on the AIM Market of the London Stock Exchange Plc incorporated in England & Wales. We’re a highly innovative company, with its own patented materials technology and a team of PhD-qualified scientists and degree-qualified engineers who are continually developing new processes for the production of carbon-ceramic materials and new products for various applications. ST is a manufacturer of next-generation carbon-ceramic brake discs for automotive and aircraft applications and has been certified to IS9001-2000 since 2008 and was certified to TS16949 automotive quality accreditation and AS9100C aerospace quality accreditation in 2015.
Kevin has a doctorate in Chemistry from the University of Liverpool and an MBA from Manchester Business School. He has spent six years in product development for the chemical industry and has a broad experience with OEM multinationals in the area of new technology development. Previously he worked for Avecia, formerly AstraZeneca.
Michael Cunningham, CFO
Michael is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, holds an MBA from the European School of Management and Technology in Berlin and a Bachelor of Engineering degree from Queens University Belfast. Michael joins the Company from Bentley Motors Ltd where he was Profitability Controller, and previously Senior Finance Manager (Mulliner), reporting into the Company CFO. Prior to joining Bentley, Michael was Finance Director of Aquila Truck Centres Ltd; Commercial Director (initially Regional Financial Controller) of MAN Truck and Bus UK, and Financial Controller of Preston Group, a family owned car dealership.
David Bundred, Chairman
David has 30 years experience of general management in the automotive and aerospace industries with a particular speciality in the brake systems segment. Before joining Surface Transforms he was CEO of TMD Friction GmbH a €600m sales, private, German headquartered company that is one of the world’s leading brake pad system suppliers for the automotive industry. He had previously been with Lucas Industries for 24 years, which included, amongst other roles, positions as COO of Lucas Aerospace, and General Manager of both the Lucas Brake Controls and Lucas Truck Brake Divisions.
Within the Brake Controls business he led the industry introduction of anti lock brakes, an experience now mirrored in the introduction of carbon ceramic disc brakes, both safety critical products. He is now an active investor with “a hands on” focus in a small number of high growth companies. He holds an MBA from Cranfield University and is both a chartered engineer and chartered management accountant.
ly worked for eight years at KPMG transaction services in London, Edinburgh and Toronto. During this time he worked on over 100 transactions covering multiple sectors, business sizes and geographies, including five Scottish capital markets transactions.
Prior to joining the Company, Andrew was the Finance Director at Argent Energy, the high growth UK biodiesel producer, from 2014 to 2020. He helped increase the size of Argent Energy’s business from around 65 employees and approximately £50 million turnover in 2014 (following their 2013 acquisition by Swire) to around 350 staff and approximately £350 million turnover in 2020.
David Stredder interviews the Cockney Rebel Richard Crow
Richard CrowProfessional Private Investor
After starting life as a milkman and ending up paralysed after a motorbike accident @ 19 years old, Richard started investing in 1982. Mainly punting penny shares and buying unit trusts all went quite well until the 1987 Black Monday Crash where he lost a third of his investments. Undeterred he returned to investing several years later and had good success in the tech boom, selling out early before most of the tech rout. Thereafter, he started investing and trading, mainly in small caps finding many multi-baggers and much greater success. He now runs a very restricted private chatroom 270 or so members where members discuss the stock news of the day and stock merits and opinions, together with chat and banter re life, gardening, photography and more.
The Mello BASH (Buy, Avoid, Sell & Hold)
Damian Cannon Professional Private Investor
Kevin Taylor Professional Private Investor
Mark Simpson Private Investor
MelloMonday Sponsors
Hardman & Co is a multi-disciplinary financial consultancy and investment research firm, employing highly experienced analysts and professionals with a broad range of capital markets expertise.
Click here for Hardman & Co research.
Progressive introduces you to new investment ideas. FCA authorised and regulated, we provide freely available equity research and connect investors with companies across every sector of the market.
Click here to receive our research and be invited to our regular investor events.