Mr. Buchanan brings more than 40 years of industry and consultancy experience, including 25 years in industry. His notable engagements over his 15 years in consultancy include major footprint reviews that defined industrial strategies for two global automotive businesses. He identified substantial savings from shifting major manufacturing volumes to new plants in best-cost countries for one and from downsizing the footprint in line with the decline of internal combustion engine volumes for the other. Mr. Buchanan has worked with clients in multiple industries, including aerospace and defence, automobile, bathroom equipment, building materials, business services, chemicals, confectionery, distribution, food, industrial, infrastructure, packaging and plant hire

Most recently at A&M, Mr. Buchanan was engaged in an interim management role in the UK defence sector. His previous interim management experience includes turning around a German automotive components factory from being EBITDA-negative to having a 7.5% margin in a year via operational efficiency improvement and cost reduction. He also took over and closed a failing division of a UK business services company and turned around a UK showers business via a commercially focused programme of product development, branding, pricing and sales force restructuring.

Prior to joining A&M, Mr. Buchanan worked with another consulting business, before which he served as CEO of a private equity owned furniture and home Improvements business, Divisional Chief Executive of a global polymers business, Regional Director Northern Europe of a building materials business, Divisional Managing Director of a global industrial plasters business and European Manufacturing Director for a speciality chemicals business. Mr Buchanan started his career with Procter & Gamble in their laundry and cleaning products and pharmaceuticals businesses.

Mr. Buchanan earned a master’s degree in philosophy, politics and economics from Oxford University. He is fluent in English, French and German, speaks conversational Swedish and Italian and has a more rudimentary grasp of several other languages.