Frank McCready
Kilmarnock,East Ayrshire
Summary
I am open a suitably challenging position within the gambling industry, the leisure/retail environment that will make the best use of existing portfolio of skills and experiences while also providing opportunities for further personal and professional development.
I am a resolute management professional with over 25 years' success in spearheading business growth and delivering operational performance in the leisure retail industry, mainly within the gambling sector for over 20 years, including at a senior level. I am a leader capable of coaching and empowering individuals to fulfil their potential whilst consistently remaining focused on the achievement of project and business objectives. I am committed to achieving and exceeding demanding targets and business objectives. I possess excellent interpersonal, communication and negotiation skills and adept at building sustainable working relationships with key stakeholders. Takes on challenging new role harnessing interpersonal skills, collaboration and problem-solving. Driven to deliver high-quality service and consistent results. Loyal employee with solid understanding of training and mentoring employees. Dedicated team player, proactive and hands-on in task completion. Energetic employee well-versed in strong communication and organisation skills. Seeks solutions to problems and applies extensive analytical knowledge to findings. Adept at multi-tasking, leading group discussions and managing projects.
Overview
24
24
years of professional experience
18
18
years of post-secondary education
1
1
Certification
Work history
Head of Safer Gambling
GamCare
12.2023 - Current
- Full responsibility for the main commercial area of the organisation, working directly with gambling industry and financial sector, to sign up for large contracts for our products and services
- As a Head of within GamCare, attend Senior Leadership Team meetings and ensure key company objectives are communicated to my team, actioned, and delivered
- Recruiting, coaching, and mentoring colleagues, managing talent, and ensuring succession plans are in place
- Supporting the wider company people plan, with recruitment, development, and career development discussions
- Managing a significant project extracting my team from the charity, at same time as keeping the function operating in a business-as-usual capacity
- This involves meetings with government, regulator, top tier gambling operator executives and executive teams at organisations interested in acquirement my team and products
- Despite the uncertainty of the project above, I have kept all my team engaged and have had no leavers, grown income and clients, made significant cost savings and delivered a double digit growth in profit.
Senior Safer Gambling Manager
GamCare
01.2022 - 11.2023
- Responsible for one of the main commercial areas of the organisation, working with BCB and B2C operators and suppliers, to sign up and go through industry leading assessment programme, providing recommendations for them to improve their safer gambling culture, policies, and procedures
- As a senior manager, attend Weekly Leadership Team meetings and ensure department is fully represented and key actions from the meeting are actioned and delivered
- Using my industry knowledge, I have transformed the customer journey and experience for operators using our industry services, which in turn is driving extra business and fantastic feedback about GamCare
- Attending UK and International industry conferences, representing the organisation, including networking, and building up commercial opportunities and speaking when required
- Conducting industry leading independent assessments, with recommendations and formal report writing, on gambling operators to give independent quality assurance
- Holding scoping meetings, contract writing and legal agreements, invoicing and full accountability for customer journey and experience when dealing with GamCare
- Annual budget for 2022-2023, exceeded budget by over 50% and YOY growth of 60%, a record for GamCare
- Net Promoter Score from all clients of 9.8 and incredibly positive personal feedback.
Area Manager
Greene King
11.2019 - 01.2022
- Responsible and accountable for seventeen individual sites; for the ongoing growth, profitability and operations, customer experience, with full P&L responsibility for each unit
- Responsible for building redevelopment programmes, consulting with property team to ensure we get correct investment plans and then seeing the delivery of these through with the pub management team and gaining a return on investment within agreed timeline
- A key part of the senior leadership team scoping the current and future strategy for the business to continue growth across all areas
- Recruiting, coaching, and mentoring high calibre of colleagues across the region, managing talent, and ensuring succession plans are in place
- Ensuring that we had robust COVID procedures in place to protect our teams and guests, conducting regular COVID inspections both announced and unannounced
- Creating an area people plan, with key objective of internal succession plan, with an aim for 90% of all appointments into Pub Leadership come from within the business, target achieved during my time there
- Conducting period compliance audits and retail standards audits to ensure safe environment for both staff and customers and minimising any business risks
- Grew area EBITDA by 15% in the 5 months LFL pre pandemic
- Post pandemic reopening had the best YOY LFL numbers within the division.
General Manager
Buzz Bingo
09.2018 - 11.2019
- Responsible for achieving and exceeding company P&L targets by managing and motivating the team, ensuring site achieved profitable growth
- Recruiting, coaching, and developing high calibre of colleagues to ensure the best customer experience possible and delivery of club KPI's
- Conducting quarterly Personal Development Reviews (PDR) with all staff in line with company behavioural expectations and conducting regular performance management meetings with colleagues between PDR's
- Driving consistent and effective site standards, including ensuring correct and accurate implementation of company directives on merchandising, pricing and point of sale materials
- Held regular customer forum meetings to engage and listen, with aim of improving their experience
- Key Achievements: Took site from footfall decline of 20% YOY to growth of 1%
- Turned a 10% YOY profit decline into a 10% YOY profit growth
- Supported my Deputy Manager in his development to General Manager
- Supported my Assistant Manager in his development to Deputy Manager
- Grew new customers by almost 30% YOY.
Regional Manager
Gala Bingo
04.2015 - 04.2018
- Responsible and accountable for eighteen individual sites; for the ongoing growth, profitability and operations, customer experience, with full P&L responsibility for each unit
- Overall responsibility for deciding on most appropriate pricing and promotional strategy for each of the sites to deliver growth on profit and exceed customer experience score targets
- A key part of the senior leadership team scoping the current and future strategy for the business to continue growth across all areas
- Recruiting, coaching, and mentoring high calibre of colleagues across the region, managing talent, and ensuring succession plans are in place
- Key Achievements: Took my existing region from bottom performance to top performing region within 3 months of inheriting it
- Delivered Higher Education certificate in Leadership programme to twenty-seven of my managers who all achieved a pass from Derby University
- 100% engagement score from my eighteen general managers during company “Your Shout” survey
- Grew machine income by over 15% for 2 years back-to-back, the best of all eight regions across the UK
- My area had the highest customer satisfaction scores across the company and 3 of the top 5 in the UK from 110+ sites were in my region.
General Manager
Gala Bingo
01.2009 - 01.2015
- Responsible for achieving and exceeding company P&L targets by managing and motivating the team, ensuring site achieved profitable growth
- Recruiting, coaching, and developing high calibre of colleagues to ensure the best customer experience possible and delivery of club KPI's
- Conducting quarterly Personal Development Reviews with all staff in line with company behavioural expectations and conducting regular performance management meetings with colleagues between PDR's
- Driving consistent and effective site standards, including ensuring correct and accurate implementation of company directives on merchandising, pricing and point of sale materials
- Holding regular customer forum meetings to engage and listen, with aim of improving their experience
- Key Achievements: Won General Manager of the year (from 132 sites) for highest growth in customer visit numbers in 2014
- Highest company audit score for both Risk and Compliance and Food Hygiene
- Highest staff engagement scores in region FY15, FY14 (Including top in company)
- Highest level of customer satisfaction site score for full of Scotland (18 sites) and top three for full company
- My first site as General Manager, took a £50k loss-making site to £250k operating profit within 2 years
- Grew one site's machine income by over 70% YOY.
Assistant/Deputy Manager
Gala Bingo
01.2001 - 01.2009
- Helping and supporting the General Manager build a highly skilled team of staff through recruitment, training, and motivation to meet or exceed tough KPI targets, reinforced with staff appraisals and regular performance reviews
- Driving revenue and customer experience growth by ensuring all staff possesses in-depth product knowledge and thorough understanding of industry best in class customer service
- Maximising profitability by ensuring smooth retail operation and back-office administration, delivering strict cost control and intelligent stock management
- Key Achievements: Support Manager of the year for highest number of New Members recruited to business
- Own self-development from Assistant Manager to General Manager (TIC)
- Chosen for Assistant Manager role at our new flagship site in Kilmarnock, we delivered 3 years of growth and achieved all KPI's set
- After exceeding expectations at Kilmarnock, I was appointed to Deputy Manager at Scotland's top performing site in Irvine and from there developed to role of General Manager.
Education
Certificate of Higher Education - English (grade B), Mathematics (grade B), Art & Design (grade A), Economics (grade B)
Holyrood Secondary School
Glasgow 08.1987 - 06.1993
GCSEs - Economics (grade 2), English (grade 2), Mathematics (grade 1), Art & Design (grade 1)
Holyrood Secondary School
Glasgow 08.1987 - 06.1993
GCSEs - Computer Studies (grade 2), Physical Education (grade 2), History (grade 3)
Holyrood Secondary School
Glasgow 08.1987 - 06.1993
Skills
- Safer Gambling
- Compliance
- Sales and Retail Management
- Marketing Management
- Problem-solving
- Communication skills
- Public speaking
- Leadership
- Public Relations
- Social media marketing
- Team building
- Calm under pressure
- Quality Assurance
- Operations Management
- Store Management
- Competitive Analysis
- Multi-unit Retail Management
- Higher Education Programme Delivery
- Risk and Compliance Management
- Communication
- Financial Management
- Strategic planning
- Team development
- Project Management
- Training, Coaching and Facilitation
- Personnel Management
- Performance Management
Custom
Days out with family, listening to music, watching sports, walking, TV and film.
Affiliations
- Days out with family, love a beach walk, attending sports events and squeezing in the odd gig or two.
Accomplishments
Compliance Manager of the Year, Gala Bingo, 2015.
Assistant Manager of the Year, Gala Bingo, 2008.
Certification
Mental Health First Aider.
First Aider.
Accredited Lived Experience Speaker and Facilitator.
References
References available upon request.
Timeline
Head of Safer Gambling
GamCare
12.2023 - Current
Senior Safer Gambling Manager
GamCare
01.2022 - 11.2023
Area Manager
Greene King
11.2019 - 01.2022
General Manager
Buzz Bingo
09.2018 - 11.2019
Regional Manager
Gala Bingo
04.2015 - 04.2018
General Manager
Gala Bingo
01.2009 - 01.2015
Assistant/Deputy Manager
Gala Bingo
01.2001 - 01.2009
Certificate of Higher Education - English (grade B), Mathematics (grade B), Art & Design (grade A), Economics (grade B)
Holyrood Secondary School
08.1987 - 06.1993
GCSEs - Economics (grade 2), English (grade 2), Mathematics (grade 1), Art & Design (grade 1)
Holyrood Secondary School
08.1987 - 06.1993
GCSEs - Computer Studies (grade 2), Physical Education (grade 2), History (grade 3)
Holyrood Secondary School
08.1987 - 06.1993
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