Turning Around a $700M Loss-Making Public Company

A publicly listed company with $700 million in turnover was in a precarious position. Despite its scale, the business was loss-making — weighed down by poor financial and operational processes that had gone unaddressed for too long. Shareholders were disgruntled and losing confidence. The board lacked the operational visibility needed to act decisively.

The business needed more than a financial fix. It required end-to-end structural reform, credible leadership at the executive level, and a concerted effort to rebuild trust with every key stakeholder group.

Realign was engaged in a dual executive capacity, assuming both the CFO and COO roles. This was a highly operational, hands-on mandate — not a strategic advisory role. Realign was embedded in the business to drive change directly, not to recommend it from the outside.

• CFO role — financial leadership, reporting, and process reform
• COO role — operational oversight across all major business functions
• Stakeholder interface — primary liaison between the executive team, board, and external stakeholders

01	Board Engagement	Restructured the relationship between management and the board — establishing transparent reporting, clear accountability, and the governance cadence needed for informed decision-making.
02	Finance Restructure	Overhauled financial processes, controls, and reporting to give the business and its board accurate, timely visibility over performance and cash position.
03	Procurement & Supply Chain	Rebuilt procurement and supply chain processes to eliminate waste, reduce cost, and create a more resilient operational foundation.
04	People & Culture	Addressed people and cultural issues contributing to underperformance — including leadership gaps, accountability structures, and workforce engagement.
05	Health & Safety	Elevated health and safety standards to meet obligations, reduce risk exposure, and signal to employees and stakeholders that the business was being run professionally.

A turnaround of this scale required more than internal reform. Realign led a structured engagement program to rebuild confidence across all key groups.

• Shareholders — regular, transparent communication on progress, financial position, and the path to profitability
• Board — restructured reporting and governance rhythms to restore confidence and enable decisive oversight
• Employees — direct, honest engagement to stabilise culture and rebuild trust in leadership
• Suppliers — proactive relationship management to protect critical supply relationships during the transition

The engagement delivered structural stability across a business that had been losing ground on multiple fronts simultaneously. Financial processes were rebuilt from the ground up. Operational functions were restructured and properly governed. Stakeholder confidence — with shareholders, the board, employees, and suppliers — was measurably restored.

The executive team was refreshed, and the business exited the engagement with the leadership capability, processes, and stakeholder relationships needed to sustain its recovery.

• Loss-making businesses at scale require hands-on executive intervention, not advisory oversight
• Financial and operational reform must be pursued in parallel — one without the other creates fragility
• Stakeholder trust, once lost, is only rebuilt through consistent, transparent action over time
• People and culture are operational issues — they belong in the same restructure as finance and supply chain
• Embedded dual-role leadership (CFO + COO) eliminates the gap between financial and operational decision-making