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Among all the news about our move to a divisional structure, and introducing you to our new divisional leadership teams, we missed a very important milestone. 2024 marked ten years since group CFO Ian Robins joined our team
As Ian’s played a key role in the group’s formation, growth and ongoing success, it’s an oversight we’re keen to correct.
Who is Ian Robins?
Other than playing golf (badly) and watching Leeds United play football (usually very badly), Ian’s a widely-travelled sports fan, father of two and grandfather of one (with another on the way). But while he’ll happily tell you about having visited every continent, his plans to retire to the Western Cape, and his son’s rugby career with Sale FC, he’s equally at home talking about his career, his achievement, and his role with handl.
One of the central pillars of our leadership team, Ian’s a familiar face to everyone around the group. Not least because he’s advised and supported every single business around handl – reaching a peak of 20 individual board meetings per month across all of our brands.
But to some of those outside the group, Ian isn’t as immediately visible as other board members, due to the nature of his role:
“You could say that while Chris and Dan are out selling handl to the world, I’m here making sure we have the right resources and appropriate finance in place to enact our strategic growth plans.”
It’s this blend of finance and commerce that appealed to Ian. While he’s a fully qualified chartered accountant with 33 years’ post qualification experience, he’s always had one eye on commercial leadership:
“I studied Economics at the University of Manchester, followed by starting a career in accountancy. I always saw accountancy as a way to open doors and opportunities in my career. I wanted to use it to get into the commercial world.”
Ian’s early career tells that story. Trained at Ernst & Young and progressing to senior audit manager. Ian’s client portfolio included several well known large PLCs. He later moved to become a partner in a smaller accountancy practice in Liverpool, specialising in services to the personal injury and wider legal sector, including undertaking forensic accountancy.
A move to Direct Accident Management Ltd (Now part of Annexo PLC) beckoned, where Ian served as managing director, and CFO to the wider group, before heading back to his native Leeds to take up a position as finance director of the Springfield Healthcare Group.
Then, in 2014, Ian returned to the North West to take up a role that’d make use of his financial skills and experience in both the personal injury and healthcare sectors. A director of Speed Medical. A few years later, that led to the formation of a new growth-focused investment company for which Ian became Group CFO.
What was Ian’s role forming handl Group?
“When I joined Speed Medical, we had three associated businesses, including Speed and MLA in Liverpool. Along with Graham and our other directors, we saw an opportunity to create a brandto sit above these businesses – a way of giving us more financial clout, and the ability to offer more and more to our existing customers and the insurance sector.”
In 2019, that business would become handl Group, and by 2025, we’d grow from three businesses to 23.
“Speed Medical provided us with the engine for scaling up. They had – and still have – a fantastic reputation, and that gave us the opportunity to bring in complementary businesses. Each of those new businesses would have varying experience, so along with making use of our investment capital, I’d also help each company with tax, insurance, audits – all sorts of day-to-day financial support as well as of course, many many years of general commercial experience across a range of businesses.”
But Ian’s more than a firefighter rushing round to make sure returns are filed on time:
“Along with Graham, I’d help co-ordinate the top-level strategy for the group. I’d also be heavily involved in new acquisitions, securing funding for their growth and development. We’d be taking part in 20 board meetings per month, keeping everything aligned.”
The sheer demands on Ian, Graham and the senior team of contributing to 20 separate boards led to our switch to a divisional structure. But that’s far from the only transformation Ian’s seen.
What would Ian say was handl’s most transformational moment?
There are two moments that come to mind for Ian:
“The acquisition of IPRS was hugely transformational for the group. It gave us access to probably the biggest combined panel of rehabilitation experts outside the NHS, and introduced us to a wider range of blue chip customers. A big ticket acquisition like that will always transform any group.”
The second transformation is one that reflects Ian and Graham’s strategy for the group as a whole.
“Initially, we were reliant on the RTA and claimant lawyers markets. Our long term strategy was to diversify the group, work more closely with insurers and offer new business models in new areas. That’s been a slower overall transformation, but it’s left us in a far stronger position as a group. The succession of changes around the way RTA claims are managed has proved our strategy right.”
As a result of diversifying into new areas and developing new propositions, handl Group’s much more resilient than ever before. Something that Ian’s proud to have played a part in:
“I’m proud of how far we’ve come. We’ve created a real platform for growth and development in the future, and financially we’re well placed to fund that growth. We’ve come a long way in these last ten years.”
Let’s see where the next ten takes Ian – and the handl Group as a whole.
