Kicking into the black

01/06/2005 Robert Tyerman

Aussie kickboxing and snowboarding enthusiast Stephen Stroud, of AIM-quoted NWD, has re-shaped the marketing services business and says 2005 will be a successful year. The energetic Stroud, previously with WPP constituent Mindshare and tobacco giant BAT, was handed the operation chief's baton in April to kick on restructuring at NWD.

Assisted by fellow ex-BAT man Nigel Gourlay, he is on a buy-and-build mission, to bag established profitable ventures and drive synergy and cross-selling, and will only consider ambitious, hungry ventures.

Last September's acquisition, Clinic, works with brands like Sky and Virgin, and boasts a hungry, youth-focused operation called Small Japanese Soldier.

Other companies include corporate communications specialist TwentyFirst Century Communications and internal communications specialist The Alternative Agency.

Last year's losses were £1.4 million on £6.6 million sales, but this was NWD's first full year as a marketing services business, and Stroud claims NWD is off to a flyer in 2005, with all the main operating companies trading profitably.