Who We Are

About MCR Holdings

Iain MacRitchie

MCR Holdings was founded by Iain MacRitchie in 1996 as a hands on management and investment business. Having started his career by leading the rapid growth of a small niche business into an award winning multinational company in the early ‘90s, Iain’s experience expanded through helping a variety of aspiring businesses realise their full potential. Inspired by the need to combine entrepreneurial spirit and ambition with strong business processes and disciplines, he set-up MCR Holdings to create a new business model.

Iain assumes the leadership role in each company MCR works with and serves as Chairman, or CEO if required. Given his brand building and marketing skills he is focused on building longer term success in each organisation through improving competitive advantage and growth.

Iain is also a Fellow of IFT – one of a core group of experienced individuals in corporate transformations in the UK. The Institute has awarded Iain the Private Company Turnaround of the Year, Turnaround Professional of the Year and its Foundation Award. He served as Chairman to the IFT Board between 2010 and 2014.

He has served on the Chairman’s Board of 3i plc and as an Operating Partner to help assess €100m to €1bn investment opportunities. He sits on the Advisory Board of Silverfleet Capital and works with a number of other blue chip PE firms and Banks to advise them on their existing portfolios.

Nick Walters

As a longstanding business partner since 1989, Nick Walters joined Iain shortly after start-up. As a Chartered Accountant who has worked both in the profession and in industry for a number of years, Nick brought a range of financial skills to add to the MCR offering.

Nick has served as Finance Director, Deputy Chairman and Chairman on many of the Boards of the companies within the MCR Holdings portfolio. His wide range of experience of different industry sectors also allows him to address many of the fundamentals in these companies. An early challenge in many of the assignments is to restructure the finances of the business and Nick’s experience in this area spans some 30 years. In many cases the culmination of the turnaround has been a successful sale of the business and Nick’s experience on both the buy side and sell side of corporate transactions has been an important part of the MCR offering.

Our Timeline

Key:

Financial

1987 - 1995

Led R&D product innovation, 1st CEO role, rapid International expansion, multiple awards for growth & quality excellence. Acquired by PLC, took up divisional chair for 1st corporate transformations across Europe. Left to work with Private Equity investors on management buy ins.

1996

Founded MCR Holdings as a hands-on executive management and equity investment business.

2000's -

Chairman/CEO for over 20 companies across multiple sectors including Retail, Consumer, Business Services, Technology, Healthcare & Manufacturing. £700 million return for shareholders. Averaging 6x increase in company profits.

2000’s - 2010

Led turnaround of failing orgs. Including 90 homes, 5 schools & foster agency from £500k monthly loss to surplus within three years.

Social Causes

2005 - 2007

Member of the 3i plc Chairman’s Board. Then appointed as an 3i Operating Partner, contracted to assess and lead €100m to €1 billion equity investment opportunities.

2007 -

MCR Pathways programme was designed and launched in one East End Glasgow school to support young people in and on the edges of care and directly impact social and education inequality and exclusion

2010 - 2014

Served 2 terms as Chair of The Institute for Turnaround (IFT). As a past award winner and Fellow served as Chair of the professional body which represented accredited Board Directors with 1 million employees and over £18.5bn of sales.

2013

Based on transformational impact of MCR Pathways on self-esteem, school engagement, attendance, attainment and progression, the programme into 10 high priority schools.

2014 - 2017

Industrial Advisory Board member of Silverfleet Capital - a European Private Equity firm focused on internationalising businesses.

2016

MCR Pathways & Glasgow City Council form pioneering ‘bridge funding’ partnership to bring MCR Mentoring to all Glasgow secondary schools. and permanently embedded as part of the education system. The MCR Foundation establishes MCR Pathways as a charity in its own right and resources it for national expansion. Iain is Chair, CEO and Trustee of both charities.

2018

Public Sector Advisor & Board Member.

2019

MCR expands nationally into other city, town, rural and island settings supporting over 2000 young people each week across 10 regions.

2021

MCR publishes independent research which sets out the transformational impact on education attainments and post school destinations. Scottish Government supports MCR expansion across all parts of Scotland with £26.9m funding commitment to be matched by Local Authorities and schools. MCR aims to reach 10,000 young people.

2021 -

Appointed by Scottish Government to the Oversight Board of The Promise. The Oversight Board is tasked with holding Scotland to account for the implementation of the findings of the Care Review conducted between 2017 and 2020.

2022 -

MCR Pathways England launches with schools now in South East of England in Stevenage, Hemel Hempstead, Watford, Waltham Cross and other areas experiencing county line drugs issues. MCR Pathways reaches 5,000 young people across the UK being supported each week.

2023 -

Iain partners with Alan Clayton (founder of Revolutionise, an internationally renowned consultancy) to develop an effective trauma recovery programme for both young people and adults. He steps down from the MCR executive team to focus on his role as Founder on education and social work policy issues to help bridge them to effective practice and vice versa.

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