Hardy Giesler

Hardy is an experienced executive with a track record in delivering accelerated growth and performance transformation. Results have been achieved across a broad base of sectors and industries, having worked in public and private sectors, manufacturing and service industries. He has over 25 years of experience gained in more than 30 countries, particularly in EMEA, North America, Far East and the FSU.

Born in South Africa, Hardy studied Economics at the University of Stellenbosch before starting his career in Oil & Gas. In 1990 he moved to the UK, where he joined Celerant Consulting and helped to build the enterprise into a global business, growing from 40 to 700 employees. Focusing mainly on asset-intensive industries, Hardy worked across the manufacturing, energy, utilities and transport sectors.
In consulting Hardy worked extensively in the Energy and Mining Sectors, before becoming Managing Director of the Manufacturing Sector in Europe, with clients including Alstom Transport, British Airways, British Energy and Ericsson. He was also VP and MD of Energy Consulting at IHS Inc. ($7.9 billion market capitalisation) with operations in some 50 countries and offices in Beijing, Geneva, London and Houston.
He joined London Underground Engineering as their youngest director, in charge of three of the eight engineering businesses.
As a member of the Engineering Board (a 5,000 people organisation) he participated in their strategic sourcing review, called Make or Buy, where he was personally responsible for leading the divestment of two London Underground businesses – a first for the organisation.

Following a $1.3 billion debt-for equity swap at Energis Communications, Hardy joined the organisation as Director for the Infrastructure and Media Sectors, with the objective of completing a performance turnaround prior to a trade sale to Cable & Wireless. One of his successes was winning the contract for outsourcing of services from the BBC – at £350 million this was the largest deal achieved.

At Anglo American, Hardy was MD of one of their UK-based Tarmac businesses, a 15 site, 700 people organisation with a turnover of £120 million.  He was a Board member of Tarmac Building Products with a £500 million turnover. As MD of Topblock he initiated a strategic review of this loss-making operation, and then successfully completed an extensive operational, commercial and asset investment (£25 million) programme.
More recently Hardy was CEO of a specialist contractor to the Infrastructure and Transportation sectors.
Hardy has over 30 years of experience in general management and business development. In addition to this, he has been involved in several divestments, acquisitions and fundraisings.