Alan Le Marinel - Profile

An experienced Project Manager, Lead Consultant, Auditor and Business Analyst with a wide background in finance and business analysis together with corporate strategy and change management.

Currently contracted as a specialist Anti-Fraud Consultant to Northumberland County Council with responsibility for increasing fraud awareness and improving prevention and detection methods. I also have responsibility for undertaking fraud investigations which are uncovered as a result of my work.

An excellent communicator with ten years’ experience as a Management Consultant and 20 years’ practical knowledge of project management, short and long-term strategic planning, marketing analysis and strategy, risk analysis and fund-raising. An acknowledged expert in Local Authority regeneration issues as well as fraud awareness training and fraud prevention, detection and investigations.

An incisive business analyst with the ability to quickly assimilate large quantities of information and assist with the identification and provision of innovative business solutions.

An accomplished author of Business Management Books including “Your Own Business – A Complete Guide to starting and running your own business” recommended by The Sunday Times in November 2003 with a fully updated and revised edition published in 2006.

As part of my own Continuous Professional Development I am currently studying for the Foundation and Practitioner qualifications for the Prince2 Project Management System. As an Associate of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners I am also working towards the requirements to become a Certified Fraud Examiner.

Qualifications & Membership of Professional Organisations

2006 – Associate: Association of Certified Fraud Examiners
1995 – Master of Business Administration
1995 – Fellow: Institute of Professional Financial Managers
1995 – Associate: Institute of Cost and Executive Accountants
1994 – Diploma in Financial Studies: Chartered Institute of Bankers
1994 – Fellow: Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufacture & Commerce
1992 – International Diploma in Marketing: Chartered Institute of Marketing
1990 – Associate: Chartered Institute of Bankers

Employment Background

1 April 1996 to date – Consultant/Project Manager/Fraud Specialist

Substantial experience of working on Local Authority and Public Sector projects involving scoping and mapping exercises and providing recommendations for strategic and operational action planning. Specialisms include financial/strategic analysis; preparation of business plans and funding proposals; development of quality systems; financial management and budget preparation; marketing analysis and strategy.

Recent Public Sector projects include:

> Appointed as a specialist Anti Fraud Consultant to Northumberland County Council to raise awareness of fraud issues, both personal and corporate, and provide training to senior managers, executives and Councillors on fraud prevention techniques and fraud detection methods. Also contracted to undertake relevant fraud investigations and liaise as appropriate with prosecuting authorities to achieve restitution and compensation.

> Appointed as Consultant by OneNorthEast, to provide training and strategic guidance to the new Board Members of the Area Tourism Partnerships for Durham, Tees Valley and Northumberland. Specific responsibilities included strategic analysis of the Area Tourism Plans, Marketing initiatives and Mission Statement training. Provided strategic and critical analysis and acted as facilitator in the training workshops.

> Lead Consultant in a Quality Improvement Programme commissioned by the LSC Tees Valley with the main objective being to introduce sustainable, long-term improvements to Training Providers involving strategic planning, marketing analysis and strategy, financial and budget planning and quality improvement programmes

> Durham City Council – Contracted to develop a strategic business planning framework and comprehensive guidance notes to meet the requirements of the Audit Commission. Workshops were facilitated on analysis techniques with guidance on setting strategic objectives, customer charters and the formulation of action plans to meet both Best Value and Comprehensive Performance Assessment objectives.

> South Tyneside MBC – Mapping exercise covering Employment, Enterprise and Land & Buildings for the South Tyneside Enterprise Partnership. The project involved substantial research to establish the business support activities that were being offered by all agencies throughout the area.

> South Tyneside MBC - I was appointed to undertake a research project seeking feedback from key business and community stakeholders to establish the need for a feasibility study for a Skills Centre in the region as part of the South Tyneside MBC Transformational Plan.

> LSC Tyne and Wear - Sub-contracted to undertake a project to report on the education and skills opportunities for young engineers in the North East. Appointed as Project Manager to co-ordinate the mapping exercise as to the existing schemes and training that were available and provide a recommendation as to future funding to entice young people into this vocation as a future career.

I am registered on the Department of Trade and Industry (Dti) Business Link and One NorthEast database as an approved consultant to supply consultancy support on:

Strategic Business Planning;
Fraud Prevention, Detection and Investigation;
Marketing Analysis and Strategy;
Disaster Recovery and Contingency Planning

Community Appointments

2002 – 2003 Executive - Sunderland Business Network Ltd
1999 – 2002 Director — Business Enterprise Network Ltd
1997 to date Performance Assessor — General Medical Council
1992 – 1995 Trustee — Grindon Boys Club Management Committee
1991 to date Justice of the Peace — Tyne & Wear Commission
1990 – 1992 Member — Steering Committee B Tec National Training Awards, Wearside College
1990 – 1992 Member — Steering Committee Monkwearmouth College Business Advice Centre
1989 – 1997 Chairman of Governors — Grindon Infants School, Sunderland
1989 – 1992 Chairman of Governors — Broadway Junior School, Sunderland

Winner of the 1994 TNT Express / British Junior Chamber of Commerce Outstanding Young Person of the Year award - Business, Economics and Entrepreneurial Category, North Region.

Anti-Fraud Workshops

Ongoing Presentation of training workshops to staff employed in the Internal Audit and Risk Management Department of Northumberland County Council:

“An Introduction to Fraud Prevention and Detection”
“Fraud Investigations – the differences between investigations and routine audits.
“Investigative Interviewing Techniques”
“Employee Fraud – what to look for and how to prevent it”
“Fraud Investigations – The Legal Aspects”
"Fraud Investigations - Resources and Planning"

September 2006 Presentation of full day workshop at the 9th Annual Fraud World Conference, London – “Effectively Managing Employee Fraud.

December 2006 Carillion PLC / Ministry of Defence, Bedford, England, - Full day training workshop – “Contract and Procurement Fraud in the Construction Industry.

April 2007 Presentation of full day workshop on “Effectively Managing Employee Fraud” at the European Fraud Conference, Brussels.

April 2008 Training session at the ACFE European Fraud Conference, London – “Embedding a Fraud Risk Management Programme”.

June 2008 Presentation to the CIPFA North East Group - Fraud Risk Management