Terry Phinney

Terry Phinney is a well-known advisor to companies needing C Suite assistance. He has a history of helping family owned companies become more successful. For over 25 years, Terry has led clients to pragmatic solutions utilizing his experiences as a change agent and a line manager in sales, operations, HR, and IT.  His deep experience in organizational dynamics has led to a management approach that unlocks and improves an organization’s capability to drive growth and profitability. As a result, Terry’s clients become better positioned, competitive and self-reliant.

Terry’s work has ranged from short term turn-a-rounds to constructing strategic platforms for long term growth and profitability. He has deep experience in family business dynamics, succession planning, and facilitating profitable exits.

Terry began his career as a strategic planner and acquisition and divestiture specialist for The Bankers Trust Company in New York. He then transitioned into general business consulting providing restructuring and operational improvement services to Fortune 500 manufacturing and service companies. During his years with Hewitt Associates in New York, Terry advised clients on assessing, leveraging and rewarding their human capital. At CSC Index, he led cross functional reengineering teams and was accountable for achieving significant client operational and productivity results.

Over the years a number of Terry’s clients have hired him for interim executive positions with the objective of transforming their organizations into more vibrant and competitive businesses.

Several examples of Terry’s work are listed below:

An $800 Million, family owned paint manufacturing client, hired Terry as a senior change agent and Vice President of Human Resources to revitalize its business and address family succession issues. Terry’s leadership and restructuring guidance was an integral part of this company’s successful $1 Billion sale to Berkshire Hathaway.

A $400 Million manufacturing client producing technical filters, specialty papers, and nonwovens hired Terry to assess and redesign its customer facing processes. As the Customer Focus Leader and CIO, Terry improved the “end to end” supply chain and implemented a new technology platform enabling the company to compete more effectively on a global scale.

Terry was engaged to revitalize a $20 Million systems consulting firm. His tough but fair approach as Acting COO, allowed the company to survive and grow in the 2008 downdraft that collapsed many of the firm’s competitors.

Recently, Terry was engaged to provide leadership to a Tech start up in the video compression space. He successfully focused the company, enabling it to continue its funding while bringing an essential working prototype to market.

Currently Terry is acting as interim CEO and Board Member for a family owned Cold Storage Company in Western Massachusetts.  

Terry holds an AB from Harvard College and an MBA from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business Administration. He serves on the advisory boards of several family owned firms and is active in the Family Firm Institute and the Exit Planning Exchange.