BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION
Business transformation
consultant.
When the business should be performing better, I help establish what is getting in the way and lead the changes needed.
I work directly with CEOs, CFOs, boards and teams to understand the problem, agree priorities and improve how the business performs.
FROM EXPERIENCE
Changing the way the business works.
COST AND OPERATING MODEL
A lower-cost development model, built in stages.
I assessed the offshore option, then led recruitment, onboarding and knowledge transfer, with UK technical leadership retained.
Over £3m in annual savings, net of the new team’s costs.
PROFITABILITY AND SCALE
Better trading today. A platform for future acquisitions.
I led changes to product and pricing mix, merchandising, the commerce platform and product data at an industrial parts business.
Gross margin improved by 6.3 percentage points year on year, alongside a platform built to support future acquisitions.
When the business gets in its own way
Growth has slowed, margins are under pressure or decisions keep coming back to the same meetings. Teams are working hard, but handovers, unclear responsibilities or weak information are holding them back.
The first task is to establish what is causing the problem. That means looking across the business and checking whether the board’s assumptions match what is happening day to day.
What I work on
Commercial performance: sales, marketing, digital, pricing and the customer journey. We look at where revenue or margin is being lost and what would make the biggest difference.
The operating model: how work moves through the business, who makes decisions, where responsibility sits and whether teams have the information and tools they need.
People and cost: the team structure, skills, workload and spending needed to deliver the plan. Changes need to improve performance without creating unnecessary overhead.
The commercial diagnostic
I meet the key people across the leadership team and wider business, review the numbers and follow how work gets done. That builds a clear picture of the current position and tests assumptions about functions, people, customers and performance.
You get an honest assessment of what is happening, the issues that need attention and where to focus time and investment. We then set out what a better future could look like and the steps needed to get there.
Depending on the brief, the output may be a report, a prioritised roadmap or a plan for investment and delivery. It will make clear the decisions needed and what should happen next.
There is no fixed package or minimum engagement. We agree the scope, timing and fees before work begins. Your team can use the findings to lead the changes themselves, or I can stay involved to support or lead delivery.
What improvement should look like
The work should lead to better performance: stronger revenue or margin, lower unnecessary cost, clearer decisions and teams able to deliver what has been agreed.
My experience includes over £3m in net annual savings through a phased development-team transition, a 6.3 percentage-point year-on-year gross margin improvement in e-commerce, and a £20m EBITDA improvement agenda covering pricing, customer win-back and sales support.
We agree which results matter for your business and how progress will be measured. Targets, plans and realised results should be clear to everyone involved.
Working directly with me
I carry out the work myself, with your team and any specialists the brief needs. You have direct access to the person responsible for the assessment and the recommendations.
If the work needs wider technical or delivery support, I can help establish what is required and how it fits with your existing resources.
Experience of carrying the responsibility
I have spent more than twenty years leading commercial, marketing, digital and operating-model change across B2B, B2C, founder-led and PE-backed businesses.
That includes building teams, reducing costs, improving revenue and margin, and supporting acquisitions. I know that a plan has to work for the people delivering it as well as the board approving it.
A CLEAR STARTING POINT
Start with what is happening.
You may have a clear brief, or simply know that performance needs to improve.
UNDERSTAND
Send a short outline.
Tell me what is happening, where you need help and any timing pressure. I will get back to you to arrange a call.
AGREE
Set the scope and responsibility.
We agree the scope, responsibilities, timing, fees and how progress will be measured before work starts.
DELIVER
Turn the priorities into action.
I can lead the work, support your team or give them a plan to take forward themselves.
A CLEARER VIEW
Questions leaders ask about business transformation consulting.
A CONVERSATION WITH JAMES
Start with what is
actually happening.
If the business should be performing better than it is, the first task is to understand why.