VEHICLE RENTAL AND RETAIL GROUP
Building a new route to revenue while the business changed.
Under 5% → over 20%
Website share of leads, within 12 months.
The situation
The business depended heavily on field sales and had limited digital lead generation. It needed to reduce costs and improve performance while introducing a new ERP and CRM, working through senior leadership departures and moving towards a merger.
What I took responsibility for
I led digital channels, CRM, the marketing mix and agency relationships across the rental and vehicle resale businesses. I rebuilt customer journeys and messaging, introduced dormant-customer and win-back campaigns, and supported sales initiatives with coordinated marketing activity.
I brought sales and marketing together around weekly reporting from enquiry through to conversion. Sharing the progress with the wider business helped teams understand how they could contribute.
What changed
The share of leads coming through the website rose from under 5% to over 20% within 12 months. Digital became a more substantial source of enquiries as the field sales operation changed, with clearer visibility of the funnel.
Relevant when growth needs to continue while teams, costs and systems are changing.
PAYMENTS BUSINESS
Reducing development costs through a controlled transition.
Over £3m
Annual savings, net of the new team’s costs.
The situation
The board wanted to reduce onshore development costs. The business needed to establish whether an offshore team in Mumbai could support the workload, and how to transfer knowledge while retaining UK technical direction.
What I took responsibility for
I assessed feasibility, shaped the transition and spent time in Mumbai building the team. I led recruitment, onboarding and knowledge transfer, with technical leadership retained in the UK.
We recruited in stages over three to four months, matching the transition to sprint activity and priorities so the existing team could transfer knowledge as the new team grew.
What changed
The new development model delivered over £3m in annual savings, net of the new team’s costs. The phased approach gave the business a practical route from the board’s cost objective to a working delivery model.
Relevant when a cost decision depends on changing how work is organised and delivered.
PE-BACKED INDUSTRIAL PARTS GROUP
Improving today’s trading while preparing for tomorrow’s acquisitions.
+6.3 percentage points
Year-on-year gross margin improvement in the e-commerce business.
The situation
An e-commerce business needed stronger trading performance and a platform capable of supporting future acquisitions. The wider group was expanding internationally and integrating acquired businesses without a central programme function.
What I took responsibility for
I led the e-commerce programme, including product and pricing mix, merchandising and the move to Shopify Plus. The work also improved product data flows and image coverage across more than 3,000 SKUs.
Across four acquisitions, my remit covered marketing integration. For the Australian business, I began working with the team three to four months before completion to understand its activity, costs and plans and prepare for integration. I also built marketing capability in North America and Australasia and led the group’s brand overhaul.
What changed
Gross margin improved from 45.7% to 52.0% year on year through product, pricing and merchandising changes. The Shopify Plus platform was designed to support future e-commerce acquisitions, with stronger data flows and image assets across more than 3,000 SKUs.
Group revenue grew from £79m to £106m during my tenure. This was the wider business result; my contribution covered brand, digital commerce, marketing integration, team development and sales support.
Relevant when a growing group needs stronger commercial performance and a more consistent way of operating across acquisitions.
ESTABLISHED ENTERTAINMENT RETAILER
Building digital revenue by bringing the stores into the change.
£7m
Mobile app revenue within 12 months of launch.
The situation
I was brought in to lead a new digital arm after the business had been through administration. Parts of the retail operation were resistant to the change or unsure why it was needed.
What I took responsibility for
I visited stores, listened to staff and involved store managers and area managers in the digital discussions. I established a digital innovation hub where retail colleagues could put forward ideas.
We launched an MP3 download store, mobile and desktop applications and an online-managed loyalty programme. Customers could scan a CD to preview its music, scan a DVD to watch a trailer, and save products to revisit later. The aim was to connect digital convenience with what people valued about the stores.
What changed
The mobile app generated £7m in revenue within 12 months of launch. The wider work connected the in-store and online experience and gave store teams a way to contribute to the change.
Relevant when a new commercial direction depends on earning the trust and participation of an established team.
INTERNATIONAL PRIVATE EDUCATION GROUP
One shared digital foundation. Local relevance in every market.
70 school websites
Moved onto one shared platform in nine months.
The situation
During Covid, the group needed reliable digital admissions journeys across schools in different markets. Websites, content systems and local ways of working were fragmented.
What I took responsibility for
I led the website programme across design, content migration, localisation, forms and connections to school systems. I built a digital centre of excellence in London and brought regional marketing reporting lines together around the shared delivery objective.
The work combined a consistent premium experience with local content, supporting parents and pupils in different countries while improving paid, social and admissions activity.
What changed
I led the consolidation of 70 school websites from several platforms onto one shared Drupal/WordPress setup in nine months. Schools kept their own websites and gained full localisation, clearer admissions journeys and a consistent premium feel. The work supported admissions targets and, in some cases, oversubscribed intakes.
Relevant when a group needs common systems and standards without losing local relevance.
ACQUISITION-RELATED ASSIGNMENTS
A practical assessment before the deal. A plan for what follows.
Specialist assessment
Marketing, e-commerce and digital capability within a wider review.
The work I assess
Working as part of a wider board or leadership review, I assess the marketing function, e-commerce and digital capability. That includes the P&L and cost base, team and channel mix, pipeline, performance measures, attribution, processes, systems and data quality. I also consider the AI tools already in use and what they could contribute.
The recommendations and changes
I identify gaps between reported activity and business performance and recommend where to change spending, responsibilities, technology or ways of working. Across assignments, I have reduced teams, added capability and moved people between functions to support a different way of working.
The plan beyond completion
The roadmap can connect fixes in the first 12 months with improvement towards a three-to-five-year EBITDA or transaction objective. Priorities are sequenced with operating costs and the team’s capacity in mind. The scope reflects my specialist responsibility within the wider acquisition and investment plan.
Relevant when investors need a clearer view of commercial capability and leadership needs a practical plan for change.
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 CONVERSATION WITH JAMES
What needs to move
in your business?
Tell me what is happening and what you need to achieve. We can establish where my experience fits and the responsibility you need me to take.