supporting your success enabling your progress

With a track record of leading successful businesses in the UK and around the globe, I am here to help entrepreneurs and companies like yours grow, scale, and achieve extraordinary results. Scaling up often requires fresh perspectives—whether it is the insights of a mentor, the guidance of a coach or Non-Executive Director (NED), or strategic advice from a business consultant. And it all starts with our first cup of coffee together!

Today I serve several large and small company boards in water, energy, rail and medical where I am an active investor director in a revolutionary wound care company.

As a NED I function as an independent sounding board – an external listening ear – and can help facilitate discussion on a broad range of issues in an open, non-confrontational and professional manner. In this way all key stakeholders are engaged in the process and better decisions are taken. A very good description I once heard is, a NED should be “eyes in - hands off.”

Despite coming from a large corporate career, I believe in the power of small. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) make an unmistakeable contribution to successful societies and economies. The World Trade Organization estimates that SMEs represent over 90% of the business population, 60-70% of employment and 55% of GDP in developed economies. Did you know that micro, small, and medium-sized companies are the real engines of economic growth and innovation (99.9% in the UK)? Yet, these unsung heroes often do not get the recognition they deserve.

Successful small businesses are very innovative and are often those who create a niche market, be it geographically or by providing exceptional knowledge that meets regional or even national and global needs. To emphasise the importance of a market, no matter your political allegiance you must love this curtailed quote by the then UK Prime Minister Lord Cameron highlighting the importance of small UK businesses:

“And over the last few years, I have met entrepreneurs – and I am not making this up – who have sold tea to China, who sold curry to India. I even came across one small business in Anglesey that made canoes and sold them to the Eskimos.”

On the other hand, unfortunately, many of these businesses are fighting for survival. Why? Because their leaders are so caught up in day-to-day operations that they rarely have the time to step back, see the big picture, and strategize for future growth. Sometimes, crucial business skills and acumen are missing, or they do not receive the attention they deserve. Entrepreneurs, who often wear many hats, can find it challenging to switch into executive mode. This can lead to missed opportunities for scaling up and focusing on strategic priorities. Without the right guidance, they risk becoming accidental managers without the management and leadership experience necessary for sustained success.

My mission is straightforward: I want to support your success and enable your progress, helping you make more profit with a purpose. In other words, a progressive company which values evolution, communication, and a free exchange of ideas. I will share my diverse experience and best practices with individuals and companies ready to face their challenges head-on and prioritize their company's long-term health and growth.

Through a thorough assessment of your business fundamentals, we can identify areas that have become Achilles' heels, pinpoint gaps, and recognize opportunities for improvement and change.

Your business may have started small, but it does not have to stay that way. With a solid growth plan and the right partnerships, you can expand successfully, on your terms. This proactive approach will save you time, money, and headaches down the road.

Whether you have a specific task in mind or just looking for insightful advice, there is always room for a cup of coffee to discuss issues.

Some support I can help you with includes:

Just a chat over a cup of coffee!.
Business mentoring.
Non-Executive Chairperson, Non-Executive Director/Independent Director.
CEO coaching.
Interim Executive Management.
Facilitate access to advisors, professional bodies, business communities and finance.
Facilitate access to customers, developing markets and going global.
Innovation facilitation and value creation.
Business health check and maturity assessments.
Business turnaround and business transformation.
Vision, strategy, and scenario planning.
Organisational development and business models.
Cost productivity.
Cultural change.
Change and Risk Management.
Skills gap identification, talent acquisition and succession planning.
Partnering, Exit Strategy, Mergers and Acquisitions.
Marketing and brand building.
Defining Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s).

Construction Engineering for Water and Aquaculture infrastructure:

In addition to above:

Sales and Delivery experience.
Mapping, analysing and designing innovation ecosystems.
Domain expertise of the technical, commercial, environmental and social factors affecting the water and wastewater sector.
Stong international network of the multitude of parties involved in major and technically complex projects.
Strong international network of technical and advisory disciplines across the whole water cycle.
Domain expertise in contractual issues, risk allocation and negotiations that arise in construction projects.
Experience in limited and non-recourse project funding in developing and economically developed nations.
Key note and plenary speaker at conferences et al on leadership, the power of networking, water and energy transition.

I appreciate you taking the time to explore my website. While my website may be brief, I believe it’s not about the length of content but the quality of service that truly matters. The trust placed in me is demonstrated by the board roles I currently hold.