Problems I work on
Strategy is rarely the problem. The operating model is. Most organisations know what they need to do — they just can't do it, because the structure, pace, and logic of how work gets done was designed for a world that's moved on. That gap between intent and execution is where I work.
Why organisations struggle
When the world shifts, most organisations respond by adjusting at the edges — restructuring teams, launching programmes, adding new functions. The underlying design logic stays fixed.
That's because operating models are sticky. They encode the assumptions of the era the.y were built in — about customers, markets, technology, what creates value — and those assumptions become invisible. Leaders inherit a structure and optimise within it, rather than questioning whether the structure itself still fits.
The result isn't dramatic failure. It's a slow widening of the gap between what the strategy demands and what the organisation can deliver. Performance doesn't collapse — it plateaus, and effort increases to compensate. By the time the misalignment is obvious, the cost of redesign has compounded.
How I work
Engagements aren’t standardised ‘products.’ They’re shaped by context, organisation, and need. I work directly, not through associates or teams, with leadership groups who understand that the challenge isn’t one of effort but of design.
Modes include advising boards and executives, leading or guiding operating model redesigns, teaching business design, executive team coaching through ambiguous transformation, and independent review of mission-critical design efforts.
Every engagement is diagnostic and collaborative in spirit, grounded in five principles: start from the world, not the org chart; design for generative advantage; see the system; embrace design’s iterative path; pace matters. The shape fits the problem—not the other way round.
Selected engagements
Operating model redesign for a sector-leading organisation navigating market upheaval. Led an outside-in redesign, clarifying required capabilities and realigning structure. Result: strategy now delivered coherently, with clear accountability.
Design of circular economy propositions for a leading Global Banking Group
Advised the commercial banking division on developing new customer value propositions to enable circular economy transition. Brought in external perspectives — startups, supply chain dynamics, customer needs — to reframe the opportunity from "fund green projects" to "help customers navigate systemic change." Result: a set of new propositions grounded in customer need, not existing product.
Sustainability strategy and business model redesign for a complex enterprise facing regulatory change. Advised on embedding sustainability structurally, shifting from compliance to competitive edge. Result: sustainability now a source of long-term advantage.
Sustainability as operating model design for a national retailer
A leading multi-brand retailer with limited supply chain leverage needed a different sustainability strategy. The insight: lead through customer engagement, not upstream influence. Built strategy around that reality, then embedded sustainability roles and capabilities into the agile operating model. Sustainability connected to what the business could actually influence.
Executive team intervention following failed transformation efforts. Facilitated system mapping, traced bottlenecks to unseen interdependencies, and recalibrated team alignment. Result: clear shared picture and new ways of working.
Business design for advanced therapy manufacturing.
Advised on the business design for a £10M advanced gene therapy facility — reviewing operating model and customer proposition plans, identifying where the design needed to change. The centre opened for business in 2023.