WHAT THIS HELPS:
Strategy driven by clarity of direction, organisational alignment and confident leadership decision-making.
Many organisations are busy, successful and growing — yet still feel a sense of drift. Strategy documents exist, initiatives are underway,and technology investments are being made, but leadership teams are not always confident that everything is pulling in the same direction.
Strategy and operating model work is about creating clarity: clarity on where the organisation is going, how it will compete, what it will prioritise and how it will actually operate day-to-day to make that strategy real. When done well, it provides leaders and boards with a shared language, a common frame of reference and a practical foundation for making decisions with confidence.
This work is particularly valuable during periods of change — growth, restructuring, digital transformation, market disruption, regulatory pressure or leadership transition — when existing ways of working no longer quite fit the organisation’s ambitions.
TYPICAL STRATEGY CHALLENGES:
Unclear strategy, operating model gaps, misaligned technology, weak decision frameworks.
In practice, many organisations face one or more of the following challenges:
- Strategy that is too high-level or abstract
Vision statements and strategic themes exist, but they are not concrete enough to guide real decisions on investment, priorities or trade-offs. - Disconnect between strategy and execution
The strategy sounds right, but day-to-day operations, organisational structures, incentives or governance mechanisms do not support it. - Operating models that have evolved by accident
Roles, processes, systems and decision rights have grown organically over time, often reflecting historic constraints rather than current or future needs. - Technology investments driving strategy — rather than supporting it
Major systems and platforms are selected or implemented without a clear view of how they enable the operating model or strategic goals. - Unclear accountability and decision-making
Leadership teams struggle with slow decisions, duplicated effort, unclear ownership or excessive escalation — all signs of an operating model under strain. - Boards lacking clear line of sight
Boards and non-executives may struggle to connect strategy discussions with operational realities, risk exposure or delivery capability.
Left unaddressed, these issues increase execution risk, waste investment, frustrate leadership teams and ultimately limit the organisation’s ability to adapt. Unclear strategy, operating model gaps, misaligned technology, weak decision frameworks.
HOW I HELP:
My approach to strategy and operating model development is practical, structured and grounded in how organisations actually work — not theoretical models or generic frameworks.
Facilitate strategy development
I work with boards, executives, and leadership teams to help articulate a clear, shared view of strategy. This typically involves facilitated workshops, structured discussions and targeted analysis that help leaders answer questions such as:
- Where are we really trying to win?
- What must we be excellent at — and what matters less?
- What trade-offs are we prepared to make?
- What does success look like over the next 3–5 years?
The focus is on creating strategy that is specific enough to guide action, while still flexible enough to adapt as conditions change.
Align technology, finance and operations
Strategy only works if it is supported by the right operating foundations. I help organisations align their technology landscape, financial structures and operational processes with their strategic intent.
This includes:
- Ensuring technology investments clearly support business priorities
- Assessing whether financial controls, budgeting models and KPIs reinforce desired behaviours
- Identifying operational bottlenecks or constraints that undermine strategy
The aim is to ensure that money, systems and people are all working in the same direction.
Assess operating model effectiveness
I assess how well the current operating model supports the organisation’s strategy — across structure, roles, processes, governance and decision-making.
This is not about large-scale reorganisation for its own sake. Instead, it focuses on identifying specific friction points:
- Where decisions slow down or stall
- Where accountability is unclear or duplicated
- Where risk is poorly owned or managed
- Where delivery consistently struggles
From this, I help design pragmatic improvements to the operating model that are achievable, proportionate and aligned to the organisation’s maturity and culture.
Support board and executive decision-making
I act as an independent sounding board for boards and executive teams, helping them test assumptions, stress-test proposals and understand the implications of strategic choices.
This support is particularly valuable where decisions involve:
- Significant investment or transformation
- Organisational change
- Technology-enabled change
- Risk, governance or control considerations
My role is not to replace management judgement, but to strengthen it — by bringing structure, clarity and an external perspective grounded in experience.
Strategy OUTCOMES
Clear direction, stronger alignment, reduced risk.
Organisations that invest in strategy and operating model development typically see tangible benefits, including:
- Clearer strategic direction
Leaders and teams understand what really matters, what to prioritise and what can be safely deprioritised. - Improved alignment across the organisation
Strategy, operations, technology and finance reinforce each other rather than pulling in different directions. - More effective decision-making
Clearer accountabilities and decision frameworks lead to faster, more confident decisions with less friction. - Reduced execution risk
Strategy is grounded in operational reality, reducing the risk of over-ambitious or poorly supported initiatives. - Greater board confidence
Boards gain better visibility of how strategy translates into action, risk and delivery capability.
Ultimately, this work helps organisations move from good intentions to reliable execution — enabling leadership teams to lead with confidence and purpose in an increasingly complex environment.
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WHY EXPERIENCE MATTERS:
CIO/CFO/consulting background enables bridging business and technology effectively.