Contract to services companies to plan and execute commercial strategy - leveraging the latest tech and AI (All DM's confidential).

Commercial strategy focuses on inflating company earnings valuation via a combination of product, marketing, sales, and distribution initiatives - a mix of core business strategy and functional execution. 

Senior executives often lack access to independent (conflict-free) advice to help optimize the ~7%+ of gross rev they allocate to S&M (or 'growth') each year. This high-risk expenditure often comes with low independent oversight and governance. 

Instead of spending more, changing platforms or vendors, often quicker gains can be had by...

- adding proper strategy into BAU operations 
- better measurement systems
- enhancing internal capability
- direct incentive structures

Engagements typically start with advisory, audits, reviews, workshops, or simple execution oversight. Then custom project work where needed. Once the earnings engine is humming, I then move back into an advisory role.

I've helped hundreds of firms in over 50 sectors, across 4 continents over 17 years.  Professional services, to product, e-com, B2B, B2C and SaaS. From women's luxury apparel, to industrial manufacturing, fine art, plastic surgery, fintech, proptech, education, real estate and more. 

I suit private businesses ($10-200m ARR), PE and forward-thinking corporate brands. Usually reporting directly to the owner, board, C-suite or department heads.

Titles vary from, strategy consultant to fractional CMO, CRO to CGO, CCO, advisor, NED etc. 

In between engagements I work on AI tech of my own. 

You might see me occasionally speak at conferences like WMF or SXSW. Or stumble across articles I've written, heard me on podcasts, seen one of my viral memes on Twitter or completed one of my courses. If you have - cheers!

I also produce a podcast/show called Champagne Strategy which explores all the areas I encounter professionally, featuring world-class practitioners from all around the world. 

DM me to discuss consulting/advisory work, fractional roles and speaking opportunities.

If budgets are tight - follow the link in my bio for pro-bono resources which include:
- the Champagne Strategy podcast
- Hybrency YouTube channel
- A Dose of John *LinkedIn) & Hybrency (Substack) newsletters
- Twitter/X memes
- Brandingmag article series
- Vexpower brand tracking course

TL:DR I enjoy solving difficult business problems for those in need, because everyone wins

John James

Kenny Wallace

If you are a frustrated Senior Leader, Investor with a struggling management team in your portfolio or a Professional Sports Team that needs to deliver significant measurable change in outcome quality quickly, then I can define your problem and build you an actionable solution to achieve your objective.

• 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲: Build the right strategy 
• 𝗣𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲: Build the right culture
• 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀: Build the right operating model

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲?

𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲:
• Grew SME by 35% in 1st year of support
• M&A of £1.2million turnover tech company
• Finance Function of 274 achieved world class, 0.7% turnover.

𝗣𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲:
• 100% staff retention during off-shoring, 50 staff
• 36% absence reduction in 9 months, 300 staff
• 15% up to 80% engagement in 12 months, 241 staff

𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀:
• 50% saving (£5million) in SSC annual running costs
• Re-engineered life science ops strategy in 8 hours
• Re-engineered Finance Invalid Deductions in 16 hrs

𝗧𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀:

Founder

Stirling Council

Supported Stirling Council COO following arbitration after HR failed over 2 years to resolve Shared Service Centre issues involving Mental Health Professionals (MHO's):

• Created bespoke performance package for disenfranchised MHO’s.
• Eliminated longterm sickness absence, from 50% to 100% capacity.
• Generated salary time and service saving circa £740k per annum.

Worthy of note was the pace that change was embraced during this project, from 100% disengagement to 100% engagement, following 30 days work over 4 months an empowered, assertive and solution orientated team emerged.

Organisational Development Consultant

Student of Life

Revisit subjects of interest, career direction and professional development all while riding up and down mountains. Notably:

• Completed an NLP Core Skills refresher course with Pegasus NLP.
• Enrolled in OU Degree: Psychology, Economics & Business.
• Set up software company focussed on learning & development.

Planned Career Break

The HEINEKEN Company

With a focus on organisational development, worked with HR Director to ensure HR became a valued strategic department within HUK, moving away from purely transactional services. The following were delivered in 7 months:

• Identified skills development need in Business Partnering.
• Created “Ideal” Business Partner model & training tool.

Worthy of note from this project was the investigation of the previously poorly understood abstract concept of Business Partnering. After interviewing senior leaders from BT Global, EE, Iron Mountain, HM Prison Service and several other LE's, a concise & invaluable "Personality on a Page" definition of a Business Partner emerged. This set the aspirational benchmark for Business Partnering.

Organisational Transformation for HR UK (Interim)

Supported the UK CFO to unite the organisation behind the goal of achieving "World Class"​ (0.7% Turnover), ensured skills gaps were filled and created effective communication feedback loops, so the following were delivered in 12 months:

• Created senior leadership development program.
• Created development framework aimed at line manager capability.
• Created interactive annual communications cascade framework.
• Created interactive annual conferences x 2 (impact measured).
• Created innovative "Finance People of the Future"​ recruitment tool.
• Created innovative succession planning model.
• Created innovative leadership program for Order to Cash (OTC).

Worthy of particular note for this project was working with OTC throughout off-shoring process. All year end KPI's were exceeded & 100% employee retention until exit dates.

Also worthy of note was an annual salary time saving of 60 days across a team of 10 reporting to CFO by simply re-engineering 8 monthly & 4 quarterly senior leadership meetings. equated to £462k annually

Organisational Transformation for Finance Operations UK (Interim)

Revisit subjects of interest, career direction and professional development all while riding up and down mountains. Notably:

• Reflected on previous project, assessed what worked & what didn't.
• Completed NLP Train the Trainer certification with Pegasus NLP.

Premier Foods

With focus on the behavioural aspect of Organisational Transformation, worked with Finance Director and Leadership Team of SSC to drive wholesale organisational change. The following was delivered in 1 year:

• Problem diagnosis, accelerated by 3 mths saving c£2m
• Re-engineered multi-£million process in 16Hrs. 
• 50% organisational cost savings, no incremental investment required. 
• Methodologies used accelerated change program by 8 months.
• 15% engagement flipped to 80% of 241 staff in 12 months.
• Coached emerging leaders to success in new world hierarchy.

Worthy of note from this project was the empowering team work rooted in process re-engineering and the organic rise of those suited to leadership roles, who were then funnelled into a leadership development program to prepare them for leadership roles in new world SSC.

Organisational Transformation for Shared Service Centre (SSC) (Interim)

Regular appearances on the popular BBC Radio Scotland show, MacAuley & Co, for insight and "how to" on the things we typically want to improve in our lives.

Resident Human Performance Expert

Tesco

Created and led shop-floor initiatives on behalf Fitbug in their behaviour transformation project via Corporate Wellbeing with Tesco Stores to reduce absenteeism:

• 36% reduction in absenteeism in 9 months, translated to national annual saving of £19 million.

Behaviour Transformation Project Manager (Interim)

University of Glasgow

Delivered a change management program that aligned university health, fitness & sport services with current industry trends & technology.

• Zero cost strategies increased participation in fitness and sport. 
• Over 50% increase achieved in measurable areas.

Service Development Teacher

Backpacking around the above locations to get out & about and learn different ways of doing things from different cultures.

A point of note was working as a Trapper for the Department of Conservation (DoC) in Te Urewera National Park, New Zealand. 

• Save endangered indigenous Kaki, reduced to last few mating pairs.
• Rodent populations introduced by humans had no natural predators.
• Control rodent population and reduce consumption of Kaki eggs.

If you are a frustrated Senior Leader, Investor with a struggling management team in your portfolio or a Professional Sports Team that needs to deliver significant measurable change in outcome quality quickly, then I can define your problem and build you an actionable solution to achieve your objective.

• 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲: Build the right strategy 
• 𝗣𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲: Build the right culture
• 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀: Build the right operating model

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲?

𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲:

• Grew SME by 35% in 1st year of support
• M&A of £1.2million turnover tech company
• Finance Function of 274 achieved world class

𝗣𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲:

• 100% staff retention during off-shoring, 50 staff
• 36% absence reduction in 9 months, 300 staff
• 15% up to 80% engagement, 241 staff, 12 months

𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀:

• 50% saving (£5million) in SSC annual running costs
• Re-engineered life science ops strategy in 8 hours
• Re-engineered finance invalid deductions in 16 hrs

𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗠𝗲: InMail me to arrange a Coffee over Zoom.

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