guy kedar

Clarity that moves, outcomes that matter

Without direction, teams drift.
Without alignment, progress stalls.
Without outcomes, nothing matters.

I’m Guy Kedar - I work with leadership teams at high-stakes moments: when strategy feels unclear, initiatives stall, or new opportunities emerge.

With 15+ years across WPP and boutique innovation consultancies, I’ve worked with organisations such as IKEA, Marriott, Allianz, Blizzard, and high-growth startups, on strategy and transformation.

From one-day high-intensity resets to ongoing support as a Fractional CSO - I help teams clarify where to play, how to win, and what decisions matter most.

Always curious. Occasionally contrarian. Relentlessly human.

  • A one-day leadership intervention designed to restore clarity.

    When teams feel stuck, misaligned, overwhelmed by competing priorities, or struggling to make decisions, this session creates the space for honest conversation and decisive alignment.

    Through structured facilitation and decision-focused dialogue, we step back, surface hard truths, and clarify what matters most.

    During the session we:

    • Surface tensions holding the team back
    • Challenge assumptions behind current priorities
    • Move from polite agreement to true commitment
    • Define a clear 90-day focus - what to do, and what to stop doing

    Outcome
    Leadership leaves aligned around clear priorities and decisions, and execution momentum restored.

  • A 2–4 week engagement turning vision into execution through prioritisation, roadmap building, and decision alignment.

    Ambition is easy. Execution is where risk lives. This sprint bridges that gap. Rather than just writing strategy, we validate it - translating goals into a practical, stress-tested execution roadmap.

    During the sprint we:

    • Stress-test strategic choices against market reality
    • Identify high-impact opportunities and hidden blockers
    • Build a practical roadmap teams actually trust
    • Align stakeholders around ownership and execution logic

    Outcome
    A clear strategic focus and actionable roadmap, with aligned ownership teams can immediately execute against.

  • From focused workshops to multi-week support, I help organisations turn strategy into measurable outcomes.

    Working alongside leadership and delivery teams, I help align priorities, clarify ownership, and remove execution blockers so initiatives move forward with momentum.

    Typical focus areas

    • Outcome-driven workflows - shifting from "feature-factory" outputs to measurable business results
    • De-risking innovation - helping teams make smarter bets faster
    • Governance & rhythms - establishing decision and accountability loops
    • Leadership mentorship - strengthening strategic and execution capability

    Outcome
    Teams execute with clarity and ownership, and leadership gains confidence that priorities are translating into real results.

Gain Clarity, drive outcomes

Aligning global leadership around a unified data platform

Financial Services

Challenge
Leadership at a global insurer aimed to implement a unified global data platform, but several operating companies were reluctant to commit resources and questioned the value of the initiative.

Role
Led an intensive strategy sprint bringing together C-level executives and product leaders across operating companies. Through stakeholder interviews and facilitated dialogue, I identified the root causes of resistance and guided leaders in co-creating a new rollout model aligning global priorities with local incentives.

Outcome
Alignment across global and local leadership, a reframed value proposition for the platform, and approval of a rollout strategy that unlocked implementation momentum.

Securing board approval for a digital service ecosystem

Professional Services

Challenge
TÜV SÜD’s CTO aimed to launch a centralised digital client service portal across multiple business units. Operational teams resisted the initiative and the board had not approved the investment.

Role
Led a discovery sprint working with leaders across business units to uncover the drivers behind the resistance and identify opportunities for value creation. Reframed the initiative from a “mandatory portal” into a value-driven ecosystem enabling reusable digital services while reducing costs.

Outcome
A new strategic narrative and business case that secured board approval and enabled the organisation to move forward with the initiative.

Defining a strategic path forward for a leading publisher

Media

Challenge
One of North America’s largest publishers, sought to strengthen its positioning and appeal to advertisers amid growing competition from digital platforms. Leadership recognised the need for change but lacked shared clarity on the way forward.

Role
Following a discovery process, facilitated a strategy sprint bringing together senior stakeholders across the organisation to assess advertiser expectations against Postmedia’s unique assets and identify priority areas for growth.

Outcome
From fragmented ideas to shared strategic direction, with a 3/6/12-month roadmap approved and rolled out across the organisation.

Supporting the creation of IKEA’s digital food venture

Retail

Challenge
IKEA launched a new venture to digitally transform its global food business. Leadership needed clarity on what “digital food” should mean for the organisation and where to invest.

Role
Worked as a strategic partner to the venture team, combining customer research, trend analysis and leadership workshops to identify opportunity spaces and define product priorities. Supported the team in shaping processes, building capabilities and launching new digital services.

Outcome
Vision and strategy for the venture, a portfolio of digital products and services launched globally, and operational capabilities established within the team.

Scaling digital capability across a global media agency

Media / Marketing

Challenge
When I joined MEC, one of WPP’s largest media agencies, digital channels such as social media and content were emerging but lacked clear strategic integration within the agency’s offering.

Role
Senior Digital Partner and Head of Social Media & Emerging Platforms across EMEA. Led the development of the agency’s social capability and helped codify a new digital strategy centred on owned and earned media.

Outcome
Social listening and engagement integrated into agency operations and client strategies. The social media specialist capability grew from three people to more than fifty across EMEA, supporting digital strategies for clients including Michelin, Blizzard and SABMiller.

Building an open innovation ecosystem for Marriott

Hospitality

Challenge
Marriott wanted to strengthen its appeal among a new generation of business travellers. Traditional marketing and sponsorship initiatives were not achieving the desired impact.

Role
Designed and led
Marriott TestBED, an open innovation programme connecting startups and hotel teams to test new technologies and demonstrate Marriott’s transformation in practice.

Outcome
Hundreds of startups mapped and evaluated, multiple pilots conducted in hotels, and authentic brand storytelling that positioned Marriott as a leader in hospitality innovation.

Exploring new growth opportunities across industries

Multiple sectors

Challenge
Many organisations seek growth through new markets, services or customer segments, but leadership teams often lack clarity on which opportunities are worth pursuing.

Role
Supported leadership teams in exploring and validating new growth opportunities by mapping opportunity spaces, identifying problem–solution fit and testing product–market fit.

Examples include

• IKEA — exploring food retail beyond the store
• TÜV SÜD — expanding into property management services
• Roche — developing new digital health services
• Telefónica O2 — introducing financial tools

Outcome
Multiple new products and services launched across industries and markets.

Some kind words

“Guy brings rare value as a strategic advisor who helps leaders and teams shift from short-term firefighting to long-term, resilient growth - guiding product strategy within a broader end-to-end business vision.”

— Simone Papa, Global Head of Digital Products, Energy services and Food at IKEA

“The way Guy helped align leadership, clarify vision, and rebuild team dynamics was seriously impressive and had transformative effect.”

— Axel Dumont, strategic advisor; former President Canada at Cossette Media

“A genuine game-changer. The strategy session didn't just capture every voice; it propelled our team past siloed thinking into big-picture strategy. The outcome was clear priorities and improved alignment.”

— Christoph Pleitgen, Managing Director at the Westerwelle Foundation

Let’s talk

Whether you’d like to learn more about my work, share a challenge your or your team are facing, or explore how to get everyone aligned and moving with purpose - I’d love to connect and see how I can help.

guy kedar