Clarity that moves. Outcomes that matter.
I've sat in enough boardrooms to know it's rarely ambition or talent that's missing. It's clarity on where to focus, and a clean line from vision to execution.
I help organisations build a shared view of where the real value sits - and drive the outcomes that matter.
15+ years with leadership teams at WPP · IKEA · Allianz · Marriott · Grohe · Telefónica · TÜV Süd · Munich Re · scale-ups and start-ups.
The Reality
The things that used to hold still - customer expectations, technology, markets - don't anymore.
Getting ahead of that can mean rethinking the customer experience end-to-end, finding where AI can actually change how work gets done, or cutting a list of competing priorities down to the two or three that count. It’s also making sure all that activity actually moves the numbers that matter.
When to call me
When you're asking questions like:
Where's our next opportunity to create and capture more value for customers?
Where can AI genuinely create value - beyond pilots, tools and hype?
Is this a problem people will actually pay us to solve?
We have too many initiatives. Which ones actually matter?
Everyone agreed in the room. Three months later, nothing's different.
Or simply: something important just changed, and you haven't worked out yet what to do about it. That's usually reason enough to talk.
The approach
Discover. Align. Drive
Discover — see the whole picture, find where to focus.
I look at how customers actually experience your business, what technology now makes possible, and where the market's heading - then hold that up against what's really happening inside the organisation. Customer research, Jobs to Be Done, workflow mapping, systems thinking: whatever it takes to surface the opportunities that matter, especially the ones that are hard to see from inside.
Align — decide what matters, together. An opportunity nobody acts on is a wish. I get the right people looking at the same picture instead of defending their own, challenge assumptions, stress-test solutions, and build the narrative that forces the real choices: what to focus on, what to stop. What comes out the other side is clarity and commitment - the kind that survives past the room it was made in.
Drive — turn choices into action.
Most offsites end in agreement. Most quarters end somewhere else. I turn choices into roadmaps, experiments and actions someone owns, so ideas get tested before they get scaled. Sometimes the work ends there. Often it doesn't. I stay close, for as long as it's useful, to help leadership hold their nerve and keep moving when it gets hard.
The format follows the challenge.
One day - Reset the direction.
For leadership teams that need to step out of the day-to-day, challenge assumptions, and leave with a few decisions that actually matter.
Focused sprint — Find the opportunity. Build the way forward. Typically 2–6 weeks of research, mapping and prioritisation that turns an ambiguous strategic question into clear choices and an actionable roadmap.
Embedded — Keep it moving.
Ongoing, alongside the CEO and leadership team, when the challenge needs more than a plan: a strategic partner who keeps priorities sharp and makes sure last quarter's decisions are still alive this quarter. Without adding another full-time executive.
Let's talk
Whether you'd like to learn more about my work or share a challenge you or your team are facing - let's jump on a call, or coffee.
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.
AI transformation enablement
Challenge
A global infrastructure and development group sought to accelerate AI adoption through Microsoft Copilot. While leadership recognised the potential of AI, there was limited visibility into where meaningful value could be created, which workflows should be prioritised, and what organisational barriers might limit adoption and impact.
Role
Designed and facilitated a cross-functional AI transformation programme for 60 leaders across 6 business units.
Through workflow mapping workshops, stakeholder interviews and opportunity assessments, I helped teams identify, prioritise and redesign key workflows, while uncovering the operational, governance and data challenges influencing AI readiness.
Outcome
Identified and prioritised a portfolio of high-value AI opportunities across multiple business units. More importantly, the programme revealed that the primary constraint was not AI capability but fragmented processes, unclear ownership, inconsistent standards and scattered information. This led to a strategic roadmap combining quick-win AI initiatives with foundational improvements in governance, workflow management and operating model design—creating the conditions for sustainable AI-enabled transformation.
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.
