Most businesses don't have a strategy problem. They have an execution problem.
The strategy is clear. The opportunities are visible. The capability exists. But priorities blur, decisions stall, and leaders get consumed by the urgent at the expense of the important. That's where I come in — as a thinking partner who helps ensure the right things actually happen.
Business doesn't operate on a monthly cycle. Opportunities, challenges and decisions happen every week — so my engagements are built around two rhythms, with support whenever something unexpected comes up.
Because great plans don't create results. Consistent action, good decisions and accountability do.
Growth that has outpaced the systems and structure around it
Leadership transitions or succession planning
A leadership team not yet operating as a genuine team
A major strategic decision on the horizon
A founder who is still the answer to every question
A Board navigating a genuinely difficult, contested decision
My path to this work started as a steeplejack and mountain guide, took in a bank in London, a failed IT start-up, and management consulting across Europe and Asia Pacific. From there, Harvard Business School Corporate Learning, mountain safety operations in Yemen, a forestry business I built and sold, and senior leadership roles on multi-billion-dollar energy projects.
Along the way I chaired a climate advocacy charity and taught business students at Otago University. Different industries. Same underlying lesson — people drive performance. Get the people right, and almost everything else follows.
Read the full story →Kind, yet suitably demanding.Iain's approach, in four words
Leadership can be lonely, particularly when the decisions carry weight. If you're navigating growth, change or an important decision, I'd welcome a conversation. No pitch. No obligation.
Book a Conversation