Short, sharp, independent work that gives boards the clarity to decide.
Some of our most valuable work is also our shortest. A focused diagnostic, an independent review, an honest options appraisal - done in weeks, not months - can be the difference between a board that is stuck and a board that can move.
What we do
- Workforce diagnostics - structured, evidence-based review of a defined workforce question, delivered in two to six weeks.
- Independent reviews - board-commissioned reviews of services, functions or programmes.
- Options appraisals - robust evaluation of strategic options, including workforce, OD and change implications.
- Pre-business-case strategic work - the upstream thinking that makes a business case credible.
- Strategic advisory retainers - a senior consultant on call to chief executives, directors and chairs.
- Board and committee development - preparing boards to make complex decisions well.
How we work
We are not interested in long reports for their own sake. A good diagnostic answers the question it was set, in language a non-executive can understand, with a clear recommendation someone can be accountable for.
Independence is a discipline. We will not soften a finding because the executive would prefer a different conclusion. Clients hire us precisely because we won't.
What you can expect from us
- A senior advisor with sector credibility leading the engagement personally.
- A defined product, timescale and price.
- A board-ready report - not a 200-slide deck - and an in-person discussion of findings.
- Discretion and confidentiality, by default.
Typical engagements
- A four-week workforce diagnostic ahead of a clinical service review.
- An independent review of a stalled transformation programme.
- A six-week options appraisal for the future operating model of a corporate function.
- An advisory retainer to a chief people officer through a major reorganisation.
Need a clear answer to a hard question?
Our diagnostic work is designed to fit a board cycle. Tell us the question and the timescale; we'll tell you whether we can deliver something useful inside it.