Board Advisory

Independent counsel when decisions are heavy

Strategy, risk and leadership support for Chairs, NEDs and CEOs.

Calm presence. Clean thinking. Useful action.

Where this helps

  • Strategy choices with real trade-offs
  • Restructure, M&A and post-merger alignment
  • Succession and top-team shape
  • Culture repair after strain or rapid growth
  • Delivery discipline when plans stall
  • Crisis preparation and response

What changes in practice

  • Clearer choices with the risks named
  • Tighter decision cadence at board and exec level
  • Straighter conversations across the top team
  • Roles and reporting lines that hold
  • Clean meeting rhythms and better papers
  • Delivery that moves without noise
Engagement model
Cadence: monthly or quarterly sessions, with ad hoc support between meetings.

Format: board prep, in-room support, executive 1-to-1s where needed, and short working sessions with owners.

Deliverables: a short options brief, a decision log, action trackers, and notes that state the next move.

Access: one named point of contact. Fast response during tight windows.
First 60 days​
Week 1: alignment with Chair or CEO, current issues, decision calendar, key constraints.

Week 2: fast scan of governance rhythms, papers, and top-team dynamics.

Week 3–4: quick wins on meeting design, decision rights, and delivery checkpoints.

Week 5–8: shape the next strategic choice, agree owners, set a 30-day execution plan.

Review: short note on outcomes, risks and next steps.
Proof in plain sight
  • Senior leadership background with full P&L over £100M
  • Reconnaissance squad leader in the Polish Armed Forces
  • Team resets that improved decision cadence and delivery reliability
  • Work across the UK, US, GCC and EU in regulated and high-stakes contexts

typical scopes

Prepare one strategic choice with options, risks, triggers and a go/no-go plan. Install a decision board and monthly review.
Clarify roles and reporting lines, map decision rights, agree ways of working, and run a 60-day integration plan.
Frame the plan, set interim cover, design a fair process, and help the new leader land with a clean 90-day map.
Short diagnosis, then a practical plan that fixes trust, meetings, and decision hygiene. Simple measures that leaders can hold.

practicalities

  1. 20-minute call with Chair or CEO.
  2. Light due diligence: recent papers, decision calendar, structure.
  3. Proposal with scope, cadence, measurement and confidentiality terms.
  4. Contract, NDA, and if needed, vendor onboarding.
  5. Kick-off and first 30-day plan.
  • Notes are short and factual. Decisions, owners, dates.
  • Outcome-level reporting only. No theatre.
  • Conflict-of-interest check before work starts.
  • Board conversations stay private.
  • Any executive coaching runs under clear guardrails.
  • No therapy. If wellbeing issues appear, we signpost.
  • NDA and contract ready.
  • Vendor onboarding support.
  • Public liability and professional indemnity insurance in place.
  • GDPR-aligned data handling. Local rules observed.
  • In person or virtual. UK, US, GCC and Europe covered.
  • Fixed slot for cadence. Emergency slot during critical weeks.
  • Works with your tools: Teams, Zoom, Meet.
  • Monthly or quarterly retainer, agreed per scope.
  • Invoiced in GBP, US or EUR.
  • 5-day reschedule window for board-level sessions.
  • Travel at cost with prior sign-off.
On time, on brief and discreet. Comfortable in mixed-nationality senior rooms. Materials adjusted for local expectations when needed.
Board room hygiene we install
  • One clear decision owner for each item
  • A standard paper format with options, risk and triggers
  • A decision log reviewed monthly
  • Meeting design that halves overrun
  • A 30-60-90 action board that lives between meetings

f.a.q

This service is independent counsel. If a seat is needed, we agree terms separately. Many clients prefer the flexibility of advisory.
You get short, practical involvement focused on decisions and leadership. No slide decks for their own sake. No team of juniors. Fast cycles.
We agree indicators at the start. Typical ones are time to decision on critical items, meeting overrun, clarity of owners, and delivery on 30-60-90 plans. Reviewed monthly.
Yes. We set a decision drill, a 24-hour comms plan, and a clear next-day review. The aim is calm action, not noise.
If it serves the board’s goals, yes. We keep clear boundaries and outcome-level reporting only.
Yes. I provide a one-page template and coach authors to write to it. Options, risks, triggers, and the ask.
Often. We set decision cadence, a meeting rhythm that works, and a simple relationship map for the first 90 days.
Short, anonymised snapshots and private references on request with permission.
Ready to talk?
If you want independent counsel that turns pressure into progress, let us talk.