What kind of operational leadership do these case studies show?

Executive ownership rather than advice: manufacturing scale-up, supply chain, quality and regulatory systems, operating cadence, cost reduction and investor-grade operational evidence. In each case the accountability sat with me, not with a report.

Were these fractional, interim or full-time roles?

A mix. IONATE and Indra were fractional or interim mandates; ROLI, Nujira, Fwip and XYZ Reality were full-time executive roles. The discipline is identical — a fractional engagement simply delivers it across one to three days a week.

Can you share references for these engagements?

Yes. Named references from founders, chairs and executives are available on request, and several are published on the experience page. Commercial detail is withheld where confidentiality applies.

Do you only work with hardware and manufacturing businesses?

The common thread is a physical product or a regulated delivery environment — deep tech, connected hardware, energy, robotics, semiconductor and consumer electronics. That operational depth is where the value is highest.

Case studies

Real client stories, and what changed

Named operational leadership engagements across deep tech, connected health, EV charging, robotics, semiconductor and consumer hardware — the challenge each business faced, the work done, and the measurable outcome.

£200m+: Funding supported across Series A to acquisition
200%+: Manufacturing capacity uplift
8 → 120: Field service engineers built
£0.5m → £30m: Revenue scaled

These are named engagements where outcomes can be stated accurately. Some figures are rounded and commercial detail is withheld where confidentiality applies. Further anonymised examples and named references are on the experience page.

Indra Renewable Technologies

Interim COO

2022 – 2023

EV charging · energy

The challenge

Indra was transitioning from product development towards commercial scale. Manufacturing capacity was constrained, component costs were too high for the target market, and the operational systems — planning, quality and supply chain — had not kept pace with the ambition of the business.

What I did

Led a broad operational transformation covering manufacturing, supply chain, cost reduction, systems, quality and operational planning.
Lifted internal manufacturing capacity through line redesign, process improvement and structured production planning.
Ran a major cost-reduction programme across the component BOM, working at a detailed level with engineering and suppliers.
Built the operational evidence pack that supported a £20m Series B raise.

Outcomes

Internal manufacturing capacity increased by more than 200%.
Component BOM reduced by more than 30%, delivering several million pounds of forecast savings.
£20m Series B successfully raised on the back of credible operational readiness.
Systems and processes left in place to support the next stage of growth.

Equivital (Hidalgo Ltd)

Chief Operating Officer

2023 – Present

Connected health · regulated hardware

The challenge

An AI-enabled connected health-monitoring business needed recovery and scale-up at the same time: product, engineering, operations, quality, regulatory and manufacturing all required executive ownership, in a regulated environment where shortcuts were not available.

What I did

Took executive ownership across product, engineering, operations, quality, regulatory and manufacturing as a single integrated function.
Stabilised day-to-day operations while rebuilding the quality and regulatory foundations required for a medical-adjacent product.
Reset the product and engineering roadmap against what manufacturing and the supply chain could actually deliver.

Outcomes

Business stabilised and moved onto a sustainable growth footing.
Quality and regulatory capability rebuilt as a standing function, not a project.
Product development, manufacturing and commercial plans aligned under one operating plan.

IONATE

Fractional COO

2026 – Present

Deep tech · power systems

The challenge

A deep-tech power-systems business preparing for Series B investment and commercial scale needed an operating plan, a credible manufacturing route and investor-grade operational evidence — without yet needing a full-time COO.

What I did

Built the operating plan and cadence the leadership team now runs the business against.
Defined the route from prototype to volume manufacture, including partner strategy and evidence-based stage gates.
Prepared the operational evidence required for investor diligence.

Outcomes

Operating plan and management rhythm established and adopted by the leadership team.
Manufacturing route defined with credible partners and stage-gated evidence.
Series B preparation underway with operational readiness treated as a first-class workstream.

Fwip

VP Global Operations

2021 – 2022

Connected food robotics

The challenge

A connected food-robotics business with a growing installed base had outgrown its service infrastructure. Field service was reactive, European logistics were immature, and the engineer network could not keep pace with deployments.

What I did

Built the European logistics and field-service infrastructure from a low base.
Designed and scaled the service-engineer network, including recruitment, training, tooling and spares logistics.
Put service metrics and escalation processes in place so issues surfaced before customers felt them.

Outcomes

Service network scaled from 8 to over 120 engineers.
European logistics infrastructure operational and supporting a growing installed base.
Service moved from reactive firefighting to a managed, measured operation.

XYZ Reality

VP Global Operations

2021

Construction technology · AR hardware

The challenge

A hardware-plus-software AR business approaching Series A needed professional operations and product development: processes, supply chain and delivery capability that could stand up to investor diligence.

What I did

Professionalised operations and product development processes across the business.
Established supply-chain and manufacturing arrangements appropriate to a low-volume, high-complexity hardware product.
Supported the operational workstream of the fundraise.

Outcomes

£20m Series A round successfully supported.
Operations and product development brought to an investor-ready standard.

ROLI

VP Global Operations

2015 – 2019

Consumer music technology

The challenge

A breakthrough consumer music-technology company needed to scale from early revenue to global consumer hardware volumes — building the entire contract-manufacturing and supply network while supporting successive funding rounds.

What I did

Built the global CEM and supply network from scratch, selecting partners against capability and volume fit rather than headline price.
Scaled manufacturing operations alongside rapid revenue growth and new product introductions.
Provided the operational evidence supporting Series B and C fundraising.

Outcomes

Revenue scaled from £0.5m to £30m.
£40m+ raised across Series B and C rounds.
Global manufacturing and supply network established with the world's leading contract manufacturers.

Nujira Ltd (acquired by Qualcomm)

VP Operations and Quality

2006 – 2015

RF semiconductor

The challenge

An RF semiconductor business needed operations and quality infrastructure capable of supporting very high unit volumes, venture-scale fundraising and, ultimately, acquisition by a strategic buyer.

What I did

Built operations supporting annual volumes in excess of 100 million RF units.
Established the quality systems and supply-chain arrangements required by global tier-one customers.
Supported successive venture rounds and the operational diligence leading to acquisition.

Outcomes

Operations scaled to support 100m+ units annually.
Approximately $100m of venture funding supported across rounds.
Company acquired by Qualcomm.

Behind the work

The engagements and capabilities these stories draw on

Each story is the same operating discipline applied at a different stage: an engagement model matched to the business, and operational depth underneath it.

Engagement models Operational capabilities The operating methodology

Common questions

About these case studies

What kind of operational leadership do these case studies show?: Executive ownership rather than advice: manufacturing scale-up, supply chain, quality and regulatory systems, operating cadence, cost reduction and investor-grade operational evidence. In each case the accountability sat with me, not with a report.
Were these fractional, interim or full-time roles?: A mix. IONATE and Indra were fractional or interim mandates; ROLI, Nujira, Fwip and XYZ Reality were full-time executive roles. The discipline is identical — a fractional engagement simply delivers it across one to three days a week.
Can you share references for these engagements?: Yes. Named references from founders, chairs and executives are available on request, and several are published on the experience page. Commercial detail is withheld where confidentiality applies.
Do you only work with hardware and manufacturing businesses?: The common thread is a physical product or a regulated delivery environment — deep tech, connected hardware, energy, robotics, semiconductor and consumer electronics. That operational depth is where the value is highest.

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