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Four ways to engage senior operational leadership

Choose the engagement model that fits the situation — fractional COO, interim COO, a defined operational transformation, or board, NED and due diligence. Each one draws on the same deep operational capability.

How I work — in 25 seconds

Engagement models

How clients engage me

Scope, cadence and duration are agreed at the outset. Fees are discussed directly and depend on scope and commitment.

01

Fractional COO

Embedded executive operational leadership for businesses that need senior COO capability without making a full-time permanent appointment.

Read more →02

Interim COO

Hands-on executive operational leadership during periods of transition, scale, transformation, leadership gaps or major change.

Read more →03

Operational Transformation

Defined transformation programmes for businesses that need to solve significant operational problems or build scalable operational capability, but do not necessarily need me acting as their COO.

Read more →04

Board, NED & Due Diligence

Independent operational judgement for boards, investors and leadership teams, including NED work, board advisory, operational due diligence, investment readiness and acquisition support.

Read more →
01

Fractional COO

Embedded executive operational leadership for businesses that need senior COO capability without making a full-time permanent appointment.

You need executive operational judgement now, but a full-time COO would consume cash the business should be spending on product, people or manufacture.

What I do

  • Take ownership of the operating agenda alongside the founder or CEO.
  • Set priorities across product release, supply chain, quality, systems and service.
  • Run the management cadence and hold functional leaders to committed outcomes.
  • Coach and structure the leadership team so decisions do not queue behind one person.

Typical outputs

  • Operating plan with owners, milestones and dependencies
  • Weekly and monthly management rhythm with a working KPI set
  • Risk register and escalation route that the board recognises

Business result

The company executes to plan without the fixed cost and hiring risk of a permanent COO appointment made too early.

Read the guide: What is a fractional COO?
02

Interim COO

Hands-on executive operational leadership during periods of transition, scale, transformation, leadership gaps or major change.

A leadership gap, a stalled transformation or a delivery crisis needs full executive ownership for a defined period.

What I do

  • Step in with full accountability for operations from day one.
  • Stabilise delivery, cost and customer commitments before changing anything structural.
  • Lead the transformation or recovery programme end to end.
  • Prepare and hand over to the permanent leader with the operation working.

Typical outputs

  • Stabilisation plan and immediate control of delivery commitments
  • Reorganised functional ownership and clear decision rights
  • Documented handover pack for the incoming permanent leader

Business result

The business keeps its commitments through a critical period and hands over an operation that is running, not one that needs rescuing again.

03

Operational Transformation

Defined transformation programmes for businesses that need to solve significant operational problems or build scalable operational capability, but do not necessarily need me acting as their COO.

A product will not industrialise, manufacturing and supply will not scale, cost is not understood, or the operating systems have been outrun by growth — and the business needs a scoped programme with an owner rather than another set of recommendations.

What I do

  • Diagnose the operational problem to cause, not symptom, and scope a programme with defined outcomes.
  • Lead product industrialisation, manufacturing transfer and supply-chain scale-up programmes end to end.
  • Rebuild the operating systems, planning rhythm and cost model the business runs on.
  • Transfer ownership to the permanent team so the improvement holds after I leave.

Typical outputs

  • Programme plan with gate criteria, milestones, owners and evidence requirements
  • The operational capability itself — industrialisation, sourcing, systems or cost model — in working use
  • Handover pack and trained owners inside the business

Business result

The operational problem is solved and the capability stays with the business rather than leaving with the consultant.

04

Board, NED & Due Diligence

Independent operational judgement for boards, investors and leadership teams, including NED work, board advisory, operational due diligence, investment readiness and acquisition support.

You need independent operational depth on the board, or a raise, acquisition or board review is approaching and the operational case has to stand up to scrutiny.

What I do

  • Bring operational rigour and governance discipline to board discussions and decisions.
  • Advise the CEO and board on strategy, funding, exit readiness and operational risk.
  • Build the operational plan and evidence that supports the commercial story, with traceable assumptions.
  • Run or defend operational due diligence, and rehearse the questions before an investor asks them.

Typical outputs

  • Independent board perspective grounded in operating experience
  • Operational plan, KPI baseline and evidence pack for the data room
  • Risk register with named owners and credible mitigations
  • Advisory input on funding, M&A, exit and executive succession

Business result

Diligence confirms the plan instead of unpicking it, and the board has the operational insight and independent challenge it needs to govern growth rather than just approve it.

Capabilities

The operational capability behind every engagement

These are not separate services to buy. They are the areas of operational depth I bring into a fractional, interim, transformation or board engagement.

Product Industrialisation

Turning technically successful products into products that can be manufactured repeatedly, economically and at scale.

Manufacturing Strategy & Scale-up

Building the manufacturing model, partners and capacity that will survive the next stage of volume.

Supply Chain & Procurement

Building resilient, commercially effective supply chains capable of supporting growth, product launch and manufacturing scale.

Quality, Regulatory & Operational Compliance

I ensure that quality, regulatory and compliance requirements are built into operational design, product release, manufacturing and scale, working alongside specialist regulatory functions and advisers where required.

Operational Systems, ERP & Data

The systems, planning rhythm and data that make an operation visible, controllable and explainable.

Cost, COGS & Unit Economics

Understanding and reducing cost at the level that actually moves gross margin.

Service, Logistics & Aftermarket Operations

Everything that happens after the product ships — and often where the margin and the reputation are decided.

Organisation, Leadership & Operating Cadence

The structure, ownership and rhythm that let a leadership team execute without the founder in every decision.

Investment & Scale Readiness

Operational investment readiness — the plan, metrics, controls and evidence an investor or acquirer will diligence.

AI & Operational Automation

Applying AI and automation where they materially improve operational decision-making, productivity, control and scalability.

Cybersecurity & Operational Risk

Managing security, data and operational risk across connected products, systems and the supply chain.

Explore all capabilitiesRead client case studies

Questions

Common questions about working together

What is a fractional COO, and how is it different from an interim COO?
A fractional COO works part-time on an ongoing basis — typically one to three days a week — owning the operating agenda alongside the founder or CEO. An interim COO is full-time for a defined period, usually to cover a gap, stabilise a business or carry it through a specific transition. The judgement is the same; the cadence and commitment differ.
What is the difference between an engagement model and a capability?
The engagement model is how I work with you — fractional COO, interim COO, a defined operational transformation programme, or board, NED and due diligence work. The capabilities are what I bring into that engagement: product industrialisation, manufacturing and supply chain, quality and regulatory, operating systems, cost, service, organisation, investment readiness, AI and cyber. You choose the engagement; the capabilities are drawn on as the problem requires.
How quickly can an engagement start?
Most engagements begin within two to four weeks of the first conversation. Where the situation is urgent — a stalled product release, a supply failure or a diligence deadline — a short diagnostic can usually start sooner.
What types of business do you work with?
Technology, hardware, manufacturing and regulated-product businesses, from venture-backed scale-ups moving from prototype to volume manufacture through to established manufacturers restructuring operations. Engagements have spanned seed through growth rounds, private equity transactions and strategic exits.
Do you work remotely or on site?
Both. Operating cadence, board work and supplier management run well remotely, but factory, supplier and quality work needs time on site. A typical engagement blends the two, agreed at the outset.
How are fees structured?
Fees depend on scope, cadence and duration, and are agreed directly before work starts. Fractional engagements are usually a monthly retainer against agreed days; interim and transformation work is priced against a defined scope and set of outputs.
Do you also offer non-executive director or board advisory roles?
Yes. Board, NED and due diligence is one of the four engagement models — bringing operational scrutiny to board decisions, supporting the executive team between meetings and testing operational assumptions in fundraising or diligence.

Next step

Engaged in the way the problem requires

Tell me where the operation is under strain and I will tell you which engagement model fits — and whether it is one I should take.

Discuss your priorities