• Established growth enterprises
• Young emerging growth companies

Established Growth Enterprise Clients

In our experience, young companies and established enterprises can learn from one another. The young can teach about creativity and fast reaction time. The established can teach the value of sustaining process and structure. Here are some examples of companies we serve in both categories.

Note that while it is common practice in the entrepreneurial context to identify clients by name, client privacy is common for larger clients. Thus we honor this commitment by not identifying the following enterprise clients by name.

Client: Consumer Services
Issue: Strategies for Improved Global Performance

On the heels of rapid global expansion the CEO recognized an intensifying competitive mix and changing customer needs. In short, he felt the recent success was endangered; he needed a new approach to deal with the changing world scene. We conducted an extensive set of interviews of major players, globally, to gain a deeper sense of culture and cohesiveness. In addition we performed in depth analysis of customer segments and competitive tendencies to bracket the nature of global change. Working with the CEO with created a global leadership team, and ran a series of workshops to build a common understanding of the issues and commitment to a new set of strategic initiatives. The centerpiece of our recommendation; forming an ongoing, global strategy board to take charge of tailoring initiatives to local markets and monitoring follow through. The result: The business has improved its competitive position and continued on a strong growth path.

Client: $10 Billion Private Industrial Co.
Issue: Governance to Drive Performance

While a private enterprise is not required to follow new NYSE practices, the CEO recognized the advantage of a well-constructed Board. Our role: To completely re-design the governance structure, from the roles & responsibilities of the CEO and Board, to a new Committee structure with new Charters, to a calendar with annual and meeting agendas in tune with the rhythm of the business. The goal: To build an effective Board that could contribute to improving the performance of the enterprise. We developed a full scale redesign, based on leading practices of large enterprises, within and outside the client’s industry. The result: Our client has embedded our recommendations and as the processes of the Board and its relationship with the leadership team are maturing, the performance of the enterprise is improving as intended.

Client: Insurance Company
Issue: New Governance Context as a Public Company

The move from a private enterprise to a public company is challenging. The leadership team must deal with a new and intimidating set of regulatory issues while maintaining its focus on leading a business in a demanding competitive environment. Our role: to help the CEO and the newly formed Board of Directors to make the transition. Our recommendations started by defining the fundamental role of the Board and ensuring that the leadership team and the Board understood and accepted the implications. We gave special attention for the Board’s role in the strategic dialogue, since as an essentially new company, they had many more options to consider. Once the Board grasped the intent and potential impact of the role, we could design a set of ongoing recommendations. The result: The company has managed its transition well and is exceeding its performance targets.

Client: Two Multi-Business Industrials
Issue: Joint Venture

Over several years these two companies had explored the concept of setting up a joint venture to compete more effectively. Each operated in a distinct market segment with equally distinct technologies. However, the needs of its core customers were evolving to require a broader concept utilizing upstream elements of the value chain. Our task: To make a definitive case pro or con for the JV. Our work entailed analysis of the customer need which confirmed, and strongly so, the strategic value of consolidating the value chain. Working with our strategic partner, Chartermast, a specialist in shareholder value analysis, we were able to quantify the value of the JV. Interestingly, very little of the value to be created would derive from cost reductions; rather the driving levers were increased growth and an improved competitive position. The result: Discussions are underway.

Client: Private Equity - Public Company
Issue: New Strategy & Culture to foster Growth

As a private equity owned enterprise, the focus was largely on productivity and restructuring to ensure a solid base for the future. Once the company re-emerged as a public entity, the CEO recognized the need to reset the strategies and culture in order to become a growth-oriented enterprise. Our work had two phases. In the first phase we identified those business opportunities which had strong upside potential due to market/competitive conditions and/or solid but un-leveraged technologies. We helped the business segment leaders to define value-creating goals and the key strategic initiatives to achieve those goals. Our second phase, which is currently in process, focuses on how to re-orient the businesses and the entire enterprise to growth. To kick off this phase we employed our Growth Diagnostic, a tool we’ve developed to benchmark a client versus the leading growth practices of successful, value-creating growth enterprises. Armed with the results, we are in the process of assisting the leadership team to re-design the strategic context in order to lift its performance. It represents a major challenge, but one the team is ready to tackle.

Client: Leading non-Profit
Issue: Improved Governance

The client has grown substantially. While staying true to its core mission, it had added numerous diverse initiatives and layers of organizational complexity. The Chairman rightfully recognized that the transparency and performance pressures facing publicly held companies were coming to the non-profit sector. Further, he understood that complexity had outpaced the governance process. Our role: To work with the Chairman and Members of the Board to re-design a new structure and set of processes to improve oversight and impact. Our approach leveraged leading practices, both in the for-profit and allied organizations. Insights we were able to bring from leading for-profit enterprises, which have been working on such issues for a longer period, gave new light to the leadership team. The result: The Board has adopted a new charter and has been reformed. The Chairman and CEO have a better grip on operations and performance.

Client: Non-Profit
Issue: New Leadership Construct to Manage Sharply Increased Funding

Growth is a challenge in the non-profit sector as well. In this case, a condition of a dramatic funding increase was to determine if the organization could absorb the step up in activity and the changes of leadership structure and process that would be needed to effectively deploy the augmented resources. Our role was twofold: First, to advise the funding group as to whether the organization could handle the new mandate. Second, we were to work with the leadership team to strengthen its capacity to grow while maintaining control. The result: After an extensive review and analysis of the field and central organizations, we concluded the organization did have the ability to grow into its challenge. Further, we worked with the leadership team to shore up weaknesses and re-design its management process. The funding has occurred and the organization its well on its way to delivering on the larger mission.