I'm passionate about building better businesses across borders — by taking the lead where it matters and making decisions that create lasting impact.
THE JOURNEY
Built from the ground up
My career began where every retail career should — on the shop floor. Over nearly three decades, I worked my way through every layer of the business: from store operations to portfolio management, from regional expansion to leading a globally operating franchisor at IKEA.
Along the way, I developed hands-on expertise across the full spectrum of retail — managing large organisations, building complex product portfolios, driving international market expansion, and navigating the intricate dynamics of franchise architecture, all while keeping ESG priorities at the centre of the strategy.
Living and working across different political systems, economies, and cultures didn't just broaden my worldview — it fundamentally shaped how I lead. It taught me that the best strategies are never imported wholesale; they're adapted, negotiated, and co-created with the people who have to make them work.
PHILOSOPHY
What experience taught me
Through years of leading operations across markets, building global product portfolios, designing franchise systems, and driving international expansion, I've learned that an organisation's greatest asset isn't its strategy, its data, or its talent — it's whether its people still have the space to decide and act based on their own judgment. The Germans have a word for that space: Ermessensspielraum.
Not the freedom to ignore rules — but the authority to interpret them intelligently when reality doesn't fit the process. When that space shrinks, capable people stop deciding. Opportunities pass. And the organisation starts responding to itself instead of to its markets.
That's what I look for first in every engagement — not the strategy gap or the market opportunity, but whether the people in the organisation still have the room to act on what they see. Because without that, even the best plan stays on paper.
HOW I WORK
With you. In the business. And always with an end in sight.
I read the business before changing it. Whether that means a structured market readiness diagnostic or a deep dive into the P&L and stakeholder landscape — I build a fact base before I make a recommendation.
When the situation calls for it, I take the seat — with full accountability for the P&L, the team, and the outcome. I make the decisions the organisation has been avoiding, and I go operational when the work demands it. A CEO who started as a carpenter doesn't stay in the corner office when the shop floor needs attention.
WHY ME
I GO DEEP WHERE I'M STRONGEST — AND BUILD THE RIGHT TEAM AROUND IT.
My engagements start by listening — to the people closest to the work, the decisions that aren't being made, and the conversations happening one level below the boardroom. That's how I find what's actually going on, not just what's being reported.
You get me directly, from the first conversation to the last milestone, with nearly three decades of global leadership behind every decision — from retail operations to franchise systems spanning 60+ markets.
My core is growth, scaling, and transformation leadership — that's where I take full responsibility, backed by methods and tools I've built from practice, not theory. When the challenge requires expertise beyond that, I assemble the right specialists around it. No standing teams. No recycled playbooks. Every engagement is built for your situation.
I work with companies, not on them. Every framework is shared, every diagnostic is explained, and the people in your organisation learn to carry the work forward. The goal isn't a longer engagement — it's a better business, a more capable team, and results that last beyond my involvement. Whether that means stabilising a portfolio company post-acquisition, preparing a family business for its next chapter, or accelerating a company's expansion into new markets.
Let's talk
The first conversation takes 60–90 minutes and costs nothing. We’ll cover three questions: what your organisation is facing, what kind of support would make the most difference, and what would need to be true for the situation to improve.
If the fit is right, you’ll have a scoping proposal within one week. If it’s not the right moment, I’ll say so directly — along with what would need to change first.