Why the second chair.
The question behind the work
How do you make a good decision when it's hard to undo, and other people's money and livelihoods ride on it?
Numbers first. Then people. Then the room.
I started out in management accounts. That's where I learned to read a business the way an investor does. Not the story it tells about itself. The one the numbers tell.
Then I spent years coaching leaders to present in the rooms that matter most. Boards. Investors. Their own people on a hard day.
Along the way I've helped founders raise £150m, and advised CEOs and senior leaders at SMEs and at Google, Meta, Bloomberg, HSBC, Lloyds, Shopify and Virgin.
What I kept noticing was simple. The founders who did best weren't the ones with the best answers. They were the ones with someone beside them asking better questions. Close enough to be useful. Independent enough to be honest.
That's the second chair. You make the call. I sit beside you while you do.
Better thinking creates better options.
Most stuck decisions aren't short of answers. They're short of options nobody has named yet.
Capital changes the terms on which you lead.
The day you take someone's money, every decision gets an audience. That's worth deciding with your eyes open.
The decision always stays yours.
I'm not there to make the call. I'm there so the call you make is one you can stand behind.
Husband of one. Father of two. Friend of many. Lifelong LFC fan, art collector and foodie.
Made in Britain. Designed in the Caribbean. Sourced from Africa.
I'm also a Non-Executive Director and trustee for two charities, Black Unity Bike Ride and Social Ark. Leadership isn't only about growth. It's also about stewardship, and deciding what's worth building in the first place.
The BRAVE Model. Five characteristics. Each one a discipline, not a quality.
Acting on informed conviction without waiting for certainty.
Recovering from setbacks without losing what they taught you.
Changing direction when the evidence says so.
A clear picture of where you are going, shared so people align.
Sound decisions when no one is watching and the rules are unclear.
The BRAVE Leader
More courage. Less fear. Better decisions for inclusive leadership. The book that sets out the framework. A novel follows in 2027.
The Quiet Work
Where I think out loud on leading well with money, pressure and other people's trust. Read it →
Founders, CEOs and senior leaders at SMEs, scale-ups and global organisations. £150m raised alongside founders.
Speaking professionally since my twenties. Global stages, TEDx three times. BMW, JP Morgan, Shell, Vodafone.
[Selected podcast appearances and media, three or four names.]
Non-Executive Director and trustee, Black Unity Bike Ride and Social Ark.