Operating Partner & Fractional COO
I work with private equity investors, boards, and founders when performance needs to tighten — when margins are drifting, cash visibility is weak, or growth is outrunning control.
The job is straightforward: define decision rights, make the numbers reliable, and install a rhythm that holds under pressure. If the cash does not reconcile and ownership is unclear, nothing else matters.
Core services
Three operating layers. Each one clarifies ownership, exposure, and consequence — not theory.
Operating system
Decision rights, unit economics, metrics, and a weekly execution rhythm.
Operating System Architecture
Forecasting discipline
Driver-based forecasting, scenario triggers, and cash visibility that prevents surprises.
Forecasting & Capital Planning
Leadership cadence
Meeting hygiene, accountability loops, and decisions that close week after week.
Leadership Execution Cadence
Post-Investment Stabilization (0–180 Days)
- Rapid diagnostic to find where variance is coming from (margin, conversion, cost, throughput).
- Cost-base and operating reset that protects capacity while stopping the bleed.
- 13-week cash visibility so liquidity stops being a surprise.
- Scenario plan with explicit triggers for action (not a spreadsheet exercise).
- 100-day plan with owners, milestones, and board-level reporting.
In practice, this is about restoring control quickly: fewer meetings, clearer thresholds, and decisions that close. Stabilisation is rarely dramatic — it is disciplined and deliberate.
Scale & Replication
- Multi-site operating model so performance is consistent across locations and leaders.
- International supply chain buildout and market-entry mechanics when expansion goes global.
- Unit economics visibility that ties growth decisions to margin and working capital.
- Forecasting and capital planning that supports board conversations and (when relevant) IPO readiness.
Growth is gated by operating readiness. Expansion without margin control simply multiplies problems.
Post-Merger Integration Leadership
- Integration office setup (IMO) with clear decision rights and a single operating plan.
- KPI and reporting alignment so leadership is steering one business, not two.
- Synergy tracking that is measurable, owned, and reviewed on a fixed cadence.
- Leadership and culture decisions handled quickly when ambiguity is slowing execution.
Acquisitions create complexity. Integration is less about spreadsheets and more about decisive ownership.
Founder-to-Scale Partnership
- Turn founder intent into a practical operating model with real ownership and thresholds.
- Install a weekly cadence where priorities don’t drift and decisions don’t float.
- Build capital-efficient growth mechanics (inventory, staffing, coverage, unit economics).
- Prepare the business for institutional capital — venture, private equity, or public markets.
I work closely with founders, but I remain investor-aligned. Growth only counts if the numbers hold.
Engagement Models
- Fractional COO: embedded execution leadership, weekly variance review, and ownership of how decisions translate into results.
- Interim operator: time-bound leadership (30–180 days) to stabilise, integrate, or reset performance under pressure.
- Operating Partner support: pre-deal diligence, 100-day execution planning, and board-level reporting through the hold period.