Mark Ashton – core competences

2. Business diagnostics

4. Business planning &

growth

3. Solving tough business problems with

flair & ingenuity

7. Thought leadership

1. Top 1%-inspired

leadership & transformation

6. Top line-driven

turnaround

5. B2B relationship

development & sales

1. Top 1%-inspired leadership & transformation

• Widely acknowledged transformational leadership qualities (see selected client and partner testimonials below)

• Has repeatedly attracted and created powerful teams of senior independent consultants, inspiring them to work on successful transformation & organisational development projects, e.g. Network Rail, Northern Trust

• Led strategic change projects at BNFL, Bollhoff Armstrong, DCS Automotive, Federal-Mogul Aftermarket (UK/Ireland), Hanson Building Products, RS Components, Thorn Lighting, and Zeneca CTL (later Syngenta AG)

• Deep understanding of Top 1% leadership and transformation principles –respected blogger with almost 3,000 followers

"Mark has a wealth of experience as an advisor, coach and business developer. His strategic insight and entrepreneurial flair is grounded with practical hands on experience of delivering results on the business front line. This, combined with his boundless energy, empathy, and joy of life makes him a formidable agent for change." Respected international change consultant and author with 40 years’ business experience, now semi-retired, with whom I have worked extensively

"When you pick the people in life that you would have with you in the trenches, Mark would undoubtedly be on my list.“ Group Finance Director, Amtico International

"It's a pleasure doing LIFE with you... I'm slowly filling my business with the right DNA to do something extraordinary, and you are exemplary." Managing Director, Federal-Mogul Aftermarket (UK/Ireland)

2. Business diagnostics

• Expert in rapidly detecting key, often unrecognised or unstated, business issues• Inventor of highly effective St. George’s DenTM diagnostic method• Expert in Lean Startup and Business Model Canvas methods to assess product and service

viability

“Mark is….insightful, wise, detailed, honest, passionate and advised” Managing Director, Federal-Mogul Aftermarket (UK/Ireland)

“I’ve met very few external advisors like you before. You talk a great deal of common sense”Managing Director, UK Division of Hanson Building Products

3. Solving tough business problems with flair and ingenuity

Examples:• BNFL: earned value reporting for decommissioning projects, waste plants, and waste streams• London Lean Learning Academy: selling and delivering Lean business improvement to SMEs• RS Components: new pricing techniques to improve margins• Syngenta: post-merger troubleshooting• Zeneca CTL: applying activity-based costing to scientific research

“The measurement system you devised and implemented was the best of its kind I’ve ever seen.” Former Group Finance Director, BNFL (now Sellafield Limited)

"I hire you to stop me making management errors and to help fix those I do make."Global Head of Product Development, Syngenta AG (now retired)

4. Business planning & growth

• BNFL: played central role in 2 successive annual business and liabilities planning rounds• Laporte plc: developed strategic plans for new and existing manufacturing capacity • Hanson plc: investigated new $1 billion US market; carried out commercial due diligence on

planned £350m UK acquisition• RSM UK: reviewed business planning & forecasting across each division of £350m plc client

"If you have a knotty business problem... stopping you getting the true value out of your customers & business contact this guy....NOW." Former Managing Director, Jordans Cereals

5. B2B sales

• Widely and deeply networked – often cited as a prolific networker with strong relationships• Currently sales partner for two boutique consulting firms, one in UK, one in US• Excellent track record in consultancy sales since 1997; built largest client account in a

company’s 30 year history (£1 million+ in 1 year), & won numerous ‘beauty parade’ contests against big consulting firms

• Grew US sales & service business for UK textile machinery manufacturer from $6 million to $20 million pa over 4 years

• Prevented larger, powerful Swiss competitor from winning any business, save with one of their existing clients, during a 2 year period as UK Sales Manager

"We have been extremely impressed with the breadth and depth of (Mark’s and his team’s) experience, relationships and knowledge base. They have put us in front of major decision makers in a series of European and US companies ranging from $50 million to $50 billion in revenue. We plan to be lifelong business partners with them.” Sales Director, Development Advisors Inc.

6. Top line-driven turnaround

Examples:• Determined if a software company could be saved, wrote the rescue plan, kept the banks

at bay, advised on the restructuring, and coached the new management team through the turnaround, return to sustained profitability, and to an eventual successful trade sale

• Investigated reasons for a 400 employee home furnishings company’s descent towards bankruptcy 18 months after a PE-backed MBO

"Without you this company wouldn't still exist. Even if it did I wouldn't still be running it.“ Managing Director, DCS Automotive UK Ltd

“We’re humbled by what you’ve uncovered about the fundamentals of this business in less than two weeks, which our due diligence missed entirely.” Regional Director, 3i

7. Thought leadership

• Widely recognised creative business thinker, focused on increasing business value • Recent white paper: ‘Changing behaviours, transforming performance’• Strong business education – MBA with Distinction (Warwick Business School), Achieving

Outstanding Performance executive programme (INSEAD)• Widely acknowledged written and verbal presentation skills

"Mark is one of very few individuals I've met who 'know where to make the mark'. A creative problem solver, a strategic thinker & a uniquely gifted leader.“ Sales Director, MPSys Ltd

"Mark is one of the most intelligent people I’ve worked with.“ Former Managing Director, JordansCereals

The rare DNA of Top 1% organisations

insight

die-in-a-ditch values

appetite for discovery &

changepassion

cohesion

imagination

resilience humility

collective self-

discipline

purpose beyond profit

courage

consistency

(Example of Top 1% transformation approach developed by Mark Ashton)

Top 1% business practices – 9 examples

Top 1% leadership, behaviour & culture –

open, accountable, selfless, enabling &

courageous

Rigorous selection, appointment &

performance evaluation based on character &

behaviour

Customer-focused KPIs & business

processes

Outside-in, not inside-out attitudes, thinking &

behaviour

Focus on customer value and meaningful contribution 1st, short-

term profit 2nd

Lean startup(rapid learning &

hypothesis testing) for new ideas and

projects

Intelligent budgeting, fully resourced critical

growth and change projects

Strong partnerships with customers, suppliers, even

competitors

Transparency, dialogue and engagement with

employees

(Example of Top 1% transformation approach developed by Mark Ashton)

PEOPLEgrowth model

Physiology of Evolutionary Organisational Progress, Learning & Excellence

IMPLEMENTING

CREATING

SOLUTIONS

CURRENT

REALITY

SOCIAL/

EMOTIONAL

LEARNING/

INTELLECTUAL

CORE

4

VALUES & GOALS

1

23

HeartHead

Skin

SUSTAINING

Soul

5

Solving problems with flair and

tenacity

Designing transformations

around people

Understanding reality as is, not as we want it to be

Tapping into what actually drives people

(Example of Top 1% transformation approach developed by Mark Ashton)

Each element of the model, 1-5, is underpinned by detailed methodology

St George’s DenTM

Highly effective problem solving technique

Strong, objective mechanism for on-going quarterly progress reviews

St George’s DenTM gives one or more senior executive(s) a confidential, private ‘personal board of directors’. It uses the CREATE coaching model: first, accurately assess Current Reality, then Evaluate Alternatives and finally Target Energy at practical solutions

Benefits:• Detailed questioning of

problems/challenges by senior team with varied perspectives

• Structured evaluation of alternative actions

• Serves as an emotional pressure valve, clarifies thought and renews energy

(Example of business diagnostic developed by Mark Ashton)

“Shattering!” “Exhilarating!” “Powerful” “Simply brilliant!”

Mark Ashton – areas of expertise

Safe, effective start-up

Successful turnaround or response to adversity

Organic growth

Transforming change and bold vision, incl. M&A

Creating healthy, exciting, sustainable organisations

mwnashton@gmail.comMobile: 07815 881726

Landline: 01729 830114

“Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.”Peter Drucker