When Growth Stalls. Pause.
I help find and fix what’s holding your business back.
It’s not always about chasing more sales. It could be your strategy, market positioning, products, customers, routes to market, sustainability demands, cash flow, or profitability.
Where we start
When growth stalls, the first job is not to hire more salespeople, increase targets, write a new business plan, or update the marketing deck.
It is to understand what is really going on in the business.
I work with the owner and leadership team to look at the numbers, customers, markets, products, sales and marketing. We work out what is helping, what is getting in the way, and where effort is being wasted.
That usually means:
Finding out which customers, products, and services actually make money
Deciding which markets are worth pursuing
Testing whether the business is still saying something relevant to buyers
Changing or stopping products and services that no longer make sense
Making sure sales and marketing are focused on the right priorities
Identifying the data, skills, or capabilities needed to make better decisions
Understanding what customers, tenders, and supply chains now expect around sustainability and responsible business
The point is not to create another report. It is to agree on what needs to change, what happens first, and who is going to make it happen.
How I work
The work might start with a workshop, continue through regular advisory support, or involve me working directly inside the business on a fractional basis. I can also train your team where the knowledge needs to stay in-house.
The format follows the problem. It is never a rigid package imposed in advance.
Workshops: Dedicated sessions to help leadership teams cut through noise, look at the reality of the business, and agree on priorities.
Advisory Support: Direct, experienced counsel when you need an objective sounding board on critical commercial calls or client requirements.
Fractional Leadership: Embedded part-time commercial support to help turn plans into action without the overhead of a full-time hire.
Training: Practical sessions giving operational and commercial teams the confidence to manage sustainability and commercial reality day-to-day.
Selected Track Record
My background is in commercial strategy, marketing and running businesses. More recently, I’ve applied that experience to sustainability and responsible business.
Commercial realignment and proposition restructure. B2B content
Reworked the commercial model and proposition, growing revenues to £6m and improving operating margin by £900k.
Commercial strategy and customer sustainability requirements. Retail marketing and logistics
An 18-month advisory engagement covering customer RFP requirements, sustainability positioning and commercial strategy across internal teams.
Strategy and commercial audit. Global online publishing
Reviewed and repositioned the commercial model and value proposition for the next phase of the business.
Sustainability strategy and commercial roadmap. SA Brain
Developed a practical sustainability strategy that gave the leadership team a clear foundation and pathway for moving forward.
Responsible business workshop. German National Tourist Board
Ran a workshop exploring what sustainability means for marketing and how it can become part of a credible customer proposition.
About Me
Commercial Director with 25+ years of operational and board-level experience driving revenue growth, business turnarounds and commercial strategy.
Background includes senior leadership at BBC Worldwide and Universal Pictures, followed by leading commercial transitions across high-growth, founder-led B2B media, digital platforms, publishing, and logistics.
Combines hard-nosed commercial reality with formal sustainability rigour to build durable businesses that are genuinely future-fit.
Credentials & Frameworks:
MBA · FCIM (Fellow, Chartered Institute of Marketing) · Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) · Carbon Literacy Facilitator · Future-Fit Accredited Advisor (In progress)
Contact
Berkshire · Surrey · Thames Valley
Some Recent Client Testimonials
“I've worked with Gavin for the past two and a half years and have found him to be a truly inspirational leader. His expertise in running businesses (and turning them around!) is second to none. I have learned more from him about business strategy, commercial awareness and people management in the past two years than I have during my entire 17-year career in publishing.
CEO, Dialogue Content Agency
“What really sets Gavin apart is how well he gets both the sustainability world and the commercial one. That mix meant we ended up with a strategy that wasn’t just ‘nice to have’ but something people could get behind and deliver. He brought our teams along for the ride and helped us talk to clients about it in a way that felt honest, inspiring, and practical.
He made a big difference to our journey. I’m really glad we had him on board and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend him to anyone looking to do sustainability properly." November 2024
-Group Managing Director, Retail Marketing & Logistics Company
“Gavin combines commercial thinking with practical sustainability expertise. He focuses on what sustainability means in real business terms rather than theory or ESG reporting.
He provided clear, actionable advice and a coaching style that helped us rethink how we approached the challenges we were facing. He also delivered a written strategy document that gave us a practical foundation and pathway for moving forward.
It was a strong mix of commercial clarity, practical sustainability insight and hands-on support.” May 2026
-Nick Payne, Managing Director SA Brain
"We had a brilliant workshop with Gavin – lots of fantastic insights and a whole new perspective on sustainability and marketing in a sustainable world."
-German National Tourist Board
