PRODUCT
LEADERSHIP
COACHING.
Book a call
← Home

Advisory & Fractional

When the stakes are higher.

Higher-touch engagements for founders, CEOs, boards and investors. Advisory alongside your leaders, investor due diligence, hiring your product leader, or stepping in as CPO when the gap is urgent.

Book a discovery call

Most engagements come by referral.

Lloyds Banking GroupDeelDAZNGoogleM-KOPAPayoneerRemitlyExperianRavioTideTwinklVertoFunding CircleMultiverseOctopusThe Guardian

How I help

Four ways in.

Each one is scoped to the situation. Many start as one and become another.

Advisory

Product advisory

Senior product judgement alongside your existing leaders. Strategy reviews, ExCo and board prep, org design and decision pressure-testing, without taking the wheel.

Due diligence

Investor due diligence

An independent read on the product function before you invest, or before you raise. Strategy, team, delivery and leadership, with a clear view of the risks and what it would take to fix them.

Hiring

Hiring your product leader

Defining the role you actually need, then job spec, interview design, panel coaching and calibration. Then I coach the new hire into the seat.

Fractional

Stepping in as CPO

When the gap is urgent, I own the function two to three days a week: strategy, team, hiring and representing product at ExCo and board, until a permanent CPO is in place or you decide you don't need one.

The 6 most common complaints in scaling orgs, and what's really behind them.

Does any of this sound familiar?

Patterns I see inside scaling teams. If two or more land, you might need my help.

I diagnose the root cause with COACH, my five-part framework for product organisations.

  1. 01

    Everything feels slow

    Delivery is unpredictable, dates are absent, or missed. Execs lose confidence. Teams avoid committing.

  2. 02

    We're doing too much

    Teams work hard, but priorities keep shifting, revenue is plateauing and burnout is rife.

  3. 03

    We're spending money, but nothing changes

    Lots of shipping, not a lot of progress. Customers stay frustrated, business metrics don't move.

  4. 04

    Everyone's firefighting

    Direction changes on gut instinct. Product feels reactive. There is no long term plan.

  5. 05

    Frustration is building across the company

    Sales doesn't trust product. Engineering feels overpromised. Tensions bubble up in meetings.

  6. 06

    The team isn't strong enough

    Product is seen as a bottleneck or black box. Founders step in to 'help'. PMs lack influence. Hiring has stalled.

  7. Free download

    The 6 most common complaints in scaling orgs, and what's really behind them.

    Root causes, COACH diagnosis and one step better for each.

Case studies

What changed.

Names held back. The situations and the outcomes are real.

01
Advisory

Series A B2B AI SaaS

GETTING PATH TO SCALE BACK ON TRACK

Clearer strategy, sharper ownership and delivery visibility. Stakeholder trust and team engagement both rose noticeably within three months. 1.5 years later revenue is 8x. 

02
Hiring

CPTO, Series A startup

Nine months without a successful Product and Design hire

Built a clear rubric, profile and hiring process. Product and Design team hired within six months, with confidence in hiring decisions restored.

03
Advisory

CPTO

Facing a board decision on org structure

Pressure-tested the board presentation. The CEO and operating partner aligned faster than expected.

How it works

A scoped brief, not an open tab.

I also partner with Rational Partners, a fractional CTO agency that often brings me in for product-side work.

  1. 01

    Discovery call

    Usually via a referral. We talk through the situation and whether I'm the right fit.

  2. 02

    Scoped brief

    Outcomes, commitment and confidentiality in writing. Advisory and fractional run for at least three months.

  3. 03

    Diagnose, then act

    A deep look at strategy, team and delivery first, then straight into the work.

FAQs

Good questions.

How do these engagements usually start?
Most come through a referral from a founder, investor or another client. We start with a discovery call to understand the situation, then agree a scoped brief.
How is this different from coaching?
Coaching develops the person. These engagements shape the work and the function. Many clients use both.
What's the minimum commitment?
Advisory and fractional engagements run for at least three months, with six for real transformation. Due diligence and hiring support are scoped to the deal or the role.
Is a fractional CPO the same as a consultant?
No. A consultant recommends. A fractional CPO owns: I sit in the leadership team, carry the product number and make the calls.
Can advisory run alongside an existing Head of Product?
Yes, and it works best that way. I plug in as a senior thinking partner to your existing leader, not a replacement.
Will you find my permanent CPO?
Yes, and I coach them into the role. Most engagements end with a clean handover, not a cliff edge.
How quickly can you start?
Typically within two to three weeks of the discovery call. Due diligence can often move faster to fit a deal timeline.
How do you handle confidentiality?
Everything is confidential and agreed upfront. For due diligence, the scope of what is shared and with whom is set before we begin.