Situations we have been in. Problems we have solved.
All engagements are anonymised and published with client approval. Sector, state, and size are representative. Names and identifying details have been changed.
A $1.2M operating deficit. The board had been told it was a difficult year for the sector and was considering cutting three community programs to return to break-even.
72% of total revenue derived from a single government contract expiring in 18 months. Three programs cross-subsidised for four years without the board’s knowledge. Cash declining at nearly twice the rate of the reported deficit.
Strategic review establishing the real financial position. Identification of a complementary NFP as merger partner. Eight months of M&A advisory, due diligence, and integration planning. Parallel CEO coaching through the transition.
Merged entity operational within 14 months at $18M combined revenue. Service reach doubled. No programs cut. CEO retained.
Board–CEO tension affecting strategic decision-making. Chair had been in role eleven years without formal review. The issue was framed as a personality conflict. It was not.
No governance framework reviewed in seven years. Three board members overdue for retirement. Two undisclosed conflicts of interest in vendor relationships. CEO departure risk was significant and not widely understood.
Full governance diagnostic. Board skills matrix and gap analysis. Phased board renewal over 12 months. CEO executive coaching. Conflict of interest register introduced. Board–management boundary document adopted.
Governance restructure completed in nine months. CEO retained. Two new board members appointed with strategic financial and legal skills the board had been missing.
Revenue had grown for three consecutive years. Cash reserves had declined for three consecutive years. The board could not explain the disconnect and the executive was not certain either.
Three programs running at material loss, sustained by one high-margin contract. Program-level financial data had never been reported to the board. The leadership team held fundamentally different views on which programs were core to mission.
Program-level financial modelling to establish the true operating picture. Six-month strategic planning process with the board and executive. New three-year strategy with quarterly board review framework.
18% cost reduction. Two new funding streams applied for within the planning period. Clear 3-year strategy adopted. Program-level reporting established as standard governance practice.
A CEO 18 months into the role was struggling to assert authority in strategic discussions. Board members were approaching staff directly. The previous CEO had been in role 14 years.
No documented delineation of board versus management decisions. Three board members running unofficial operational relationships with program managers. CEO lacked confidence to push back because the power dynamic had never been formally addressed.
Executive coaching for the CEO over six months. Parallel board development program. Written governance/management boundary framework. Restructured CEO performance review process.
CEO–board relationship reset within four months. Board returned to strategic governance. CEO operating with substantially increased confidence. Direct board–staff contact formally addressed.
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