Business Chair · NED · Mentor
Straight-talking board-level support — whatever the size of your business.
I work alongside founders and leadership teams in growing SMEs — as a trusted chair / independent non-executive director, or as a candid mentor.
How I can help
Three ways we can work together
Business Chair
I chair boards and leadership teams with a focus on clarity, accountability, and forward momentum. My style is both personable and collaborative to maximise your top team performance. Whether you need structure for the first time or a fresh perspective on an established board, I bring the experience to make meetings matter in driving the effective execution of your strategy.
Learn more→Non-Executive Director
As an independent NED, I offer honest challenge and strategic support without the politics. I ask the questions in a collaborative and non-confrontational manner that others might not, and I bring cross-sector perspective to help your business make better decisions. I have specific senior level experience in: Competetive Strategy; Operations & Supply Chain; Sales & Marketing; Product Development; Finance & working capital; Quality Audit & Engineering; Industrial & process Engineering; Health & Safety; Artificial Intelligence; Effective Governance and Leadership.
Learn more→Mentoring
For founders and senior leaders who want a trusted sounding board. I offer one-to-one mentoring that is direct, practical, and grounded in real business experience — not theory. I've sat in your chair. I've been the CEO who had to make payroll, win the big customer and keep the bank on side, often all in the same week. So I come in as part of your team and on your side. Running the business is your job, and I'm not there to second-guess you. My job is to make yours a little easier. I'm someone to think out loud with before the big decisions. I'll ask good questions and help you to find the answers.
Learn more→"Good governance isn't about compliance — it's about creating the conditions for a business to thrive sustainably."
I've sat in your chair. I've been the CEO who had to make payroll, win the big customer and keep the bank on side, often all in the same week. So when I join a board, I come in as part of your team and on your side. Running the business is your job, and I'm not there to second-guess you.
My job is to make yours a little easier. I'm someone to think out loud with before the big decisions. I'll ask good questions and leave you to find the answers. I'll keep board meetings focused, so you come out with clarity rather than a longer to-do list. When things get tough, and they always do, I'll stand alongside you.
Along the way I've learned a fair bit. At Pegler I led a management buyout and completely regenerated the business taking on Industry giants like Invensys, Danfoss and Honeywell and gaining UK market leadership. I've helped grow other businesses nationally and internationally to achieve great exits at 3-4 x money multiples. But my proudest moments are always watching a leadership team grow into something far bigger than it ever thought it could be.
The size of your business has never been what interests me. What matters is that you're ambitious, honest, and willing to do the work. If that sounds like you, I'd love to have a conversation.
What people say
In their own words
"In my quite extensive experience of advising businesses in various manufacturing related industries, I have rarely seen a Chief Executive who possesses the combination of broad but incisive strategic thinking and an ability to motivate a management team to execute strategy that Tony has"
"Highly focused in management style, he operates with a broad and coherent set of objectives. His thinking about business is strategic and thorough and is attentive to both commercial and operational issues. He is very effective at understanding the linkages between different aspects of business performance. This allows him to exercise very solid judgements about the ways in which change can be achieved in a business"
Ready to work together?
If you're looking for experienced, independent board-level support, I'd welcome an initial conversation.