Thunk

Alongside you, and your teams, we create, improve, and reimagine digital products, and services. Sharing our design-led processes, and acting as digital innovation strategy consultants, we work in close collaboration with your company to get tangible results. We don’t just swoop in, disappear for six weeks, and return with the goods. This is a collaboration, and we’re here for you in the long-term (in a non-scary way).

Commercial Director

Ryman Limited

Implemented Ryman’s strategic product shift towards a comprehensive integrated in-store services offering. Directed large-scale operations across Ryman, Robert Dyas and London Graphics Centre.

Group Head of Business Services

Epson UK Ltd

Channel Development Manager

Samsung Electronics

We help organisations with the thinking they need to make progress especially when they’re stuck somewhere between BAU and the next big bet.

Thunk isn't full of consultants who drop a deck and disappear. We’re sleeves-rolled-up partners working side by side with organisations to get clarity, build momentum, and make meaningful change happen.

Often that means digital product design - creating, improving or rethinking the tools and services people actually use. Sometimes it’s upstream: aligning leadership, mapping opportunities, and getting people on board with a shared direction. Either way, we help make progress real.

Our best work happens with companies who’ve got plenty of ambition, but not enough capacity, capability, or headspace to move forward. Maybe the ideas are stuck in slides. Maybe they’ve tried innovation sprints that led nowhere. Maybe they’re being told to “do AI” but don’t know where to start.

That’s where we come in.

We’ve helped scaleups build new digital services, supported healthcare teams in crisis, and worked with enterprise organisations connect research with action.

If you’re under pressure to deliver change and not sure what’s getting in the way, let’s talk.

https://calendar.notion.so/meet/andywardleworth/45-mins

Andy Wardleworth

Iyas AlQasem

XP Group

The XP Group is a collective of consultancies and agencies supporting human and responsible change in and across organisations. We are all rooted in deep expertise in our craft, and configure ourselves in the relevant combinations to address our customers' challenges and opportunities.

Our skills span five foundational pillars:
- Engineering Excellence
- Exceptional Experiences
- Enterprise Evolution
- Engaged Ecosystems
- Empowered Ethics. 

We set industry benchmarks and spearhead transformative innovations.

The accelerating changes in technology and in AI have impacts far beyond technology, and mapping and taking a path through it requires skills spanning strategic thinking, innovative experimenting, systems design, organisational change, and technology implementation. We bring and share those skills to help our clients realise their ambitions in a way that is also human and responsible. 

We are committed to ensuring your organisation is streamlined, efficient, and prepared for the future. We help you not just to keep pace, but to set the pace, ready to leverage the vast opportunities that AI and the digital era present.

Chief Operations Officer & Co-founder

Mechanical Rock

Leading the UK business, with Mechanical Rock UK forming part of XP Group as a core component in our Engineering Excellence pillar.

We are here to solve the problems that most teams lose sleep over. A collective of elite developers, designers, and tech trailblazers united by a shared mission: To continuously reimagine what's possible at the horizon of an ever changing tech landscape.

We're explorers, early adopters, innovators, and craftspeople dedicated to perfecting every stage of the software development process.

Our team lives and breathes the DevOps philosophy. When it comes to code, design, data, and user testing; every move we make is with intention. Creating technology that enables humanity to thrive. 

Our clients engage us to achieve high priority outcomes at speed, which we do. But more than that, we deliver in a way that gives our clients the confidence to innovate and try new things. By contributing software of substance to leading enterprises, we help our clients stay ahead of the competition. Allowing them to operate confidently, even in the presence of doubt, while always moving forward, reassured by the technical expertise and cultural presence of our team.

We are the creative minds behind https://devops.games/ and the team responsible for https://wayfinder.ninja/

We are Mechanical Rock.

Director of Operations, UK (XP Member)

Beyond the Quarter

Business Consulting for Purpose-led business leaders. 

We support leaders in building and implementing business strategies with purpose and values at their heart. Businesses that are led by purpose, driven by values and fuelled by profit. We use a combination of our frameworks, leadership team coaching, consulting and processes to create or scale up a business's vision, values, strategy and execution.

Our Build on Purpose Consulting framework supports the leaders of Technology Consultancies and Digital Agencies to profitably, sustainably and enjoyably grow their firms in a way that is aligned with and draws on their values.

Based on our founder's own experience from startup to 500-person team, we use the same framework for individual consulting engagements, and as the basis of our online coaching, which contains guidance, videos, action steps, and a variety of templates and tools to accelerate progress.

It has been successfully used for scaling up, turnarounds, IPO and trade-sale. And always with values front and centre.

Founder and Managing Partner

Advising, coaching and consulting to CEOs and their Leadership Teams at digital agencies / tech consultancies to improve control, implement strategy, and lead with values . Some MD/CEO perspectives

-Hyphen8. "provides practical advice, recommendations and approaches based on his own very relevant experiences. He is a reliable and knowledgeable sounding board for me and is also relatable and a lot of fun"

-Cielo Costa. "He understands [each] challenge well and has come across it enough times to provide angles to make me understand better, followed by practical suggestions. His positive attitude to life and work and contagious smile make me always look forward to our discussions"

-Xanthos. "He has acted as a mentor in my MD role. He brings a huge wealth of knowledge, enthusiasm and structure, utilising a humorous and nurturing approach which quickly develops trust. He's great at quickly untangling complex issues which makes it significantly easier to focus on the right things"

-Station10. "He changed my attitude towards how growth can be achieved and mentored the senior team on their mindset on how to be a leader. He assisted me and the whole team through one of the most difficult challenges I have ever had to face so we came out stronger as a team”

-Silicon Reef. "He helped us to discover more about our business and how we could implement real change for good"

-Conosco. "I attribute our exceptionally high rates of staff engagement; a transparent people-before-profits culture that has helped us attract phenomenal talent; and our competitive edge to be very much down to his guidance and influence"

-Magentys. "His passion for doing things the right way with an emphasis on values has helped us improve our delivery model, grow our accounts, improve our hiring strategy and improve our operations"

-Wheeve. " He brought to us a deep understanding of what it takes to start and run a successful consulting business, and his advice has proven itself time and time again"

Advisor, mentor and consultant to CEOs and their Senior Leadership Teams in Digital & Tech Agencies

Public speaking on leading and scaling companies profitably and with purpose and values. Including:

⇢"Business Purpose - Why Financial Services needs to demonstrate a higher purpose" - Meeting of Minds round tables to CEOS and senior execs in Wealth Management and Asset Management.

⇢ "Rebuilding better capitalism" - podcast interview on Inspire Radio

⇢"Protect & Build Better" - Webinars delivered for the UK government's mentoring scheme for founders / CEOs of SMEs run by The Growth Company.

⇢ Session chair at The Royal Australasian College of Physicians Congress.

⇢ "Taking Values off your "about" page and into your company" - Delivered at a Hattusia even to a gathering of technology ethicists.

⇢ "Business Leadership in the 21st Century" - part of an HR masterclass on Employment 21C

⇢ "Using Agile to lead your startup and Scale-up your Company" - Keynote at SkillsMatter. Feedback "Enjoyment score" of 4.0 out of 4.0, with comments such as 'Exceptional pragmatism and focus on human centric agile'; 'Clearly presented how to make company values real'. 

⇢ "Scaling Up your Business" SPEAK Conference with Larry WInget.

⇢ "How to Scale Up Your Business and Stay True to your Purpose and Values" - General Assembly

⇢ "Using our privilege for good" - MindValley U

⇢ "Zero to £40m Q&A" - Business Growth Podcast

⇢ "Scale Up and Stay True to Your Purpose and Values" - British Computer Society

⇢ MC at Agile Delivery 2017

Speaker, interviewer and chair

Providing advisory and mentoring support to CEOs / MDs of small to medium enterprises across sectors in scaling up their organisations, bringing them under control, making company values more than an "about us" page and creating more time for focusing on the strategic stuff (or to chill out!) for the CEOs.

All advice comes from having led my own company, as well as working since with many more MDs and CEOs on their own journeys.

Worked with leaders in insurance, manufacturing, professional services, recruitment, tool hire and more. The framework and leadership advice works across most! See testimonials in the recommendations below.

Advisor and mentor to SME MDs and CEOs

Supporting CEOs and senior leadership teams in a variety of industries to articulate a clear purpose and values, and then turning them into a strategy and the core of how the business works. Clients include:

- Clear Insurance - one of the largest independent insurance brokerages in UK;
- Milbank Concrete Products - independent concrete manufacturer;
- Sui Generis - GRP mouldings and industrial coating;
- Cadman Cranes - contract crane hire;
- Silicon Reef - digital agency;
- Xanthos - Digital Performance  Agency;
- Adatis - Business Intelligence consultancy;
- Cielo Costa - Technology consultancy.

Purpose and Values Activation - Articulate purpose and values, and make them how the business runs

Karmic Capitalist

Host of the Karmic Capitalist podcast, where I talk to CEOs and founders of businesses which put purpose and values at the heart of their commercial model. We dive into the nitty gritty of what it takes to make all of those things happen, as well as their stories so far. Some are starting the journey, others are a long way down it, and still others still are changing direction. But all are business leaders who believe that a successful businesses is defined by profit, purpose and values. And, oftentimes, fun.

Podcast Host

Hope and Play Charity

Founder and Trustee of UK Registered Charity, working for improvement of children's lives in disadvantaged areas. Current main focus is on the Occupied Palestinian Territories. We have built play areas, summer camps, sent educational laptops to schools in refugee camps, and helped severely traumatised children back into education.

Responsibilities include fundraising, public relations, business planning, organisation, sourcing, procuring and exporting leisure and educational materials.

Founder and Trustee

Freaky Rivet

Co-founded Freaky Rivet, an online club on a mission to get children moving, creating and exploring. We use technology to bring together their online, physical and imaginary worlds in balance. Two main lines of business:
  
- A social network which rewards kids for engaging in and sharing real-world activities.
- Themed itineraries to get them more engaged with the places they visit, and with the profits from those itineraries going to charities working with getting underprivileged kids active in those same places.

Proposition failed! I like to think we were a decade ahead of our time - but that's probably just me making myself feel better!

Co-Founder

Responsible for the Line management and leadership of the full consulting and delivery team of approx 500 talented and skilled consultants across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. This organisation includes:

•	Cloud and Data Centre Consulting (private and public cloud, virtualisation, data centre migration and consolidation);
•	Application Development (line of business, e-commerce, collaboration, etc);
•	Interactive Media (Design, interface development, user experience, experience planning, analytics, etc.);
•	Business Intelligence and Data Warehousing;
•	Infrastructure and Unified Communications;
•	Security and Risk Management.

Senior Director, EMC Consulting EMEA

Responsible for the leadership and growth of EMC Application Consulting's EMEA practice. Covering application development, business intelligence, interactive media and agile coaching. Includes P&L accountability, operations, and direct line management and leadership of the Application Consulting team. Brought together geographically and organisationally disparate teams into a single unit.

Director of EMC Application Consulting EMEA

Conchango

Post full acquisition of IIS by Conchango, joined Conchango's board, assumed responsibility for all our technology consultants and developers. Led a turnaround from 40% team churn when I took it on, down to 6%.

Full accountability for the leadership and management of the Technology practice, including practice growth, utilisation, recruitment, and consultant growth and development.

Planned, created and took ongoing responsibility for Conchango’s Communities of Practice, including our Community Day, a very successful forum for knowledge sharing, practice development, solution creation, innovation and networking for all of Conchango’s staff. This was one of the company’s key differentiators and engines for driving innovation in the market. Drove the creation and adoption of Conchango’s blogs (early adopters), which were significant in Conchango’s public profile, in furthering the careers of many of our consultants, in recruitment, and in business development.

Responsible for business development and delivery in some of Conchango’s key clients. Directly consulted to client boards on Business Intelligence strategy and alignment. Led teams which aside from delivering value to our clients, won multiple industry and analyst awards (note - the teams did that, not me!).

As a board member and exec leader, active participant in the acquisition of Lateral Consulting by Conchango, our IPO on AIM, and Conchango’s subsequent acquisition by EMC.

Director

Co-founded and headed up a Data Warehousing and Business Intelligence consultancy.

Focus on identifying strategic uses of data for corporates, then delivering data warehouse and business intelligence infrastructures to support. Created a then unique methodology to create rapid business benefit by delivering functional slices of information which could be used incrementally rather than the more prevalent build-it-all approaches advocated by the large practitioners.

Acquired by Conchango.

Founder, co-owner & Joint MD of IIS (later Conchango IIS)

Harres Solutions Ltd

Technical and Business Intelligence Consultant

Independent Consultant

Beyond the Quarter helps companies become more effective & profitable, better places to work, and contribute more positively to people and planet. Along the way, CEOs get more time and space to step back and focus on more strategic goals.

My support to leadership teams comes from experience. I've founded and led companies and teams from a 2 person startup to a team of 500; through turnarounds, breaking plateaus and rapid growth; acquiring and being acquired; IPO and trade sale, and I'm constantly learning as I support other founders and CEOs find their own paths.

We focus on how to get commercial strategy, purpose and values done. Clients are typically:
☐ starting rapid growth
☐ getting ready for, or just had investment
☐ either side of an acquisition
☐ at a plateau
☐ not implementing strategy as they'd want to
☐ led by a leadership team that needs to execute better
☐ unsure how to make purpose and values real in their company

We balance structure and humanity; profitability and purpose; seriousness in intent and humour in implementation.

Engagements typically result in CEOs more confidently in control, more effective leadership teams, and profitable companies built on purpose, values and positive cultures.

○ "His passion for doing things the right way with an emphasis on values helped us improve our delivery model, grow our accounts, improve our hiring strategy and improve overall ops" MD MagenTys

○ "He helped us with strategies, implementation, monitoring and execution and acted as a conscience to keep us true, motivated and moving" Founder Adatis

○ "Iyas has been instrumental in helping our team bring structure, purpose, and a bias for meaningful action into our operation." MD Sui Generis

○ "He changed my attitude towards how growth can be achieved and mentored the senior team on their mindset around how to be a leader. He assisted me and the whole team through one of the most difficult challenges I have ever had to face in a work environment, so that we came out stronger as a team” MD Station10

○ "The ROI was demonstrated by day 2" CEO Conosco

○ "We've totally rethought our business and its ambitions" MD Silicon Reef

○ "Values-led, action-oriented, bullsh*t free" UK MD of global consultancy (sadly only delivered verbally!)

I don't have all the answers. But I come with an approach, scars, curiosity and the sense of humour to ask questions for us to collaboratively get to better answers.

And to serve our bigger mission of making business more human and purposeful.

I also host the Karmic Capitalist podcast for values-led founders and CEOs.

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The Battle

Andy Wardleworth

Iyas AlQasem

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