Executive case studies

Proof of how I think, lead and build.

Serious commercial challenges deserve more than polished claims. These cases show the diagnosis, strategic response, leadership model and evidence—with recommendations kept separate from verified delivery.

Executive evidence portfolio

GreenWorks, Build Aviator and an anonymised commercial-scaling blueprint in one six-page board paper.

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Sparrow Construction: Building Growth Around Service and Quality

Turning an owner-led reputation for responsive service and quality into a more deliberate commercial system—without losing the character that customers value.

Business context

Sparrow had earned trust through responsive service, practical problem-solving and a strong commitment to quality. The next challenge was to create more predictable growth without replacing the owner-led qualities that made the business distinctive.

What Marcus saw

More enquiries alone would not create a stronger business. Target selection, early project engagement, customer qualification, design and preconstruction support, bid discipline, pipeline visibility and management follow-through needed to operate as one connected system.

Strategic response

Built a structured commercial approach spanning target-market mapping, contractor engagement, project qualification, a controlled PQQ evidence register, a façade design and preconstruction proposition, CRM and forecast discipline, and clearer management review rhythms.

Evidence and boundaries

The operating assets and working disciplines are now in use across the live mandate. This is deliberately presented as current work: individual prospects, tender values and commercially sensitive project details remain private, and outcomes will only be added when they are completed and evidenced.

GreenWorks: Creating a Market Before the Market Was Ready

Building sustainable-construction capability, customer confidence and a national commercial route to growth across Saint-Gobain’s merchant brands.

Business context

Sustainable construction was moving from policy ambition toward commercial reality, but builders, installers, merchant colleagues and specifiers lacked confidence in unfamiliar technologies and changing standards.

What Marcus saw

The constraint was not product availability; it was capability. Growth required practical learning connected directly to technical advice, product selection, branch fulfilment and successful installation.

Strategic response

Created GreenWorks as a national sustainable-construction proposition and developed a hands-on training academy that aligned Saint-Gobain merchant brands, manufacturers, technical partners, colleagues and customers.

Evidence and boundaries

Renewable and sustainable product sales increased by 35%; more than 10,000 colleagues and partners were developed. Public reporting also records a £500k, 15,000 sq ft academy and more than 50,000 training hours by 2012.

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Build Aviator: Turning Customer Friction into a Scalable Venture

Connecting design, compliance, quantity surveying, estimating and materials procurement to improve project conversion and customer value through the Jewson network.

Business context

Builders and self-build customers often entered projects with incomplete drawings, uncertain quantities, fragmented compliance requirements and limited time for estimating.

What Marcus saw

An accurate estimate was the commercial blueprint for the complete project. Jewson could create greater value by helping customers plan the whole journey—not simply sell the next basket of materials.

Strategic response

Conceived Build Aviator, secured corporate backing and connected design, compliance, quantity surveying, estimating and procurement. Later unified GreenWorks and Build Aviator and integrated Easy Price Pro and Professional Estimating Services.

Evidence and boundaries

Supported a £1bn customer-project pipeline. Build Aviator customers purchased 27% of estimated project value through Jewson—more than 15% above comparable standard trading customers. These are project-value measures, not Build Aviator revenue.

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Scaling an Owner-Led Industrial Distributor

A board-level growth blueprint connecting revenue, margin, proprietary-product mix, digital trading, working capital and execution discipline.

Business context

A recently separated industrial distributor was operating at approximately £7m revenue with a cost base, inventory position and management structure inherited from a larger organisation—and an ambition to reach £12m.

What Marcus saw

Revenue growth could make the business weaker if additional sales consumed cash and capacity faster than they created value. Customer acquisition, product mix, digital trading and working capital had to become one system.

Strategic response

Developed a segmented route to market, proprietary-product and margin plan, working-capital controls, digital trading architecture and a phased execution model with four cross-functional working groups and a clear Board rhythm.

Evidence and boundaries

The £12m ambition, margin improvement, product-mix shift, stock-turn acceleration and debtor-day reduction are modelled strategic targets—not implemented or realised results. Company and identifiable details remain anonymised.

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Building a Scalable Commercial Growth Strategy

A board-level diagnosis and growth architecture for a specialist energy and infrastructure business—turning a compelling idea into a controlled, repeatable commercial system.

Business context

A specialist energy and infrastructure proposition with significant market potential needed a commercial architecture capable of converting interest into controlled, repeatable growth.

What Marcus saw

The technology was only one part of the answer. Customer confidence, adoption pathways, partner economics, governance and a practical route to market all had to work as one system.

Strategic response

Developed a board-level growth strategy connecting the homeowner proposition, national-housebuilder pathway, lender assurance, regional delivery model and commercial controls.

Evidence and boundaries

This case records strategic diagnosis and recommendations. It does not present the proposed outcomes as delivered results. The client remains anonymised.

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Customer-Led SME Transformation

Replacing inward-looking habits with customer focus, sharper accountability and self-sufficient management capability in investor-backed manufacturing SMEs.

Business context

Investor-backed manufacturing SMEs had growth ambition but were slowed by legacy habits, inward-looking decisions and unclear commercial accountability.

What Marcus saw

Too much energy was spent explaining why the business could not change. The customer journey, proposition, sales rhythm and management information needed to become the organising system.

Strategic response

Aligned owners, leaders and front-line teams behind shared value-creation priorities; introduced clearer customer focus, management tools, data, accountabilities and review rhythms.

Evidence and boundaries

Built management capability designed to continue after the assignment. One accelerated commercial plan increased annual revenue by 18%. Client details remain confidential.

Leadership Through Major Divestment

Supporting continuity, separation and the human realities of transition as part of the senior leadership team during the £740m sale of Jewson to STARK.

Business context

Saint-Gobain agreed the £740m sale of its UK merchanting brands, including Jewson, to STARK—a major separation affecting customers, colleagues, systems and continuity.

What Marcus saw

A transaction of this scale depends on more than the legal transfer. People need confidence, the business must keep serving customers and leadership must manage both separation and the future organisation.

Strategic response

Contributed as part of the senior leadership team to the sale, separation and agreed transition period, bringing long organisational knowledge and board-level commercial perspective.

Evidence and boundaries

Remained with the business through the agreed transition under a two-year good-leaver and non-compete arrangement, supporting continuity through mid-2024.