ABOUT
Highlights
30+ years guiding strategic development in businesses of all shapes and sizes
MBA (INSEAD), PhD (Cambridge)
Hill & Moorland Leader qualification
20+ years consulting with Cambridge University
My story
My passion is helping business leaders think more strategically and deliver positive change
Strategic development has been the thread running through my 35-year career. My focus has always been empowering leaders and teams to formulate and navigate their Path Ahead.
A blend of real-world experience and academic depth
I hold a degree in Engineering (Durham), an MBA (INSEAD) and a PhD in Business Strategy (Cambridge). While this education gave me a strong grounding in strategy theory, most of my learning has come from applying these approaches in real organisations.
Early career: learning to be a change agent
Six years in operations management taught me how businesses work and how people tick. I led projects involving new technologies, process simplification, product development and cost reduction — always with a focus on mentoring people through change.
Corporate strategy: coaching leaders at scale
After my MBA, I spent six years in corporate strategy roles in large multinationals, working on growth, global marketing, capital projects, M&A and post-merger integration. This period showed me that strategic change is fundamentally about people — and strengthened my passion for mentoring.
20+ years with Cambridge University: developing cutting edge tools
In 2002, I founded my own consultancy in association with Cambridge University. Working closely with researchers, I helped develop and apply new strategy tools with clients ranging from fast growing SMEs to global giants such as Caterpillar, IKEA and LEGO.
The Path Ahead: combining strategy mentoring with guided walking
In 2026, I launched The Path Ahead to work with local businesses in Herefordshire and Monmouthshire. Walking has always helped me think clearly and creatively, and qualifying as a Hill and Moorland Leader in 2024 enabled me to bring this passion into my mentoring practice.
Paul Christodoulou, Founder of The Path Ahead
What my clients have said about previous collaborations
… combined 20 years’ experience with current day thinking… resulted in a roadmap to take strategy from concept to execution
Stuart Foster, Huntsman
… really practical support on how to galvanise an organisation to articulate and execute key strategies for the future
Chris Woodbridge, Sealed Air
… contributed inspiring thinking to help us constantly step up in our approach to optimising end-to-end operations
Bali Padda, LEGO
… provided external inspiration in the formulation of our strategies, enabling us to extend our competitive advantage
Haydn Powell, Caterpillar