Examples of Our Work
When to hire us
What we do
We redesign decision logic so business acts in alignment with how human and planetary systems actually work – through commerce.
Context
Global industrial coatings company operating across complex, asset-heavy supply chains under growing regulatory and environmental pressure.
The challenge
Hempel needed to integrate environmental and human capital realities into core strategy.
But existing structures—silos, incentives, and governance—blocked those ambitions from translating into real decisions at board and executive level.
What we did
We redesigned how strategy was actually made – via Synthetic strategy
- Translated environmental and human constraints into core business logic
- Identified the key decision points and leverage across the organisation
- Aligned stakeholders across functions and silos
- Embedded transition priorities directly into governance, leadership markers, and board-level decision frameworks
- Stayed engaged to ensure the strategy held through execution
What changed
Within six months:
- Transition strategy was fully anchored at board and executive level
- Internal friction dropped significantly
- Environmental and human factors became drivers of decisions—not external constraints
- Decision-making accelerated, with clearer direction and stronger execution momentum
Grundfos Water Stewardship + Commercial Growth Narrative for a Global Industrial Leader
Context
Global industrial company scaling internationally while strengthening positioning on water stewardship.
Constraint / tension
Growth ambitions required a narrative and governance model that could hold commercial performance and water-system responsibility credibly across markets and stakeholders.
Environmental + human markers
Water stewardship, ecosystem impact, stakeholder trust, capability gaps inside the organisation, and legitimacy with partners/institutions.
What we did – Synthetic Strategy
Developed strategic positioning and messaging that integrated water stewardship into enterprise strategy; supported leadership alignment; engaged stakeholders; identified internal competency gaps required to make the ambition executable; supported external communication and media strategy.
What changed
A more coherent, credible platform for international growth—where the water agenda was not a “CSR layer” but integrated into strategy, leadership, and market positioning.
Chr. Hansen — Board‑Level Performance Transition Under Human‑System Constraint
Context
Global biotech company producing enzymes and probiotics for food, agriculture, and health systems. Public company with a high‑profile board, including the first female Chair of a Danish C20 company.
Strategic tension
Board performance was under strain as leadership dynamics, unconscious bias, and legacy power behaviours created friction at the top table. Left unaddressed, this risked impaired decision‑making, relational breakdown, and commercial underperformance—at a time when the company’s role in food, agricultural, and human health systems demanded strategic clarity and speed.
Human‑system markers
Board behaviour, leadership legitimacy, psychological safety, power dynamics, and collective decision quality as determinants of enterprise performance and long‑term viability.
What we did – Synthetic Strategy
Engaged by the CEO to rapidly shift board performance without direct intervention, confrontation, or individual coaching. Using a synthetic strategy approach, we mapped the board as a human system, identified leverage points for behaviour change, and designed a transition arc that redirected operating dynamics towards alignment with business objectives and human‑capital requirements. Behavioural change markers were introduced indirectly via the CEO, embedding expectations for healthy, high‑performance decision‑making at board level.
What changed
Board behaviour and decision quality shifted within months, avoiding relational rupture, loss of face, or prolonged governance disruption. The board moved into a healthier, higher‑performance operating mode, protecting commercial momentum and strategic viability. A transition that would typically take 12–18 months using conventional leadership development approaches was achieved within three-four months through low‑friction, system‑level intervention.
Public–Private Leadership Reset After Economic Disruption
Context
Public–private leadership ecosystem (~160 stakeholders) rebuilding credibility and direction following major economic disruption.
Constraint / tension
The system needed to move from reputational recovery to forward strategic positioning—while facing short‑term economic pressure alongside long‑term viability constraints.
Environmental + human markers
Livability, social trust, institutional legitimacy, and long‑term ecological and economic resilience.
What we did – Synthetic Strategy
Built a decision‑ready transition process: clarified strategic intent, translated sustainability/SDG markers into strategic pathways, aligned cross‑stakeholder leadership narratives, and established governance for prioritisation and execution.
What changed
Leadership shifted from defensive posture to strategic direction, with clearer priorities and a coherent transition narrative that could hold both economic urgency and long‑term viability.
Global Brand Strategy Under Cultural Constraint (HQ vs Nordic Markets)
Context
Large multinational implementing a multi‑year operational strategy across global markets; Nordic markets required a distinct trust and legitimacy logic.
Constraint / tension
A one‑size global strategy was eroding local credibility and reducing traction—especially under increased expectations for responsible business conduct.
Environmental + human markers
Social licence, trust formation across cultures, leadership behaviour under pressure, and responsible market presence.
What we did
Advised on strategic communication and leadership alignment to translate global ambition into culturally coherent market execution; supported crisis‑context leadership capability; reframed narrative to hold responsibility and commercial clarity simultaneously.
What changed
Improved market credibility and leadership coherence, with a clearer approach to operating responsibly across culturally distinct contexts without fragmenting enterprise strategy.
International Market Entry Where Strategy Did Not Travel (Scandinavia)
Context
US‑based company with global success entering Scandinavian markets.
Constraint / tension
Existing positioning and partnerships underperformed because the company misread cultural expectations and trust dynamics in a market with different norms around credibility and responsibility.
Environmental + human markers
Trust, legitimacy, stakeholder expectations, and leadership behaviour as an execution variable (not a “soft” factor).
What we did – Communication as architecture
Reworked positioning, partnerships and strategic communication; integrated cultural intelligence into leadership decision-making; supported relationship architecture and PR strategy with institutions and partners.
What changed
Market entry moved from reactive recalibration to intentional strategy, with stronger partnership traction and a clearer path to sustainable growth in the region.
Strategy Stalled by Leadership Narrative and Organisational Behaviour
Context
Purpose‑driven company with strong offering but stalled growth and partnership traction.
Constraint / tension
Self‑defeating executive perceptions and internal language created structural friction: misalignment between values, strategy, and external credibility.
Environmental + human markers
Human systems: leadership behaviour, culture, psychological safety, trust; commercial viability as a function of coherence and credibility.
What we did
Identified narrative constraints as a governance and strategy issue; reset leadership language and decision framing; aligned culture, positioning and business strategy into a coherent growth narrative.
What changed
Increased external clarity and credibility, improved leadership coherence, and a strengthened platform for growth and partnerships.
Multi‑Stakeholder Leadership Learning (Academia / Executive Education)
Context
Academic leadership programme (~300) operating across business, leadership and diversity domains.
Constraint / tension
Diversity and inclusion outcomes required more than information—bias and culture dynamics needed structured learning that translated into leadership practice.
Environmental + human markers
Human systems: bias, inclusion, leadership behaviour, learning across cognition/emotion/somatic intelligence; organisational culture as performance infrastructure.
What we did
Designed and delivered academically grounded, practice‑based learning integrating research, cases and guest expertise; ensured learning translated into leadership application rather than abstract knowledge.
What changed
Higher engagement and applied capability development—shifting learning from “content” to behavioural and leadership practice.
Water Systems Transition in a Corporate Innovation Unit
(Organisation anonymised)
Context
Corporate innovation unit exploring future‑oriented opportunities in water management, including resilient water infrastructure, sustainable urban systems, food systems, and access to water under increasing climate stress.
Constraint / tension
High ambition to engage in water‑related transition collided with limited organisational readiness: unclear governance, diffuse accountability, and insufficient capacity to integrate water‑system responsibility with enterprise decision‑making.
Environmental + human markers
Growing water stress driven by climate change; infrastructure resilience challenges; interdependence between water, cities, food systems, and human wellbeing; leadership discomfort with systemic implications and long‑term responsibility.
What we did
Applied synthetic strategy to integrate water‑system dynamics with business models, governance, leadership behaviour, and incentive structures; surfaced decision conflicts between innovation ambition and organisational capacity; translated complexity into coherent transition pathways grounded in water system viability rather than isolated initiatives.
What changed
The work clarified that credible engagement with water systems requires more than innovation rhetoric: it demands governance maturity, accountability, and readiness to carry long‑term consequences for both human and planetary systems. The engagement concluded once it became clear these conditions were not present. Key Learning: Synthetic transition strategy breaks down when organisations seek insight without the governance maturity to accept truth and act on it responsibly.
Context
Senior leaders across sectors are facing increasing complexity — environmental, human, and geopolitical — that cannot be addressed within traditional strategic frameworks.
Despite strong intent, most organisations struggle to translate sustainability and transition into actual decision logic at leadership level.
The challenge
Leaders lacked:
- a shared language to navigate complexity
- the ability to integrate environmental and human realities into core decisions
- a space where strategy could be worked on across organisational boundaries
As a result:
- sustainability remained abstract
- strategy remained fragmented
- decisions lacked coherence
What we did
We designed and built the Sustainable Leadership Network as a live strategic environment, grounded in Synthetic Strategy:
- Brought together senior leaders across organisations and sectors
- Introduced new strategic logic integrating business, human, and environmental constraints
- Created a working space where leaders engage directly with real decisions and tensions
- Enabled cross-organisational alignment and pattern recognition
- Anchored reflection in real-world strategic challenges
- Maintained continuity to ensure learning translated into action
What changed
- Leaders shifted from conceptual understanding → applied decision-making
- Greater coherence across strategy, operations, and sustainability agendas
- Increased capability to navigate ambiguity and conflicting priorities
- Stronger alignment across organisations working within shared systems
- Movement from intention → execution in high-complexity environments
