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Strategy that gets delivered

We help leadership teams and investors make decisions they can stand behind. We support commercial assessment and strategy design — and the step that’s often missed: turning decisions into a plan your team can deliver.

CDD • Strategy • Value Creation • Activation • Transformation

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Led by Lester Mak, independent consultant and strategic adviser.

How we support value creation

We focus on the choices that drive value, and the actions that make them happen.

Commercial due diligence

A clear view of the market, customers and key risks to support investment decisions and strategic choices

Strategy design

Tighten the choices: where to play, how to win, and what has to be true for it to work

Strategy activation

Move from decision to delivery: priorities, owners and an execution plan your team can run

Transformation support

Hands-on support to deliver change, from mobilising a programme to getting progress back on track

When to bring us in

The investment thesis is clear, but the commercial picture isn’t
You need a fast, grounded view of market demand, customer behaviour and competitive risk before you commit.
You have a value creation plan, but it’s a long list
Too many “priorities”, not enough trade-offs. You need a small number of moves, in the right order, with clear owners.
Growth has slowed and the team is debating opinions
Different narratives, no shared fact base, and decisions keep circling. You need clarity on what’s really driving performance.
Execution is the constraint
The strategy is sound, but capacity, cadence and accountability are not. You need a plan that fits the organisation and actually gets delivered.
A transformation is underway, but it’s not changing outcomes
Plenty of activity, limited impact. You need to reset focus, unblock delivery and track value in a way the business can run

Book a call ->

How we work

Align on the question
One short call to confirm the decision you need to make, the audience, and what “good” looks like

Get to the truth quickly
Focused analysis and targeted conversations to surface the few things that really matter
Make the choices explicit
Options, trade-offs and a clear recommendation you can stand behind
Build the plan
Priorities, owners, milestones and a cadence to keep delivery moving
Stay with you through delivery
Light-touch support to unblock, course-correct and keep momentum

Book a call ->

About the Lead

Led by Lester Mak

Independent consultant supporting investors and leadership teams with commercial diligence, strategy and delivery support.

About Lester · LinkedIn

Selected work

Examples of work that helped teams make decisions, prioritise value and execute.

Vendor due diligence - Wine and Spirits manufacturer

Outputs:
- Completed customer/channel/expert interviews across markets and categories
- Assessed category dynamics, demand drivers and route-to-market performance; benchmarked competitors
- Stress-tested the investment case using base/upside/downside scenarios and sensitivities (e.g., volume, price/mix, distribution, margin)
Outcome:
- A clearer commercial story with quantified growth drivers (e.g. revenue CAGR, gross margin, distribution uplift)
- Risks surfaced early, improving preparedness for buyer diligence and Q&A.

Vendor due diligence - a healthcare document management software provider

Outputs:
- Conducted buyer/customer interviews; mapped procurement journey and switching drivers
- Competitive landscape and differentiation across alternatives; pricing and packaging review
- Produced VDD report + “equity story” narrative and data room-ready evidence pack
Outcome:
- Strengthened the commercial story and surfaced risk areas early (reduced late-stage diligence churn)
- Supported process outcomes (e.g., bidder engagement [x], timeline [x] weeks, valuation range [£x])

Commercial due diligence - specialist financial services provider

Outputs:
- Completed customer/channel research: customer interviews and insurer/wholesaler/partner interviews across various lines of business (e.g., personal, SME, specialty)
- Sized and segmented the Irish broker market (TAM/SAM) ; assessed competitive intensity, pricing dynamics, switching/retention drivers and insurer appetite
- Built a buy & build target universe of ~1,000 brokers using screening criteria (geographic coverage, ownership structure, product mix, distribution model, financial profile); identified priority targets
- Assessed acquisition thesis and integration risks (fit, cross-sell, etc.) and translated into an M&A roadmap and deal-screening scorecard
Outcome:
- Strengthened the investment case by linking the growth thesis to a early consolidation plan (e.g., feasible targets, potential revenue, margin upside)

Go-to-market strategy – PE-owned pre-construction services provider

Outputs:
- Sized and segmented the opportunity by tenders vs other projects across different service offerings and geographies (buyers, routes-to-market, sales cycle, margin profile)
- Diagnosed performance by motion: pipeline mix, win rates, bid cost-to-serve and constraints using internal data sources and external benchmarks
- Defined “where to play / how to win”, qualification criteria, pricing/bid strategy and value proposition by priority buyer group
- Designed a fit-for-purpose organisation (bid/tender capability, roles/handoffs, coverage/accountability)
Outcome:
- A clearer commercial focus and operating model to win more of the right work, e.g., targeted improvements in tender win rate, tender pipeline share, bid cost per tender, and sales cycle time, with an execution roadmap and named owners to mobilise delivery

Growth strategy – PE-owned international risk mitigation services provider

Outputs:
- Commercial performance diagnostic across countries/regions; capability gap assessment
- Defined target operating model and repeatable delivery approach across service lines
- Built implementation plan with workstreams, milestones, KPIs and governance
Outcome:
- Reduced fragmentation and created a scale-ready plan

Strategic review – FTSE250 global B2B technology retailer

Outputs:
- Built scenarios across levers (customers/offer/channel) with financial model and sensitivities
- Defined prioritised initiative portfolio with sequencing and investment cases
- Produced board-ready strategy narrative + delivery roadmap
Outcome:
- Clear prioritisation and trade-offs; reallocation of effort/investment to highest-return initiatives

Go-to-market strategy & activation – PE-owned specialist marine technology manufacturer

Outputs:
- Developed GTM covering target customers, channels/partners, sales coverage
- Produced 5-year roadmap, aligning R&D pipeline with product launches and marketing strategy
- Identified operational enablers for growth (sales & marketing, production, logistics, customer service) , outlining scale-up implementation plan with owners, measures and governance cadence
Outcome:
- Leadership alignment on a focused growth plan that the business could implement

Operating model & governance – Spinout of pharmaceutical technology division

Outputs:
- Designed decision rights/RACI across functions; established governance forums and cadence
- Developed roadmap of people and organisation evolution to support growth plans (including development of C-suite functions and spans and layers)
- Defined role clarity, delegation, prioritisation approach and reporting pack
- Supported mobilisation over 4 months
Outcome:
- Faster decisions and clearer ownership
- Improved delivery rhythm and stakeholder alignment

Activation – Rollout of NHS Diabetes self-management app

Outputs:
- Led mobilisation planning and programme governance for national rollout of a NHS structured education app for Type 2 Diabetes, coordinating stakeholders across NHS England, clinical commissioning groups, providers and carers
- Worked with local health and care boards to set up pilots and design a national rollout plan, interviewing and engaging with local leaders and clinicians to understand regional needs
Outcome:
- A phased national rollout plan, agreed by NHS England and local health leaders

Clinical Data Operations transformation – global pharmaceutical organisation

Outputs:
- Led a comprehensive five-year transformation strategy for clinical data operations across a workforce of 1,000+ employees, improving efficiency, data quality and regulatory compliance
- Re-defined programme ambition and credibility by diagnosing root causes, resetting goals and facilitating leadership workshops to align on vision and strategy
- Designed and implemented targeted solutions, including new processes and procedures, strengthened compliance controls, organisational structure changes and professional development recommendations
- Devised an implementation plan with clear timescales and executed improvements across global teams
Outcome:
- Delivered a credible, deliverable transformation programme that relieved workload pressure, reduced cycle times and increased operational efficiency
- Improved data quality and strengthened regulatory compliance processes

Health system transformation – NHS South West London STP

Outputs:
- Led development of a five-year Sustainability & Transformation Plan across 12 local organisations, coordinating stakeholders and delivery as engagement manager
- Drafted proposals for new models of care tailored to local population needs and service gaps
- Conducted activity analysis and financial modelling to support strategic planning and implementation
- Developed implementation plans following submission to NHS England; managed governance processes and programme milestones
Outcome:
- Delivered a robust, actionable STP aligning strategic goals with operational realities and establishing a collaborative framework for ongoing delivery
- Produced financial models praised by NHS England’s Regional Director of Finance as the highest quality in the London region

Worked with teams at:

Partners

Clients

Joel Wittgren
Investment Professional, Solix

Lester, supported by his network of other independent consultant, did an excellent job and the first project quickly led to another. [Bright Intervals] offers a compelling alternative to big name consulting firms for tailored strategy development support!

Diogo Silva

(Former) Partner, L.E.K. Consulting

I have worked with Lester in multiple projects across strategy, value creation and due diligence and recommend him highly. His combination of cumulative experience, the highest quality standards, strong analytical capabilities and effective and engaging communication style can deliver high value to almost any client.

Igor Gavrilovic

Analytics Manager, Takeda

I highly recommend Lester to future clients - not only am I sure he will exceed expectations as he has done in the past with Takeda, but also that he will leave a lasting positive impact on those around him.

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