Examples of Strategy Work

While every strategic challenge is different and requires a tailored response, clients benefit from Joanne’s experience across a wide variety of issues in more the 20 industries. Many clients turn to Joanne rather than an “industry expert” for strategy advice as she is not captured by the status quo. As well as helping companies to define and communicate their strategies, Joanne has a reputation for accurately translating strategy into quantifiable financial goals.

Strategic Growth

Joanne is regarded as a forward-thinker who sees the “big picture” quickly and helps companies to create new solutions and business models which radically change the size and profitability of the business.

Examples:

Digital Mobile Advertising

Advised an Australian-based start-up in the fast-changing digital mobile advertising space on developing a coherent strategy for the Board and helped to prepare operating plans to manage and monitor performance.

Energy Efficiency

Mentored a management team on how to develop and fund a new business model to accelerate the roll-out of energy efficient technologies within the corporate environment.

Infrastructure Products

Developed a strategy to capitalise on technology leadership to grow a new customer segment for a $200m+ infrastructure products manufacturing business that had limited market share growth opportunities in its traditional segments

Manufacturing

Led the development (and advised through implementation) of a set of complex, multi-year strategies to grow a $70m manufacturing business by three times in three years. Significant changes to product design, the customer value proposition and manufacturing were adopted

Television

  • Evaluated alternative business models and strategic partnering options in the rapidly evolving digital media market.
  • Analysed likely future technology developments in broadcasting and telecommunications and the likely impact this would have for demand for UHF radio frequency spectrum by different users.

Airline

Led development of the strategy, obtained board and shareholder approval and developed detailed operating blueprints for the start-up of a low-cost airline, Mango, in 2005/06.

Airport

Developed an aeronautical growth strategy focused on potential new routes, accompanied by detailed marketing propositions to take to potential airline customers.

Performance Improvement & Business Turnaround

Joanne is adept at measuring and monitoring strategy implementation as well as having a deep understanding of what it takes to restore a business to financial health.

Examples:

Distribution

Advised an underperforming distribution business on opportunities to improve customer engagement and tighten inventory management in order to improve market share and financial performance

Building Products

  • Advised a large corporate on the restructuring (including spin-off and closure) of a loss-generating business
  • Advised a $100-$150m business on its “go-to-market” strategy: how its branch network needed to rationalise and its channel strategy evolve to take account of changing customer needs, digital technologies and modern methods of distribution

Insurance

Advised the Accident Compensation Corporation on performance and staffing levels in its branch network, serious injury service and sensitive claims unit.

Airlines

  • Advised South African Airlines on opportunities to improve financial performance and arrest market share decline. Various projects undertaken evaluating route network, pricing, sales & distribution and product/aircraft configuration
  • Led the development of the Business Plan that resulted in the successful re-financing of Philippine Airline’s USD2.1 billion debt and emergence from interim receivership

M&A, Transactions and Post-Merger Implementation

Joanne is highly numerate and used to working with financial and management accounts. She is experienced in business valuation, M&A/large transactions and strategic due diligence. Just as importantly, given that so many mergers fail, she understands the importance of good post-merger implementation planning in order to realise the benefits of merger.

Examples:

Quaries

Mentored a post-merger integration team on how to turnaround a “failed” merger. Within a few months that combined business had succeeded in reversing its poor performance and was confidently setting far more aggressive targets for the merged business than had been originally envisaged in the merger
proposal.

Steel

Conducted strategic due diligence on Fletcher Building’s sale of Pacific Steel. Identified and assessed transaction risks and prepared associated board papers.

Telecommunications

Conducted strategic due diligence for banks in relation to large-scale funding of telco/technology roll-outs as new technology has emerged.

Health Purchasing

Co-leader of the 1998 merger of the four Regional Health Authorities (RHAs) into a single Health Funding Authority (HFA)