There is a pervasive skepticism within international relations regarding ceremonial diplomacy. For those focused on the “hard” metrics—trade volumes, memorandums of understanding, and market access—a royal tour often feels like an expensive exercise in mere pageantry. I certainly felt this way in 2010. While working for the UK government’s commercial arm (UKTI) in India, I watched the...
Every IT pitch sounds the same: “This will save time, cut costs, and transform how you work.” Then go-live happens. Teams get busy, adoption lags, and someone asks: “So… how do we know it’s actually working?” The answer lies in what most ignore — measuring what truly drives impact. Why I Started Thinking About This Why I Started Thinking About This I’ve worked with companies that build and roll...
Thanks to Jeroen Nijland, former NFIA Director, who gifted me The Trusted Advisor back in 2017. That book—and many conversations since—taught me something simple yet profound: the smartest people in the room are often the best listeners. Especially in cross-border business development, listening isn’t just polite—it’s strategic. In this post, I want to walk you through three proven frameworks...
I’ve been around sales for a while—though, truth be told, I’ve rarely called it that. At the Department for the UK, I spent a lot of time convincing UK companies to enter the Indian market by using UKTI services. At the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA), it was about telling the Dutch story—strategic location, talent, and tax—without sounding like a brochure. And in my consulting work...
Why Storytelling Matters in Business Effective storytelling for business is essential. Research indicates that stories are 22 times more memorable than facts alone. Whether pitching to investors, marketing products, or leading a team, mastering business storytelling techniques can dramatically improve results. Pixar’s Story Framework: Emotional Connection That Converts...
Introduction: Why Teamwork Makes the Global Dream Work “Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.” Henri Ford In 2023, MIT Sloan found that culturally fluent teams outperform competitors by 35% in revenue growth. This isn’t just about collaboration—it’s about strategic synchronisation across borders. When people work together...
Intial years of my career, I struggled to understand the financial terms and key metrics to find out if a business was healthy. My approach is to take a simple analogy to break down complex terms and make them more memorable. Here is one example of how to understand the business performance of any business. Every successful business operates like a healthy tree. Strong roots support steady...
I remember a conversation we had at M&P. We were considering a candidate—not from the typical consultancy mould, but someone with deep roots in tech and manufacturing. While discussing our team’s expectations, we uncovered several benefits of hiring individuals from different industries: Seeing Things Differently When you hire someone from a different industry, you gain fresh...
Everyone forgets the fourth “C” when they go into a new market. A client and I talked about their plans to grow into Europe over lunch a few weeks ago. As we talked about what makes a market launch important, they said, “It’s all about the company, the customers, and the competition.” I was a bit surprised and asked. “What about culture?” The client...
Reaching revenue goals, growing teams, and establishing strategic alliances are all accomplishments that we all enjoy celebrating. But what about the soft skills that keep everything from collapsing like a house of cards? These abilities, which are frequently disregarded, are the cornerstone of successful leadership. This insight led me down a rabbit hole of readings, articles, and introspection...
