From Siloed to Synchronised: Building the Governance Foundation for a Fast-Scaling Nuclear Programme
Outcomes
The integrated governance framework gave executives the confidence to delegate decisions clearly while retaining meaningful control. A cohesive senior leadership team was able to provide aligned, options-based recommendations through streamlined escalation paths rather than fragmented, competing inputs. Centralised unified dashboards delivered a single, transparent view of programme progress for the first time, enabling data-driven prioritisation and trade-off decisions at pace. Consistent decision communication mechanisms rebuilt clarity and trust across the organisation. Externally, a more structured approach materially improved programme credibility and stakeholder satisfaction.
Background
Siloed behaviours had taken hold across the programme, leading to duplication of effort, inconsistent workflows, and slowed progress at precisely the moment when coherence and speed were most critical. Governance was either ineffective or entirely absent in key areas, leaving critical gaps in oversight and creating a vacuum that hindered timely decision-making.
The Executive team was operating without the actionable data needed to track progress, manage external stakeholders, or make informed decisions with confidence. Without a unified direction or a reliable picture of where the programme stood, development was being delayed, stakeholder relationships were under strain, and the credibility of the programme itself was at risk.
Curzon Approach
Curzon began with extensive stakeholder analysis to map the programme landscape in full, identifying root causes and contextualising the issues before designing any solutions. This diagnostic foundation was essential in a programme of this complexity, where surface-level interventions would have addressed symptoms rather than causes.
From this, an integrated governance framework was designed, combining clear processes, structured meeting cadences, and reporting cycles to align senior leadership and eliminate the fragmentation that had allowed silos to persist. Roles and responsibilities for decision-making were established with precision, supported by 17 key programme metrics with defined targets and clear accountability structures giving every metric an owner.
A comprehensive suite of dataflows and visualisations was then built, ensuring seamless reporting and integration across both internal and external governance structures. This data infrastructure was the engine of the new framework: without reliable, real-time visibility into programme performance, governance structures alone would have been insufficient to sustain the behavioural change required.
Throughout, the approach was collaborative rather than prescriptive. Working alongside the programme team rather than delivering from the outside ensured that the framework was not only well designed but genuinely owned by the people responsible for operating it.
CASE STUDIES
Read some of the client problems we have solved!
Worst to Best in Twelve Months: A Multi-Country Division Transformed From the Ground Up
Outcomes
Within twelve months, the division rose from the worst performing business in the group to its best. Operating margins tripled from 3.5% to an exit run rate of 10.8%. Accrued benefits reached $12 million and were climbing at $1.6 million per month, 45% above the original programme target. Working capital was reduced by $25 million. The transformation involved over 1,000 staff across all functions and 14 countries. The engagement was recognised as Best International Project by the UK Management Consultancies Association, and Curzon entered a risk-reward commercial arrangement tied directly to the benefits delivered.
The Divisional CEO said: “We wanted a step change in performance, done in a way that would build capability to make it sustainable. The results speak for themselves.”
Background
Underperformance was structural and deep-rooted. Production inefficiencies, inadequate cost management, and the absence of a coherent pricing strategy were compounding each other across a geographically dispersed operation. Previous turnaround attempts had failed. Leadership capability was uneven, and doubts existed over parts of the divisional management team. The challenge was not simply to cut costs, but to set the business up for sustainable, profitable growth in an environment where change had repeatedly stalled and where local management had yet to accept ownership of the problem.
Curzon Approach
Curzon recognised from the outset that a transformation spanning 14 countries and 1,000 people could not be parachuted in from the outside. Local credibility and cultural fit were non-negotiable prerequisites for gaining the management ownership that previous attempts had failed to achieve. Curzon partnered with a local consulting partner to bring the right on-the-ground knowledge and relationships, while providing the programme architecture and delivery rigour that the engagement demanded.
Exceptional emphasis was placed on set-up. Targets and workstreams were not only clearly defined but actively accepted and shared by local management before implementation began. This front-loaded alignment work was critical: without it, the programme would have faced the same resistance that had defeated earlier efforts.
An 11-month implementation plan was then executed across four priority markets, managing a series of workstreams covering sales effectiveness, manufacturing efficiency, supply chain optimisation, and commercial management. Margin leakage was addressed through pricing optimisation, product mix management, and tighter discount controls. Operational excellence disciplines were introduced across manufacturing facilities. Inventory was rationalised and the corporate overhead layer reduced through better leverage of the regional shared service centre.
Running in parallel with these operational interventions was a sustained programme of capability development across management and teams at every level, ensuring the new performance levels would be owned and sustained by the business itself. An in-year ROI of over 3:1 validated both the commercial structure of the engagement and the pace at which benefits were realised.
CASE STUDIES
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Powering Growth: building the Supply Chain Foundation for a National EV Charging Rollout
Outcomes
Curzon delivered a commercially viable, scalable supply chain solution ready to support the client’s geographical expansion, with top-ranked suppliers recommended and backup suppliers identified, all assessed through rigorous due diligence.
A comprehensive cost model enabled direct, like-for-like supplier pricing comparison.
Internal capabilities were mapped against what growth would require, and a deployment roadmap was developed to close the gap, giving the business the external supply chain and the internal infrastructure needed to scale with confidence.
Background
The ambition was clear, but the gap between aspiration and reality was significant. Within the Water sector, identified as a key target market, the business had little visibility of client needs beyond complex project delivery. There was no structured Consulting offer beyond design and engineering services, no articulated Technology proposition for the sector, and no dedicated capabilities in either Consulting or Technology to build from.
In short, the business had the engineering credibility and the strategic intent, but lacked the commercial infrastructure and customer insight needed to grow into the higher-value services it was targeting.
Curzon Approach
Curzon worked in close partnership with the client’s Water sector leadership and its wider Technology and Consulting organisation, bringing structure and external challenge to what needed to be an internally owned transformation. The centrepiece of our approach was a series of Executive Workshops, designed and facilitated by Curzon, that brought together key stakeholders to build alignment, surface best practices, and mobilise action.
The workshops were carefully sequenced to address the foundational building blocks of the growth ambition: developing a genuine understanding of Water sector client needs; taking stock of the group’s existing capabilities; shaping compelling Consulting and Technology value propositions; and constructing a credible marketing and sales narrative.
Rather than delivering a strategy and stepping back, Curzon focused on ensuring the organisation had the roadmap, the governance, and the momentum to carry the transformation forward itself, with internal delivery responsibilities clearly defined from day one.
CASE STUDIES
Read some of the client problems we have solved!
From Market Entry to Measured Exit: Testing and Validating a Solar Aggregator Opportunity
Outcomes
The pilot successfully validated demand, operating economics and funding appetite, including securing in-principle agreement for an initial £50m investment.
Crucially, the testing phase also exposed structural sensitivities within the model. Armed with real-world data, the business made a disciplined decision not to deploy capital until risk-adjusted returns met its investment threshold, preserving capital and avoiding potential downside exposure.
Background
Government-backed feed-in tariffs had created a compelling entry point into solar. On paper, the returns were attractive and funding appetite was strong.
However, entering the market required building an entirely new operating model, spanning customer acquisition, installation, asset financing and long-term performance management. The economics depended on tight conversion rates, lender alignment and seamless supply chain coordination.
Before committing significant capital, the business needed to determine whether the opportunity was genuinely scalable, financeable and resilient to downside risk.
Curzon Approach
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Designed the end-to-end operating model, mapping the full solar value chain, from customer acquisition to installation and asset management and identifying the most scalable aggregator structure.
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Built and activated the supply chain, selecting and negotiating with installers, equipment providers, and delivery partners to establish competitive commercial terms.
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Executed a live market pilot, launching a three-month programme to test real customer demand, conversion economics, operational capability and financial viability.
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Structured the funding model, identifying and engaging capital partners to support asset financing and long-term balance sheet development.
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Developed a forward roadmap, positioning Solar PV as a platform for broader micro-generation and renewable energy expansion.