field note .05
are you built for what's next
14th October 2026
I was fortunate to spend many years working in the energy sector. It's where the foundations of my understanding of strategy, operations and technology in organisational design were built.
Energy is an extraordinary sector. Not just because of its volatility, but because of its ability to keep supplying energy to our homes and businesses amidst global uncertainty and economic unrest.
I worked through many changes in oil price. From boom times and significant investment to periods when the priority was to cut your cloth and survive.
I witnessed some of the best organisational agility during those years.
The senior executives I worked with could almost sense a change in the direction of the wind. They were often adapting before the full impact had even arrived. We were restructuring teams, processes, ways of working and commercial offerings to clients, while others were still trying to understand it.
During one particular downturn, we actually grew the business by shifting our sales model from high-cost, large-investment projects to lower-cost, higher-volume offerings. We didn't just survive the change. We found a way to grow through it. And, in fact, it was exhilarating.
What made that possible wasn't simply good market intelligence. It was the ability to translate what we were seeing into commercial decisions, new offerings, different ways of working and organisational change.
That ability to connect strategy, commercial opportunity and organisational capability is at the heart of why I founded Orchestrate.
Through our Growth ArchitectureTM approach, we help organisations understand whether their operating models, people, processes, technology and data are aligned to their ambitions — and where change could unlock growth.
Anticipating change is one thing. Having an organisation capable of acting on it is quite another.
How do organisations get ahead of the curve of change, before change happens to them?
Right now, it seems there's barely an industry immune to volatility. To name a few
Financial services is being challenged by nimble digital competitors.
Beauty has been reshaped by influencers and changing consumer expectations; and
Retail is still living with the consequences of COVID
Who can forget when shopping centres emptied, businesses disappeared and supply chains fractured. Car production collapsed, creating unexpected scarcity when demand returned. Meanwhile, £10 toilet rolls, home hair dye and loungewear became unlikely symbols of a world turned upside down.
We're now in 2026, and some of those ripples are still being felt.
field note .05
are you built for what's next
14th October 2026
I was fortunate to spend many years working in the energy sector. It's where the foundations of my understanding of strategy, operations and technology in organisational design were built.
Energy is an extraordinary sector. Not just because of its volatility, but because of its ability to keep supplying energy to our homes and businesses amidst global uncertainty and economic unrest.
I worked and learned through many changes in oil price. From boom times and significant investment to periods when the priority was to cut your cloth and survive.
I witnessed some of the best organisational agility during those years.
The senior executives I worked with could almost sense a change in the direction of the wind. They were often adapting before the full impact had even arrived. We were restructuring teams, processes, ways of working and commercial offerings to clients, while others were still trying to understand it.
During one particular downturn, we actually grew the business by shifting our sales model from high-cost, large-investment projects to lower-cost, higher-volume offerings. We didn't just survive the change. We found a way to grow through it. And, in fact, it was exhilarating.
What made that possible wasn't simply good market intelligence. It was the ability to translate what we were seeing into commercial decisions, new offerings, different ways of working and organisational change.
That ability to connect strategy, commercial opportunity and organisational capability is at the heart of why I founded Orchestrate.
Through our Growth ArchitectureTM approach, we help organisations understand whether their operating models, people, processes, technology and data are aligned to their ambitions — and where change could unlock growth.
Anticipating change is one thing. Having an organisation capable of acting on it is quite another.
How do organisations get ahead of the curve of change, before change happens to them?
Right now, it seems there's barely an industry immune to volatility. To name a few
Financial services is being challenged by nimble digital competitors.
Beauty has been reshaped by influencers and changing consumer expectations; and
Retail is still living with the consequences of COVID
Who can forget when shopping centres emptied, businesses disappeared and supply chains fractured. Car production collapsed, creating unexpected scarcity when demand returned. Meanwhile, £10 toilet rolls, home hair dye and loungewear became unlikely symbols of a world turned upside down.
We're now in 2026, and some of those ripples are still being felt.
field note .05
are you built for what's next
14th October 2026
I was fortunate to spend many years working in the energy sector. It's where the foundations of my understanding of strategy, operations and technology in organisational design were built.
Energy is an extraordinary sector. Not just because of its volatility, but because of its ability to keep supplying energy to our homes and businesses amidst global uncertainty and economic unrest.
I worked through many changes in oil price. From boom times and significant investment to periods when the priority was to cut your cloth and survive.
I witnessed some of the best organisational agility during those years.
The senior executives I worked with could almost sense a change in the direction of the wind. They were often adapting before the full impact had even arrived. We were restructuring teams, processes, ways of working and commercial offerings to clients, while others were still trying to understand it.
During one particular downturn, we actually grew the business by shifting our sales model from high-cost, large-investment projects to lower-cost, higher-volume offerings. We didn't just survive the change. We found a way to grow through it. And, in fact, it was exhilarating.
What made that possible wasn't simply good market intelligence. It was the ability to translate what we were seeing into commercial decisions, new offerings, different ways of working and organisational change.
That ability to connect strategy, commercial opportunity and organisational capability is at the heart of why I founded Orchestrate.
Through our Growth ArchitectureTM approach, we help organisations understand whether their operating models, people, processes, technology and data are aligned to their ambitions — and where change could unlock growth.
Anticipating change is one thing. Having an organisation capable of acting on it is quite another.
How do organisations get ahead of the curve of change, before change happens to them?
Right now, it seems there's barely an industry immune to volatility. To name a few
Financial services is being challenged by nimble digital competitors.
Beauty has been reshaped by influencers and changing consumer expectations; and
Retail is still living with the consequences of COVID
Who can forget when shopping centres emptied, businesses disappeared and supply chains fractured. Car production collapsed, creating unexpected scarcity when demand returned. Meanwhile, £10 toilet rolls, home hair dye and loungewear became unlikely symbols of a world turned upside down.
We're now in 2026, and some of those ripples are still being felt.
The catalyst may be temporary, which COVID was, but its consequences can reshape an industry for years.
Yet annual budget cycles and three-year business plans can feel like kryptonite in a world demanding immediate adaptation. Of course, financial discipline and strategic planning remain essential. But they must create room for organisations to respond, not constrain their ability to move.
For me, it starts with knowing your customer. Intimately.
Understanding your competitors, your market and emerging trends
Nobody has a crystal ball. Will AI transform customer relationships, or will our desire for human connection shape its limits? Will traditional business models survive the next generation of disruptors? We can't predict everything. But we can build organisations capable of responding. That requires the creativity, courage and conviction to lead the curve of change, rather than follow it.
This is where I think many organisations face their greatest challenge.
They have strategies, talented people, technology investments and enormous amounts of data. How well do those things work together?
Can market intelligence inform commercial decisions quickly enough?
Can teams reshape their offerings without months of internal negotiation?
Can systems and processes support new ways of working?
Can leaders see where investment will create the greatest value?
Being ready for change, or to lead it, the many pieces that make an organisation work need to fit.
As we reflect on 2026 and look towards 2027, perhaps the question isn't simply whether we've had a successful year. It's whether we've built organisations capable of succeeding in whatever comes next.
If your market changed significantly tomorrow, would your organisation have the capability to respond — or would the way it's designed hold you back?
******
If you're reviewing your priorities for 2027 and questioning whether your organisation is equipped to deliver them, get in touch. I would love to hear about the challenges you are facing and how Orchestrate could help
By the time change becomes unavoidable, the opportunity to get ahead of it may already have passed.
The catalyst may be temporary, which COVID was, but its consequences can reshape an industry for years.
Yet annual budget cycles and three-year business plans can feel like kryptonite in a world demanding immediate adaptation. Of course, financial discipline and strategic planning remain essential. But they must create room for organisations to respond, not constrain their ability to move.
For me, it starts with knowing your customer. Intimately.
Understanding your competitors, your market and emerging trends
Nobody has a crystal ball. Will AI transform customer relationships, or will our desire for human connection shape its limits? Will traditional business models survive the next generation of disruptors? We can't predict everything. But we can build organisations capable of responding. That requires the creativity, courage and conviction to lead the curve of change, rather than follow it.
This is where I think many organisations face their greatest challenge.
They have strategies, talented people, technology investments and enormous amounts of data. How well do those things work together?
Can market intelligence inform commercial decisions quickly enough?
Can teams reshape their offerings without months of internal negotiation?
Can systems and processes support new ways of working?
Can leaders see where investment will create the greatest value?
Being ready for change, or to lead it, the many pieces that make an organisation work need to fit.
As we reflect on 2026 and look towards 2027, perhaps the question isn't simply whether we've had a successful year. It's whether we've built organisations capable of succeeding in whatever comes next.
If your market changed significantly tomorrow, would your organisation have the capability to respond — or would the way it's designed hold you back?
******
If you're reviewing your priorities for 2027 and questioning whether your organisation is equipped to deliver them, get in touch. I would love to hear about the challenges you're facing and explore how Orchestrate could help
By the time change becomes unavoidable, the opportunity to get ahead of it may already have passed.
The catalyst may be temporary, which COVID was, but its consequences can reshape an industry for years.
Yet annual budget cycles and three-year business plans can feel like kryptonite in a world demanding immediate adaptation. Of course, financial discipline and strategic planning remain essential. But they must create room for organisations to respond, not constrain their ability to move.
For me, it starts with knowing your customer. Intimately.
Understanding your competitors, your market and emerging trends
Nobody has a crystal ball. Will AI transform customer relationships, or will our desire for human connection shape its limits? Will traditional business models survive the next generation of disruptors? We can't predict everything. But we can build organisations capable of responding. That requires the creativity, courage and conviction to lead the curve of change, rather than follow it.
This is where I think many organisations face their greatest challenge.
They have strategies, talented people, technology investments and enormous amounts of data. How well do those things work together?
Can market intelligence inform commercial decisions quickly enough?
Can teams reshape their offerings without months of internal negotiation?
Can systems and processes support new ways of working?
Can leaders see where investment will create the greatest value?
Being ready for change, or to lead it, the many pieces that make an organisation work need to fit.
As we reflect on 2026 and look towards 2027, perhaps the question isn't simply whether we've had a successful year. It's whether we've built organisations capable of succeeding in whatever comes next.
If your market changed significantly tomorrow, would your organisation have the capability to respond — or would the way it's designed hold you back?
******
If you're reviewing your priorities for 2027 and questioning whether your organisation is equipped to deliver them, get in touch. I would love to hear about the challenges you're facing and explore how Orchestrate could help
By the time change becomes unavoidable, the opportunity to get ahead of it may already have passed.
© 2026 Orchestrate.
All rights reserved
Growth Architecture™
and the Five Conditions
for Growth are
proprietary methodologies of
Orchestrate.
growth. conducted
© 2026 Orchestrate.
All rights reserved
Growth Architecture™
and the Five Conditions
for Growth are
proprietary methodologies of
Orchestrate.
growth. conducted
© 2026 Orchestrate. All rights reserved
Growth Architecture™ and the Five Conditions for Growth are
proprietary methodologies of Orchestrate.
growth. conducted
© 2026 Orchestrate.
All rights reserved
Growth Architecture™
and the Five Conditions
for Growth are
proprietary methodologies of
Orchestrate.