by Strategist

Hi, I’m Kirsty

I help business owners and entrepreneurs create competitive advantage and deploy winning business and marketing strategies.

ABOUT KIRSTY

Creating clear competitive advantage…

With over 17 years of experience developing intelligence-informed strategies, my focus is on making sure that business decisions can be made with clarity and context, not on gut alone!

The strategic flow process I follow is a simple one – where are we now, where do we need to be, how do we get there, how do we know we get there, did we get there and back to the start. 

Research and Analysis

  • Market and competitor analysis
  • Internal analysis
  • Resource and capability analysis
  • Trend analysis
  • PESTEL
  • Qualitative and quantitative research
  • Gap analysis
  • OSINT/SOCMINT
  • Data analysis and modelling

Planning and Management

  • Strategy planning
  • Branding strategy
  • Business planning
  • Commercial awareness
  • Segmentation, positioning and targeting
  • UX and UI planning
  • Forecasting

Communication

  • Training
  • Leadership and coaching
  • Stakeholder management
  • Collaborative working
  • Workshop facilitation
  • Public speaking
  • Web design
  • PR and marketing
PROJECTS

A selection of projects and case studies.

Reinventing Intelligence: Growth and Adding Value

The transformation of an unstructured news-based intelligence service to a data driven, standardised and actionable intelligence product enhancing not only quality but increasing its market value. 

Stepping up to the Legacy: Kickstarting New Growth £3M+

A legacy 100+ year old brand faced stagnant growth and attributed it to a shrinking market. Reputation alone was no longer going to keep it afloat, but after utilising some unconventional analysis and refreshed strategy, within 2 years growth had accelerated significantly.

Seeing Beyond the Loss: Strategic Insights and Decision-Making

After a problematic contract loss the company needed to determine whether further investment in R&D or divestment of the business unit was the optimal course of action. Analysis and innovative thinking were able to provide another solution.

Creating community: Fostering Gender Diversity and Empowering Leaders

Around 80% of the global healthcare workforce yet at senior leadership level this dips below 20%. Gender disparity in healthcare leadership, is often further exaggerated by female leaders not being seen on expert panels, in publications or on TV. Feedback highlighted the need for more female voices in publishing content and conference discussions. To address this, the company established a Women in Healthcare community, promoting interviews with women in senior positions and conference speakers to cultivate a network of excellence.

DELIVERY

MY SERVICES

I deliver my services either as a consultant or in a fractional role.  This can be in an advisory capacity or more hands-on depending on number of hours per week/month.

Intelligent Strategy

I work with you and your team to evaluate and define your strategic priorities. We work together to create a robust strategy with intelligence as an integral part of your decision-making and strategy processes. 

Know Your Client

Gain a better understanding of how customers experience your services/products, and how that impacts your business. This approach collects/analyses marketing insights and current UX/UI, with a detailed road map analysis and strategy output. 

Use Your Data

I work with your team to extract value and understanding from the intelligence that you already have in your organisation. This enable you to better utilise data and intelligence processes and people in your organisation.

Grow What You Know

Providing research and intelligence training to you and your team. Customised training delivered either on a 1:1 or one to many basis. Great for companies introducing new intelligence products to their portfolio. 

TESTIMONIALS

A selection of testimonials from Linkedin.

Kirsty is an excellent manager skilled in not only creating and implementing a vision, but in working to adapt this vision to meet the needs of her team and facilitating discussion which makes this possible.

She is also thoughtful and kind in a pastoral sense and can be trusted to listen, offer advice, and if needed intervene.

Joe Quiruga

Senior Reporter and Analyst, Healthcare Business International

I know I speak for the team when I say Kirsty has been nothing but supportive and accommodating both pastorally and professionally since I joined HBI last year.

Outside of leading the strategy and reinventing the structure of our intelligence reports for greater consistency and higher quality, at every turn she has been integral to the training, upskilling, and professional development of our team.

Michaila Byrne

Senior Reporter and Analyst, Healthcare Business International

I worked for a number of years with Kirsty Withams and learned to value her sound analytical brain. She has a marked ability to add value to any team with her knowledge and experience, also contributing a talent for identifying flaws within premises that the majority have accepted. In my experience, she was invariably proved correct. Kirsty should prove an asset to any organisation that values intellect, ability during constructive debate; and capacity for hard work.

Crispian Beattie CBE

Key Account Manager Land, Leonardo Electronics UK

Kirsty heads up our business intelligence service which is read by analysts, investors and operators – globally. It’s a savvy, questioning audience, and she’s delivering.

She’s dedicated, hardworking, methodical, and genuinely cares about the product. Under her stewardship, membership revenue has soared, and through her suggestions our offering has become far more structured, and better presented.

She’s taken a lead with staff training, taking an interest in both pastoral and academic development, and is a passionate advocate for quality and transparency in all she does.

I don’t give out many endorsements on LinkedIn. I’m happy to endorse Kirsty unequivocally.

David Farbrother

Editorial Director, Healthcare Business International

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