Our global experience in strategy development is both broad and deep and extends to the highest levels in the industry.
We have advised professional investors, telcos, vendors, governments, regulators, and enterprises across a range of areas inclusive of business innovation, cost management, financial performance and modelling, investment appraisals, strategic reviews, and transformation.
As organisations approach the need for change or the development of new opportunities, the starting point is often a cross-functional blend of commercial and technical ideas which may lack form, business case, or conviction. Strategy development is required to develop commercial ideas and bring form and structure, whilst assessing risk.
Our work has included strategy and execution on entirely new business units, external review of investment and programme plans, development of detailed financial plans and tools, and programme risk reviews.
Quantitative modelling and rigorous financial analysis are cornerstones in professional strategy and policy work. However, analysis without insight and experience can yield poor results.
We have advised clients extensively in the development of both bottom-up and top-down regulatory cost models, and also in private strategy analyses. By blending our expert sector and technology knowledge with broad capability in business analysis, we are able to offer our clients results backed up not only by quality modelling, but also by sound judgement and proven industry experience.
Performance improvement needs may exist at corporate or divisional levels and can include both technology-enabled and procedural improvements to business operations.
Plum has advised clients in numerous areas of operational practice; our staff have experience in working with senior leadership teams in telcos in developing good practice across demand management processes, and we have advised on operational excellence, contracts, process development, and both financial and operational benchmarking in transformational programmes and industry deals.
Independent review in development of new ventures and deals can be critical in managing and mitigating risk.
Our experience includes supporting clients in the development and review of financial plans, with a solid underpinning knowledge of technologies, industry practices, and cost structures. We have also supported numerous large programmes from a risk management perspective, where ongoing risk analysis and action planning can form a critical element in overall programme governance.
Financial performance can be driven by many factors including strategic alignment of projects, complexity of directionally correct change programmes and legacy operations, operational efficiency, and sourcing and contracting.
We have advised clients in independent reviews of large strategic transformational engagements and investment planning, activity-based cost forecasting, and strategic alignment.
Ian is a Director at Plum and an established consultant in the telecoms/TMT/digital sectors, bringing over 30 years of experience gained through global consulting and industry. He has worked across the full industry lifecyle from start-ups and investor funding, through strategic planning, to hands-on engineering and programme delivery.
His consulting approach is with high impact projects that make a real difference, combining insight, pragmatism, practical experience, and hands-on delivery, yielding optimal value for clients.
Formerly with PwC TMT Strategy London, Nokia, Oracle, and Bell Labs, his experience spans both technology and commercial domains and includes: consulting sales and business development, management of the professional services firm, strategy development and business planning, policy and regulation, consultation responses, digital strategies, regulatory and commercial cost modelling, radio spectrum planning and valuation, investment planning, M&A advisory, due diligence, CTO/CIO advisory, performance and process improvement, procurement and bid development, network and IT systems transformation, and large scale technology programme management. His client base includes national and local governments, industry bodies, regulators, telcos, ISPs, enterprises, vendors, investors and law firms.
During the early part of his career, he worked in new systems and was awarded the Bell Labs President’s Prize for R&D and product development at Bell Labs NJ USA. Ian holds PhD and BSc (1st Class Hons, IET Prize) degrees in Telecommunications and Electronic Engineering, plus PgD in Management and Finance, UK Chartered Engineer, Fellow IET, and VC of the techUK Communications Infrastructure Council. Ian is a Visiting Professor at The University of Surrey, a role providing commercial and industry support to the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences.