Patrick Barrett

A portfolio review had become a debate about individual business plans. I developed a common view of market attractiveness, enterprise fit and capability requirements so the leadership team could compare strategic options. The discussion shifted toward the choices that mattered across the portfolio rather than defending each existing allocation.

A growth opportunity depended on assumptions the organisation had not tested. We separated the reversible steps from the commitments that would be difficult to unwind, defined learning milestones and considered partnership options. The resulting recommendation connected ambition with an explicit plan to reduce uncertainty.

Strategic priorities were being added without changing budgets or leadership attention. I worked with business-unit leaders and finance to connect the chosen priorities to resource decisions, named owners and review milestones. The strategy review became a place to address trade-offs and dependencies rather than restate the ambition.