About

Yassir is an experienced advisor to senior executives on designing strategy and establishing organisational capability to help companies adapt to, and be successful in, a low-carbon future.

Yassir has helped clients navigate trends in, and linkages between, technology, economics, policy, and society, and what they the mean for the sustainability and value creation of business models. In relation to this he has also advised clients on corporate transformations, portfolio strategy, M&A & JVs, and technology / innovation strategy.

Based in London, he has worked with clients across the world in developed and emerging markets. His experience spans the energy, chemicals, mining, consumer goods, and defence sectors.

About

About

Brian Burwell has recently transitioned to a senior advisor role at Marakon. In concert with this change in role, I, along with the global partner team, want to take this opportunity to recognize and celebrate Brian’s truly exceptional and impactful career at Marakon.

There are few people who devote 37 years of their career to one company. Brian joined Marakon as a Stanford MBA in August 1979, just one year after the firm was founded.  Over the course of his career, he served as both CEO and COO of the firm, and has worked out of offices in San Francisco, London, New York, and Melbourne.

Brian’s work has spanned sectors including healthcare, consumer products, retail, hospitality, entertainment, and education. He has been critical to the success of many of Marakon’s biggest and most important flagship clients over three decades including: Diageo, Roche, Cadburys, Boots, IHG, Heineken and Prudential.  Brian can truly say he spent his career advising the CEOs of some of the world’s most admired companies.

On the firm front, Brian has always been passionate about our people and people development. ~10 years ago, Brian set an ambition to have a partner team with more gender diversity, and set the groundwork for a talent model that would support that ambition.  Perhaps one of his greatest legacies is the partner team he is leaving behind; one that is comprised of 35% women. 

As he embarks on his next chapter, Brian is continuing to pursue his passion for philanthropic consulting as a partner at Bridgespan, and as a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council at UC Davis. He will remain a senior advisor to Marakon, supporting us where his experience, expertise and relationships can be helpful.

Brian is also very much looking forward to spending more time with his grandchildren, traveling with his wife Bieke, and drinking more Brunello (which as he describes, can be paired with anything or can stand on its own).

Please join me in giving our deepest appreciation and thanks to Brian for all he has done for Marakon over the past 37 years.

Mason Kissell and the Partner team

About

Articles

Looking under the Hood: UK Economic Outlook and Implications

The UK’s macro-economic outlook is rapidly evolving. Read our latest macro-economic briefing to understand what it may mean for you and your company – a lost quarter, or a hidden opportunity? 2021 was expected to be a year of recovery and growth – both globally and in the UK. However, as we are now in a race between a more infectious virus strain and vaccine rollout, recovery has been stalled at least by a quarter. In the midst of this all, Brexit is a side show. Forward-looking executives are closely monitoring these macro-economic indicators to find hidden opportunities, e.g., how does this outlook impact my cost of equity and WACC, or how am I adjusting my short term consumer offering to take advantage of the expected unlocking of pent-up demand?

Strategic Resource Management - The Hidden Secret to Outperformance

Solid operational performance matters; if your team can’t reliably execute you’re finished. However, our comprehensive study of 1,200 companies revealed that the path to superior performance is determined by management’s decisions about where to focus the firm’s strategic resources (time, people and capital). At least 60–75% of the difference in performance can be attributed to high-level portfolio choices. The implications for senior management are stark and the report outlines the common challenges they face and six actions they can take to help ensure outperformance is within their grasp.

About

Alex has over 10 years of experience in strategic resource management working with senior executives across the UK, Europe and North America.

The main sectors Alex focuses on are consumer packaged goods and financial services. He has worked with clients on a broad range of topics including defining their enterprise strategy, portfolio management and reshaping, consumer-centric organic growth strategies, large scale M&A and transaction support.

Some of his more recent work included building alignment on the strategic direction for a global health and wellness company, translating it into a set of actionable growth drivers and working with country units to realign resources with opportunities for profitable growth.

About

Neal is a Managing Director at Marakon and leads the firm’s operations in the UK and Europe.

For over 20 years, Neal has been advising chief executives and board-level management in developed and emerging markets on strategic, operating and organizational changes needed to deliver superior shareholder returns. He has a particular interest in portfolio shaping and design through organic and inorganic means.

Neal is a recognized authority on improving corporate performance both in the customer and capital markets and has extensive experience in financial services, energy, and health care. His recent work has focused on developing and implementing new growth platforms in the accumulation rollover and de-commutation phases of the retirement markets.

In addition to his client work, Neal has been a guest lecturer at LBS, authored many articles and contributed to the FT and Sunday times on topics of management.

Prior to joining Marakon, Neal worked as an attorney and spent several years as a professional free-style skier in Aspen Co.

About

Ron has advised senior executives on issues ranging from corporate and business unit growth strategies to organization design and leadership. His expertise spans an array of industries, including financial services, energy, chemicals, consumer products, telecommunications and technology.

Ron joined Marakon in 1980 and later relocated to the East Coast to help establish the firm’s presence in the region. In 2000, he joined the London office, where he oversaw global practice development and partner management. He has authored a number of articles on senior management issues, including how to fuel profitable growth through improved customer insight and investment, how to make M&A more consistently profitable and how to better link pay with performance.

Prior to joining Marakon, Ron worked for Security Pacific National Bank (now Bank of America) in marketing and for Applied Decision Analysis as a consultant.

About

Johann is a Director in Marakon’s London office.  For over 15 years, Johann has advised senior executives on corporate and business unit strategy, organisation design, and the governance models that enable successful strategy execution and sustainable value creation.

His primary focus is on supporting clients in the insurance and energy sectors, but he has also served clients in the industrials and petrochemicals sectors.  In addition to working with clients in Europe, he has engagement experience in Africa, Asia, and North America. 

Johann’s recent engagement experience includes: (1) supporting an integrated downstream and petrochemicals business in South Asia in setting its long term strategic direction and investment programme, (2) designing a growth orientated operating model for a mid-sized E&P company in Europe, and (3) determining the future participation model for a global health insurance and healthcare company headquartered in Europe.

About

Click Here to views Todd's profile at Heidrick & Struggles

About

 

Click here to view Ryan's profile at Heidrick & Struggles

About

Roland Foxcroft is a Principal in Marakon’s London office with over a decade of experience in strategy advisory across Europe, North America and Asia.

Roland has supported senior executives at group, business unit and functional leadership levels as they define and shape their corporate portfolios; launch new businesses and accelerate the organic growth of existing ones; design and execute transactions; and enhance their operational performance. He has worked with clients across the consumer goods, healthcare and financial services sectors for both listed and privately owned clients.

Roland has previously published articles on adjusting business models to changes in industry structure; building new data-driven commercial models; and developing digital alliances. He has designed and led programmes that have won the MCA Strategy Project of the Year award and have been shortlisted for the prestigious Prix Galien UK prize.

Prior to joining Marakon, Roland worked at Barclays Wealth and at Monitor Group. He is a graduate of Churchill College, Cambridge.

About

About

About

Rod leads Marakon’s integrated hydrogen offering to support clients navigate and realize the opportunities in clean hydrogen.

He has more than 30 years of broad energy sector experience from a career at BP that included senior leadership roles in hydrogen, gas/LNG, renewables and energy systems, including the transition to net-zero. Most recently, he led the firm’s hydrogen strategy and implementation plan, including financial frame, organization design, technology strategy and partnership model.

Rod’s experience includes strategy development, commercial leadership, business development and programme delivery. He is proficient at interacting with executive leadership and developing relationships with stakeholders. Rod represented BP at the global Hydrogen Council, Hydrogen Europe and UK Hydrogen Taskforce, and was a member of the Energy Advisory Board at the University of Nottingham.

About

Ofir Eyal is a Director at Marakon, based in London.

Prior to joining CRA, Ofir Eyal was Independent Advisor to the Board of Wrisk. His responsibilities included supporting the setup of an effective all-encompassing strategy for the business, exploring US market entry strategies as well as M&A opportunities, and refining operational aspects of the company’s automotive strategy.

About

Heidi Hellmann is a Director to Marakon based in the London office.

She specializes in corporate and business unit strategy, sustainability matters, and business development with a particular focus on creating value through the transition to net zero.

She has more than 30 years of energy sector experience working with companies ranging from large scale, global utilities and oil & gas companies through to early stage cleantech start-ups. Most recently she was Group Head of Strategy & Environment at Centrica plc, prior to which she held a variety of senior strategy and commercial roles. Heidi’s past experience includes strategy development and implementation; strategic planning and portfolio management; climate scenario analysis and climate transition planning; as well as business development and early opportunity identification. She has experience leading projects in the UK, continental Europe, and Asia.

In addition to her client work, Heidi is also the Chair of Sarasin & Partners’ Climate Active Advisory Panel and previously she was on the Board of Centrica Innovations and a Director of SNRG, a PropTech start-up.

Testimonial

From start to finish Marakon is personally invested in the partnership and relentlessly pursues the right answers and optimal outcomes. From Marakon you will get robust and leading strategic thinking, and a roadmap to implementation. They have set themselves apart within their industry, and we are a better company for having partnered with them.

Philip Yuzpe, President and COO - Sentry Investments

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Marakon applied a disciplined approach to help us navigate our complex questions. They employ a good blend of classic strategy approaches, advanced analytics and a much welcomed sense of pragmatism.

Head of Strategy - Large online brokerage

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The partnership is unparalleled. Marakon helped us to develop the right strategic priorities and build-out the capabilities to deliver against them. In that way we were able to create significant value in the business in a relatively short time — disciplined value creation.

Bridgette Heller – Former EVP and President of Merck Consumer Care

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Marakon’s strategic thinking, organisational insights and personal dedication to our success is the best I have experienced in the strategy space.

CEO - Aviva UK

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A consultancy that has advised some of the world’s most consistently successful companies.

The Economist

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An absolutely top notch consultancy, among the half-dozen firms that form the elite in strategy consulting.

Fortune