I’m the person organisations call when transformation stalls.
Not for another framework. Not for more consultants. For diagnostic precision—understanding why the current approach isn’t working and which lever actually fits the condition.
When to Call
Your programme has stalled and the usual fixes (more governance, better communication, another reorg) aren’t working. You need someone who can diagnose the actual condition—not apply generic best practice.
Your teams are drowning in work but nothing finishes. WIP is rising, lead times are extending, and working harder is making it worse.
Your leadership is paralysed by competing priorities. Every stakeholder’s request is “critical.” Decisions take weeks. Progress is theatrical.
Your people have gone quiet. Problems hide until they become crises. Trust has eroded. The real conversations happen after the meeting.
You’ve tried frameworks and they’re not delivering. OKRs, SAFe, Team Topologies—good tools, but something’s blocking them. You need to know what.
How I Work
Diagnostic first. Before intervention, we identify which turbulence condition you’re facing: Complex, Insecure, Rapid, Contradictory, or Anxious. Different conditions require different levers. Applying the wrong one makes things worse.
Single-lever discipline. One intervention at a time, tested in 2-4 week cycles. Clean attribution. Clear signals. If it’s not working, we know in weeks, not quarters.
Distributed capability, not dependency. The goal is your teams navigating turbulence without me. I transfer the pattern recognition, not create ongoing consulting engagements.
Engagement Options
Diagnostic & Intervention Design — 1-2 days
For teams or programmes showing turbulence signals. We diagnose the condition, design the first intervention, and establish the signals you’ll track. You execute; I’m available for check-ins.
Programme Recovery — 4-12 weeks
For stalled transformations where leadership needs embedded support. I work alongside your teams to diagnose, intervene, and build the capability to sustain momentum after I leave.
Fractional Leadership — Ongoing, part-time
For organisations needing senior transformation or agility leadership without full-time overhead. Typically 1-2 days per week, focused on building institutional capability
Workshops & Training — Half-day to 2 days
CIRCA-CLEAR diagnostic training, forced ranking sessions, team health interventions, or systems thinking applied to specific challenges. Concepts that stick—participants report using what they learned over a year later.
Documented Outcomes
The approach works because diagnosis precedes intervention:
- £15M cost reduction delivered in 6 months
- 75% time compression on complex deliverables
- Programmes unstuck in weeks that had stalled for months
- ThroughFlow improvements from 52% → 79% sustained over 18 months
- Leadership firefighting reduced from 35-40% to 12% of capacity
Not because I’m exceptional—because accurate diagnosis makes simple interventions work.
Four Decades Across Sectors
The patterns recur regardless of industry. I’ve documented them across 200+ implementations:
Finance Sector
Retail banking, investment platforms, insurance, credit cards, financial markets. From NatWest in the early ’90s through Barclays, UBS, Bank of England, Elavon, and dozens of building societies and challengers. Two decades of depth in an industry where Contradictory conditions are structural and Insecurity compounds fast.
Government & Public Sector
UK Government departments, local authorities, Environment Agency, Ministry of Justice, Royal Mail. Complex stakeholder environments where competing mandates are the norm, not the exception.
Technology & Telecoms
Vodafone, O2, BT, CGI, Atos, and scale-ups navigating growth turbulence. Where Rapid conditions compound quickly and yesterday’s solution becomes tomorrow’s constraint.
Retail, Utilities & Beyond
Sainsbury’s, British Gas, BP, healthcare, logistics. Each sector calibrates the framework differently; the underlying patterns hold.
What Clients Say
“Neil is a highly committed and skilled senior project and programme manager with an excellent delivery record. He delivered several very complex, high-profile business and technology initiatives on the Bank’s US$100m+ transformation and outsourcing programme. He has excellent soft skills and always builds trusting, co-operative relationships with stakeholders and his teams.”
Rachel Evans, Engagement Lead, Capital One
“Neil played a key role in our Business Agility initiative at Elavon Europe, delivering enablement to a large number of employees. The concepts and mantras he introduced are still making a difference over a year later. He also acted as a practical, switched-on coach during the early stages of building cross-functional teams—well-liked and respected for his practical advice and challenging questions. Neil doesn’t just talk the talk; he has walked the walk when it comes to employing the methods he teaches.”
Jan Otterbach, Head of Transformation & Agility, Elavon Europe
“Neil was brilliant to work with. He engaged clients immediately and his natural ability to sort things out always shines through. He has helped me then, and helps me now—a brilliant man to know.”
Gi Fernando MBE
“Neil is a thought leader and I learned a great deal from him, especially around business agility. He was able to positively influence mindsets in the teams he worked with and helped create a continuous learning culture.”
David Lilley, Lead Agile Coach, Sainsbury’s
Let’s Talk
If your transformation has stalled and the usual fixes aren’t working, we should talk.
I’m selective about engagements—I take on work where the pattern is interesting and the organisation is ready to act on what diagnosis reveals.
LinkedIn: Neil Walker
Or book a 30-minute diagnostic conversation
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