Corporate planning · Science companies from research to IPO
Aligning a leadership team behind one goal
One picture of the goal, shared from the board to every team.
Every company needs three things in order: a vision for the very long term, a mission for the years ahead and operations for the months in front of it. A listed group, a scale-up or a startup, the need is the same. What changes is the level of detail.
The difference is granularity
Plenty of companies run without this clarity, at every stage. The work looks different depending on where the company stands.
Listed companies
The business model works. The task is to roll it out and raise the quality of the service: growing revenue and profit, and giving customers more and better services, inside the vision and mission. Plans run top down and in detail.
Scale-ups, Series A to IPO
The vision is clear and the first business model is proven, and the company knows it can scale. Cause and effect are still being worked out. The plan adapts and works with moving targets while the team learns what drives growth.
Startups
A big vision, stated clearly, and room to test on the mission level until a model shows it can scale. Short-term planning stays rough and follows the cash.
Research organisations
A team searching for solutions to disease at the molecular level has a strong vision. The right structure follows from it, and the funding as well: foundations, grants or partners, where venture capital is the wrong fit.
Everything follows from vision and mission
Many companies start with the market and the next pitch, and work backwards to a purpose. It works better the other way round, or at least in parallel.
Knowing what you want to build comes first. The market then informs the path, the depth of the vision gives the work its direction, and the people you need follow from both: investors, partners, the board and the team. A strong pitch deck comes out of this work.
How I work
Vision and drivers
What the company wants to build over the long term, and why it matters to the people building it.
Mission and milestones
A big goal for the coming years, with the three to five milestones that matter most.
The next six months
The first milestone, planned backwards to the next move: six months in detail, months seven to twelve in rough lines.
Monitor and adjust
A monthly look at progress, the next steps, and a new target when the evidence calls for one.
The plan is built with the whole team, from the board to the people who deliver it. Everyone shares the same picture of the same goal, and the plan becomes their work.
Where this comes from
For 26 years I have set up these structures, from the inside and from the outside. From the inside, in executive and advisory board roles with the teams at Nabriva Therapeutics, Themis Bioscience and Yaqrit. From the outside, in M&A at listed companies, where I evaluated these structures, improved them and connected them after an acquisition.
Behind the work is my network of 25,000+ investors, board members and executives in Europe and the United States, including pharma partners and M&A teams.
My background and track recordEvery engagement starts with Your Next Move.
In one prepared hour we look at where your company stands and what it needs next. From there we decide together how to continue.
Your Next Move
Your next move, decided
Clarity on where you want to go, and on what you do first.
- Before
- Your onboarding letter and preparation sheet within 24 hours of booking. You send your answers back two days before the session.
- Session
- 60 minutes on Zoom.
- Afterwards
- Within 24 hours, a written de-brief with my core observations, the recommendation with the most impact and your next step, plus the recording and the transcript.
- Price
- EUR 500, one fixed price for all three steps. English or German.
First conversation · free
A first conversation
To find out whether we are a fit.
- Where
- Fifteen minutes on Zoom or Teams.
- When
- One to three weeks out, Monday to Friday.
- Preparation
- Nothing to prepare. If you like, share a line on the booking page about your goal.
The work beyond the first session: Advisory projects and board roles
Questions before you book
Who is corporate planning for?
For executives and boards of listed companies, scale-ups and startups in life sciences and deep tech who want one shared picture of where the company goes, and a plan the team owns.
How does an engagement start?
With Your Next Move. You describe where your company stands, we work through it for one focused hour, and your de-brief sets out the next step. When we decide to work together, the format follows from your situation: a project or a board role.
Is our company too early for this?
No stage is too early. A startup needs the vision as much as a listed group does. At an early stage the detail stays light and the plan follows the cash, and it grows with the company.
Who builds the plan?
Your team, with me. The board, the executives and the people who deliver the work take part, which is why the plan keeps working once I step back.
Can you help with the pitch deck and investors?
Yes. The pitch deck comes out of the planning work, and introductions to investors and partners in my network are part of client work where they serve your goal.
What does it cost to start?
You start with Your Next Move, EUR 500 for all three steps. Anything beyond it, its scope and its price, comes in your de-brief, matched to your goal.