Safeguarding
strategic value in complex, high-stakes, transformation.
I help executive sponsors protect multi-million transformation outcomes by aligning sponsorship, leadership signals, and delivery - before value leakage becomes visible.
The Sponsor Advantage Scorecard™ assesses where alignment may already be drifting.
Perspectives featured in:
The Sponsor Advantage
Most large change programmes don’t fail because of delivery.
They fail because value quietly erodes beneath the surface - long before adoption stalls, timelines slip, or credibility is questioned.
Across industries and geographies, the same patterns repeat: initiatives struggle to mobilise people, senior ownership weakens, and reputational risk rises - even while delivery appears “on track”.
These patterns shaped the Sponsor Advantage Framework™.
It is designed to help sponsors see where risk is highest, and intervene before value leakage becomes visible failure.
The framework links tactical, operational, and strategic layers of change - enabling sponsors to:
- maintain clarity of intent as complexity increases
- mobilise the organisation behind the change
- protect the return on multi-million initiatives by anticipating risks linked to buy-in, alignment, and credibility
Between 2022 and 2025, we delivered 19 leadership intensives across the UK, Europe, and the Middle East (300+ leaders, 500+ hours), supporting initiatives including: target operating models, digital transformations, culture change, workforce strategies, leadership development, reward transformations, M&A, and organisational design.
At Change Vanguard, we reverse-engineer large-scale change at the intersection of delivery, leadership capability, and culture - giving sponsors the foresight and leverage required to lead high-stakes change with confidence.
Organisations include:
Arqiva · Oxford University Press · Allegis · Tate & Lyle · Verizon · Asahi · Spire Healthcare · Affinion · Shell
The Sponsor Advantage Scorecard™ reveals where strategic value is at risk - and how well your change is positioned to mobilise the business behind it.
What Sponsors Are Up Against
Sponsors are expected to protect outcomes across conflicting priorities:
- shifting strategy
- limited capacity
- initiative overload
- operational pressure
- reputational scrutiny
So teams double down on what feels controllable.
Governance tightens. Assurance increases. Reporting improves.
But none of that guarantees value.
The Hidden Risk
The risk isn’t “resistance.”
It’s compliance without conviction.
You see it when:
- decision points slip or get delegated
- business ownership gets diluted
- benefits become assumed, not recognised
- leaders say “we’re aligned” but act independently
This is where credibility gets lost - slowly, then all at once.
Impact & Recent Results
When sponsorship, alignment and delivery are governed as one system
STRENGTHENED ALIGNMENT
- 300+ cross-functional leaders across 8 industries with 4.7/5 participant rating aligned behind a shared change narrative.
- Aligned HR / Talent functions as strategic business partners.
- Delivered 19 leadership accelerators across 7 countries (London, Dubai, Paris, Milan, Vienna, Amsterdam, Riyadh).
ACCELERATED BUY-IN
- Achieved 94% adoption rate during a global divestment (7,600 employees, Asahi) by aligning sponsor intent, leadership signals, and delivery priorities before delivery momentums sets in.
- Protected multi-million transformations across telecoms, healthcare, publishing, and energy.
- Minimised risks via role clarity, accountability and governance.
SPONSOR PERSPECTIVE
“You have truly helped us to build a Brand that has created an Identity and underpins the new IS organisations capability" - CIO, Beverage
“The most structured and effective transformation to date" - Executive team, UK Telecoms
“Our functional leads can now plan, map, and stay on track of commitments " - Programme Lead, Publishing
The Sponsor Advantage Scorecard™. Look beneath the surface of your change initiative. See where alignment is holding - and where value may already be leaking.
Receive a personalised sponsor scorecard highlighting the few areas that most influence mobilisation, credibility, and outcomes.
What Working Together Looks Like
Most sponsors already have governance.
They already have reporting.
They already have delivery capability.
What they often lack is alignment at the leadership spine - where strategy, decision rights, and behavioural signals must reinforce one another.
When those signals drift, value erodes quietly.
The Sponsor Advantage Method™ works inside your existing system - not alongside it.
We don’t add layers.
We strengthen signal.
Every engagement begins with a situational analysis of your culture, strategy, and initiative load, revealing where value is most exposed and where mobilisation is weakest.
Every engagement begins with clarity
01
Situational Analysis
We assess culture, strategy, and initiative load, and sponsor signal to identify where value is most exposed.
02
Alignment Design
We clarify decision rights, leadership behaviors, and mobilisation pathways.
03
Signal Strengthening
We work with sponsors and leadership teams to strengthen strategic intent across the organisation.
04
Capability Embed
We ensure delivery teams and business leaders can sustain alignment beyond the programme.
05
Value Realisation
We track where clarity translates into adoption, credibility, and measurable impact.
No added governance.
No parallel structures.
No noise.
Just disciplined mobilisation.
Disclaimer: Based on historical feedback, with consent sought where possible, otherwise anonymized.
"You have truly helped build a brand that underpins our IS organisation’s capability."
- Interim CEO (Asahi Breweries)
"The most structured and effective transformation to date"
- Divestment Director
"He transforms complex ideas into clear, actionable insights"
- Chief People Officer
The Sponsor Advantage Scorecard™ reveals where strategic value is exposed - and whether your change is positioned to mobilise the business behind it.
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