The company was broken when he arrived, losing money and market share, about to be abandoned by its corporate owner. Remarkably he turned it around, increased production tenfold, raised prices, reduced costs, secured investment for a new factory, and delivered profitability beyond all expectations. But when the business was put up for sale he was out of his depth. He had no experience of this, kept in the dark by his own Board, courted clandestinely by potential buyers, pressed for sensitive commercial information. There were advisers everywhere but no one he could trust. Out on the factory floor he needed to be strong, but when he stepped back into his office he needed someone to talk to, someone with experience, someone who understood, but independent, someone he could trust.

He had become chairman of the company practically by accident, had put a small amount of money up many years ago for a minority stake, to help a friend really, never expecting much. It had seemed harmless enough, flattering even, when the CEO had started to refer to him as ‘the chairman’, had ‘wheeled him out’ for meetings. But he had never insisted on Board meetings, never paid much attention to the accounts. But now things were going badly wrong. The business was making no money and debts were mounting. Nobody said anything directly but he sensed disquiet in the management team. He realised he no longer trusted the CEO. He needed someone to talk to, someone who could help him understand what was going on, could help him get at the issues, generate some options and help him make the right decisions.