Unlocking Value
Episodes
Episode 29: Chris Allinson – First of the Next, Not Best of the Last
17 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, John is joined by Chris Allinson, Managing Partner at Yonder Consulting, a firm that helps organisations rethink how they grow and wh...
Episode 28: Adrian Hands - Coffee to Cash: Simple Habits That Keep Professional Services Pipelines Healthy
10 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, John is joined by Adrian Hands, an experienced sales leader who has spent more than three decades in roles across technology, SaaS, m...
Episode 27: Emma Flin - How ‘Buy and Build' Drives Growth and Value in Professional Services
03 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, John welcomes back Emma Flin, an investment director at Sovereign Capital Partners, a private equity firm that focuses on backing and...
Episode 26: Venkata Nori and Hari Sethalapathy - From Zero Clients to 400 Staff: Building a Global Oracle Consultancy on Trust and Outstanding Service
24 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Hari Sethalapathy and Venkata Subbarayudu Nori are two of the three co-founders of Winfo Solutions, a global Oracle consulting business that has grown...
Episode 25: Andrew Brown - Fresh From Exit: How Founder Independence and a Great Team Secured the Deal
17 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, John is joined by Andrew Brown, founder of Acuity Business Solutions, a consultancy he built and led for almost 20 years before overs...
Episode 24: Episode 24: Nick Synnott – The Personal Cost and Payoff of Building a Founder-Led Business
11 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, John is joined by Nick Synnott, founder of Create Engage and host of the long-running “Climb in Consulting” podcast.Many listener...
Episode 23: Rob Garner, Luk Smeyers & Deri Hughes - The Four Forces Shaping Consulting in 2026
03 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is a little different from our usual format. Rather than a one to one conversation, we are sharing the audio from a recent webinar hosted...
Episode 22: Dan Figueiredo - A Microsoft Insider’s View on AI in Consulting
27 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
AI is firmly on the agenda for professional services firms, but many leaders are still working out what it really means in practice – for delivery, ...
Episode 21: Lizzie Meadowcroft – Professional Services Deals from Both Sides of the Table
20 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Lizzie Meadowcroft is part of the value creation team at LDC, the private equity arm of Lloyds Banking Group. She works closely with management teams ...
Episode 19: Claire Simm – Leadership Lessons from Growing Professional Services Firms
13 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Claire Simm is Managing Director and Global Head of Regulatory Consulting at Kroll. She has built her entire career in professional services, moving b...
Episode 19: Unlocking Christmas
16 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
To round off the year, the show takes a slightly different shape.In this brief episode, John reflects on some of the common themes from conversations ...
Episode 18: Olly Purnell – The Anti-Exit Strategy: Building a Consultancy Designed for Long-Term Independence
09 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In a sector where scaling often leads to external investment or an eventual sale, what does it look like to build a consultancy that grows, stays inde...
Episode 17: Pekka Metsaranta – No Co-Founders, No Roadmap, No Illusions
02 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of The Unlocking Value Podcast, John Howard speaks with Pekka Metsaranta, founder and CEO of Sisua Ltd, a consultancy known for steppi...
Episode 16: Laura Morrill – Game, Set, Growth: An Investor’s View on Resilience, Partnership and Long-term Value
25 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
If you’re leading a professional services firm and want to grow without losing what makes it yours, this episode brings clarity to one of the bigges...
Episode 15: Tom Burnet – Building With Intent: Lessons on Focus, Client Service and the Courage to Make Tough Decisions
18 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Unlocking Value podcast, John Howard speaks with Tom Burnet, an experienced chair, former public company chief executive and lo...
Episode 14: Rhys Hefford - Build, Scale, Exit, Repeat: A Serial Founder’s Playbook
11 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Unlocking Value podcast, John Howard speaks with Rhys Hefford, a serial founder who has built, scaled and sold multiple profess...
Episode 13: Marcus Eden-Ellis - The Bid Expert Who’s Turned Selling Into a Science
04 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Unlocking Value podcast, John Howard speaks with Marcus Eden-Ellis, the founder and chief executive of Bid Perfect, a specialis...
Episode 12: Adam Craker - Leading in one of the toughest markets ever and the subtle art of GESHIDO
28 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Unlocking Value podcast, John Howard speaks with Adam Craker, Chief Executive of iqbusiness, one of South Africa’s leading co...
Episode 11: Jon Grant - Achieving Premium Valuations in Tech Services M&A
21 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Unlocking Value podcast, we welcome Jon Grant, Tech M&A Director at Clearwater, one of Europe’s leading corporate finance...
Episode 10: Andy Strictland - Demystifying Private Equity
15 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Unlocking Value podcast, John Howard speaks with Andy Strickland, Partner at Palatine Private Equity.Andy has spent more than a...
Episode 9: Richard Jones - The Paradox of Difference: How to Make Senior Hires a Success
07 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Unlocking Value podcast, John Howard speaks with leadership coach and former consultancy partner Richard Jones about one of the...
Episode 8: Craig Herd - Marketing Only Matters If It Goes Somewhere
23 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Unlocking Value podcast, John Howard speaks with Craig Herd, founder of Consultancy Growth. Craig shares his journey from door...
Episode 7: Justin Langford - Watermelon KPIs, Moneyball Thinking and Scaling without External Investment
09 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, John Howard speaks with Justin Langford, co-founder and CEO of Coeo. Over nearly two decades, Justin has grown the business from a tw...
Episode 5: Getting Ready: What to Do Before You Press Go
15 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we focus on what it really means to be ready for a deal – not just in theory, but in practice.Host John Howard is joined by two sea...
Episode 6: After the Deal: What No One Tells You
15 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the final episode of this series, we talk to a panel of experienced consultancy leaders and advisors about what really happens after a deal is done...
Episode 4: What Buyers Look For – and What Spooks Them
15 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we look at how investors and advisors assess a business – and what can spook them.We’re joined by an investor, a corporate lawyer...
Episode 3: What Makes a Business Valuable?
15 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we ask a deceptively simple question: what actually makes a business valuable?Host John Howard is joined by a founder, an investor an...
Episode 2: Are We Really Aligned?
15 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we explore one of the biggest hidden success factors in any deal: alignment between shareholders.We’re joined by four founders who’...
Episode 1: Should We Even Consider a Deal?
15 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this opening episode of the Unlocking Value podcast, we go right back to the first big question founders face: should we even do a deal? Host John ...