Strategy, transformation and delivery expertise from people who have led change.
CATO connects executive teams and programme sponsors with proven practitioners to set direction, shape the operating model and deliver or recover complex programmes.
Practical expertise from strategic direction through delivery.
The practice brings together practitioners who have led strategy, operating model design, programme delivery and transformation recovery in senior roles.
CATO applies this experience to strategic decisions, operating model change, programme delivery and recovery. Engagements range from focused expert input to structured advisory and delivery support.
Strategy and priorities
Clarifying direction, testing strategic options and agreeing the priorities leadership will fund and stand behind.
Operating model design
How the organisation is structured, where decisions are made, and how roles and accountabilities fit together.
Execution roadmaps
Turning agreed decisions into sequenced initiatives with owners, resourcing and milestones.
Transformation and organisational change
Leading change across structure, processes, systems and ways of working, including how it is adopted.
Programme recovery
Independent diagnosis of programmes that are late, over budget or losing confidence, and a practical route back to control.
Project delivery and governance
Project and programme delivery practice, with governance and reporting that give sponsors an accurate view of progress and risk.
Problems this practice helps solve.
Some issues sit in setting direction and designing the organisation. Others surface once delivery is under way.
Direction and priorities are unclear
The leadership team is not aligned on where the organisation is heading, which priorities matter most or what it should stop doing.
The operating model no longer fits
Structures, decision rights and accountabilities reflect an earlier stage of the business rather than how it needs to work now.
Strategy has not become a plan
Decisions have been agreed in principle, but there is no sequenced roadmap with owners, resourcing and milestones.
A programme is off track
A transformation or delivery programme is late, over budget or politically difficult, and confidence in the plan is falling.
Change is not taking hold
New structures, systems or processes exist on paper, but ownership, adoption and ways of working have not followed.
Governance is not giving a clear view
Reporting shows progress while issues build, and sponsors lack the information they need to decide in time.
Five ways to work with CATO on strategy and delivery.
Advisory & Delivery is the main route for strategy, transformation and programme work. The other services suit a single question, ongoing access or capability building.
Advisory & Delivery
Structured advisory and specialist delivery for strategy, operating model, transformation and programme work, with experienced practitioners involved through execution.
Expert Access
Focused input from an experienced practitioner on a defined question, such as testing a strategic option, an operating model choice or a programme decision.
Advisory Desk
Retained access to senior strategy and delivery expertise as decisions arise, without starting a new project each time.
Executive Labs & Briefings
Practitioner-led workshops and briefings that help executive teams and boards work through strategy, operating model and change decisions.
CATO Academy
Expert-led professional education supporting practical strategy, change and delivery capability.
Two structured engagements for two different starting points.
The Strategy & Operating Model Sprint is for organisations that need to settle direction, structure and leadership decisions. The Transformation Recovery Office is for programmes already under way that need an informed decision about what happens next.
CATO Strategy & Operating Model Sprint
A senior-led engagement that brings the leadership team to clear decisions on priorities, operating model, roles and accountabilities, and turns them into an execution roadmap.
Direction, structure and leadership decisions need to be aligned before the organisation commits to change, or the operating model no longer fits the strategy.
Executive interviews, a facilitated strategy workshop, an operating model review and a decision log, scoped to the organisation's situation.
Agreed priorities, clearer roles and accountabilities, and a practical execution roadmap the leadership team can act on.
CATO Transformation Recovery Office
Independent diagnosis and structured recovery support for programmes that are stalled, unclear or carrying more risk than planned.
A programme is already under way and is late, over budget or losing confidence, and leaders need an informed view before deciding the next step.
A programme diagnostic and stakeholder review, followed where needed by a governance reset, recovery planning and support for delivery recovery.
An independent view of programme health, a clear basis for deciding whether to continue, reset or rescope, and a realistic recovery plan where recovery is the chosen course.
For ongoing input from one experienced specialist, explore Fractional Specialist Advisory.
Example client situations.
Illustrative examples of how CATO's services can support strategy, transformation and delivery needs.
A newly appointed chief executive wants the leadership team aligned on direction and priorities in the first months of the role.
Possible route: Strategy & Operating Model Sprint
A board has lost confidence in a transformation programme's reporting and wants an independent view before approving further funding.
Possible route: Transformation Recovery Office
A chief operating officer wants an experienced second opinion on a proposed restructure before taking it to the board.
Possible route: Expert Access
A business that has grown quickly needs its operating model redesigned and the changes implemented across several teams.
Possible route: Advisory & Delivery
An organisation in the middle of a long transformation programme wants senior delivery expertise available to its sponsors as issues arise.
Possible route: Advisory Desk
An executive team preparing for a major programme wants a working session on delivery governance and decision rights before it starts.
Possible route: Executive Labs & Briefings
How CATO selects the right expertise.
Expertise is selected for the problem, based on the issue, sector, engagement type, availability and required experience.
Understand the business need
Clarify the decision or programme issue, who owns it and what a useful outcome looks like.
Define the scope and required expertise
Agree the scope and the experience it calls for, such as operating model design or programme recovery.
Identify and structure the engagement
Propose a suitable practitioner and set out how the work will run, including governance and reporting.
Deliver the work and review outcomes
Stay involved through delivery and review progress and outcomes with the sponsor.
CATO works through a curated network of experienced practitioners. We assess the client's issue, identify suitable expertise, and structure the engagement. If the proposed advisor is not the right fit, CATO can identify another suitable practitioner from the network.
Common questions.
What does CATO's Strategy, Transformation & Delivery practice cover?
The practice brings experienced practitioners to organisations working on strategy and priorities, operating model design, execution roadmaps, transformation and organisational change, programme recovery, and project delivery and governance.
Can CATO help redesign our operating model?
Yes. Practitioners can review how the organisation is structured, where decisions are made and how roles and accountabilities fit together, then help design and implement the changes. When direction and structure need to be settled together, the Strategy & Operating Model Sprint is a structured starting point.
How do the Sprint and the Recovery Office differ?
The Strategy & Operating Model Sprint is for decisions that come before or alongside major change: direction, priorities, the operating model, roles and an execution roadmap. The Transformation Recovery Office is for a programme already under way that is in difficulty and needs an independent diagnosis and an informed decision about its next steps.
Does CATO stay involved after the strategy or diagnostic stage?
It can. Implementation and delivery support can be structured through Advisory & Delivery, and Advisory Desk provides retained access to senior expertise as decisions arise. The level of involvement is agreed during scoping.
Who carries out this work?
Work is carried out by experienced practitioners from CATO's curated network, selected for senior experience in strategy, operating model design, transformation or programme delivery. CATO does not operate a public consultant directory. It selects practitioners for each engagement and remains involved while the work runs.
How do we decide where to start?
Start with the decision or problem in front of you. A focused question may suit Expert Access. Unresolved direction or structure may suit the Strategy & Operating Model Sprint, and a programme in difficulty may suit the Transformation Recovery Office. If you are unsure, CATO can help clarify the scope before you commit.
Discuss your strategy, transformation or delivery priorities.
Tell us what your organisation needs to decide or deliver. CATO will help clarify the scope and the most suitable way to engage.