“You need someone who can guide you and hold your hand through all the different stages who really wants it to work. You want to tap into their expertise as it’s not just about the money. Keith comes with all this wealth of understanding and knowledge – I don’t profess to have that – but that’s the value he brings. He opens a world of options, and he is always 2-3 steps ahead. He’ll say we need to restructure like that and three months later I see exactly why, and suddenly we are ahead of the game. He’s invaluable.”
About Simpleship
Why I know Simpleship will help you
see your business with more clarity and lucidity
I’ve been inspired by the world of entrepreneurs and business leaders since I was 6 years old. My grandfather showed me around the business that he’d built up from his garage into one of South Africa’s largest furnace-making manufacturers for the gold mining industry.
Even then, I remember thinking: How did he build a business from his garage into something so successful? What drove him? How did he stay so focused? All of this served to build up a passion in me to understand how businesses and organisations really fit together. How do you put the pieces of the puzzle together to build a highly valuable business? Through SIMPLESHIP, I know how to help show you that.
Who should embrace the simpleship model?
Over the course of my international career, I have been on every side of the table, and have helped businesses achieve over £1 billion of shareholder returns. My experience has provided me with invaluable insight and understanding into what investors are looking for in a CEO and private equity-backed business, and how to generate that interest.
I work with business owners, CEOs, founders, and the businesses themselves to create powerful private equity stories investors will love. I know what it takes to turn around a business, I understand the process of investing, and I know what it’s like to be in your position.
Why work with me?
Unmatched Experience
30 years of working with several hundred businesses of all shapes and sizes, in many different sectors.
A complete 360° View
A complete 360° view of businesses having worked as a management consultant, global
Intimate Understanding
Intimate understanding of the business, corporate and private equity/investor world
High Stake Experience
Consulting, Global Executive, Private Equity (Value Creation/Portfolio Management), Board Member
Entrepreneur and Investor
Entrepreneur and Investor
Holistic Multiview/Multiple perspective
I see things from perspectives that businesses and investors don’t, having sat on all sides of the table as an entrepreneur, business consultant, corporate executive, and investor.
Involvement
I get deeply involved with both businesses and investors, understanding intimately what both need and want, what the opportunities and risks are, and providing hands-on help in the development of robust strategies that achieve everybody’s goals.
Longevity
I strive to get surprising and unexpected returns for both businesses and their investors by staying engaged and being co-invested in their longer term success.
What my clients say about working with me
“Keith’s intellect and his ability to analyse and understand a situation stand out. But where his strengths really lie is being able to relate to management teams. His broad real-world business background gleaned from Swiss Post and IBM, together with his PE experience at LDC, gives him a real advantage in understanding and engaging with management teams. The people at
NEC really bought into Keith and what he could bring, and he became a mentor to some of those CEOs.”
★★★★★ Rated 5 out of 5
Ken Hills
Previously LDC Senior Leadership Team, Serial Chairman
“It’s lonely running a business, and having someone to bounce ideas off and guide me to make the right decisions at the right times has been invaluable. Keith always gives me the time. Having him involved is more important than even the money.”
★★★★★ Rated 5 out of 5