McCarthy Stone - New Client Update
McCarthy Stone - New Client Update
We kicked off a new strategic project this month, with a new client, and it’s great to share some early observations on the people, the project and how everything is going.
In early April, we signed a new commercial framework agreement with McCarthy Stone, the UK's leading developer and manager of retirement communities. McCarthy Stone are pioneers in retirement properties, and their name is synonymous with retirement living at its best.
We are engaged at a CxO level to help them align their business vision and strategy, and transformation, programmes, projects, and technology. Our associate Jonathan Gregory, an experienced Enterprise Architect is taking them on the first part of their journey, and when we held the kick-off meeting, the CFO was excited to define what he called 'the golden thread' that will weave through the organisation, its people, and the transformation it is starting. He saw this ‘golden thread’ being an important asset for their organisation and its future.
Now we are a few weeks into the engagement, I am even more pleased to let the team know how it’s going. When I listen to Jonathan in the weekly management update meetings, I get two clear feelings.
One, Jonathan has quickly understood the customer, the people and the complex organisation, the transformation they have started, and where they want to be. He has also got a handle on their technology landscape, processes, strengths and limitations and their challenges. This hasn’t come easy. It has involved interviews with more than 15 stakeholders across the business. Jonathan’s grip on the current, the future, the gap and the roadmap seems solid and confident. To be honest, from the discussion, I am so eager to start reading the recommendations document that will be the deliverable from the engagement.
And the second? The other feeling I get in the weekly meeting is that Jonathan has taken the customer on a journey already. Several stakeholders in the business have changed their language, their involvement, and their enthusiasm to match Jonathan’s. I think he’s won their hearts and minds, and I’ve told him that. I think like most of us, he found that reassuring and probably was experiencing a bit of self-doubt unnecessarily.
The journey for the customer has only just started, and I am looking forward to where it goes.
simon bliss
Managing Consultant
LinkedIn
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