If you’ve worked in or around private equity (PE) companies, you’ll know it’s all about value creation. PE firms make their money by buying businesses, increasing their value, and selling them at a premium. They’re experts at creating value under pressure — so their approach is worth understanding. In this post, we’ll look at the private equity lifecycle and take a deep dive into PE value creation sprints.
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Category Archives: Uncategorized
Value Creation: The Engine Behind Sustainable Growth
Private equity firms live and breathe value creation — it’s how they make their money. But they’re not the only ones who should care. Every business leader should be thinking about value creation. Yet, surprisingly, many aren’t.
So what is it? Why does it matter? The short answer: the most successful businesses understand how to build, scale, and sustain growth by deliberately creating value — for customers, employees, shareholders, and more. If you’re not focused on it, you’re leaving opportunity (and probably money) on the table.
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AI Isn’t Magic — It’s a Stack
Artificial Intelligence. Two words that trigger everything from excited coffee chats with my mates to boardroom FOMO to outright apocalyptic fear. AI has dominated every conversation I’ve had for the last six months. Everyone wants a slice of it. It shows up in product roadmaps, vendor decks, job specs, and shareholder updates. But when I scratched beneath the surface, I found a messy pile of buzzwords and vague ambition.
I don’t know about you, but I like simple. So here is my attempt to make AI simple.
If you’re leading digital delivery, managing platforms, or just trying to figure out what AI means for your portfolio, this is your practical intro. There are buzzwords, but I explain them. There is no hype because I don’t have to impress anybody. It is just a clear look at how AI is structured, what matters now, and what’s coming.
Bold Predictions or Hype? Tech CEOs on AI’s Impact on Software Development
I’ve never seen a hype cycle like this one. Huge sound bites about AI — specifically, generative AI. Depending on who you ask, AI is either a helpful copilot or it’s gunning for your entire dev team’s jobs. As usual the truth is probably somewhere in between. But with so many CEOs talking up how much code AI is generating, it’s worth stepping back to ask: are they predicting the future, or selling it?
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Is Sofia Still a Smart Nearshoring Bet in 2025?
In 2017 I was asked to create a nearshore development team for one of the world’s leading news organisations, headquartered in London (UK). We explored other locations, including Cluj-Napoca, Porto, Kraków, and Poznan, but in the end chose Sofia, the capital city of Bulgaria. At the time it was a great choice and I grew a fantastic team there. But time has marched on and lately, when talking to people about nearshoring destinations, I hear comments like, "Isn’t Sofia too expensive? Isn’t it saturated?" So I thought I’d have another look.
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Forget Agile. Focus on What Works
Back in 2001, having recently arrived in the UK from New Zealand, I stumbled upon Extreme Programming (XP). This framework, and its relatives, promised to revolutionise software development. At the time, “Agile” was an enigma – a term met with puzzled looks and raised eyebrows. Fast forward 24 years, and the landscape has shifted dramatically. “Agile” has come and gone. People are shouting “Agile is Dead!” If somebody says “Agile” they are met with scepticism and, in some circles, outright disdain. Anti-Agile is the new Agile dogma but I’ve never been much for dogma. I care about what works. Despite the changing tides of terminology and perception, the core principles that drew me to Agile remain the bedrock of my daily practice. I just don’t often say that.
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Need More Developers? Six Ways to Expand Your Software Team
Expanding software development capabilities isn’t just a nice-to-have; it’s essential in today’s fast-paced tech world. Whether you’re tackling a surge in project demand or aiming to build a more resilient and versatile team, knowing your options is half the battle. From direct hiring to AI-driven productivity boosts, the choices are plentiful. But which ones make the most sense for your business? As someone who has navigated this journey from developer to CIO, I’ve seen it all. Here are your main options.
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“Mad, Relentless, Scary, Fun” – my year on Digital Growth
“Mad, Relentless, Scary, Fun” is how my programme director – Stuart Mays – described the initiative we’ve been running at at Global Media and Entertainment.
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#NoEstimates #YesEstimates #NoEstimates #YesEstimates
I’m not a fan of the #NoEstimates hashtag on Twitter. It turns out, after many blog posts and tweets, that #NoEstimates is a Contranym – a word that can function as its own opposite. #NoEstimates can mean no estimate or yes estimate – it is up to you. Sigh.
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What does a Programme Manager do?
I’m a programme manager, an Agile Programme Manager. Some people don’t know what programme management is or what programme managers do. So, for those who are wondering, I thought I’d described what I do.
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