Find what's holding your business back - and move forward.
I help ambitious organisations solve complex problems, establish clear priorities and turn plans into practical results.
Whether progress has stalled, teams are pulling in different directions or you need an experienced partner to help make things happen, I work alongside you to understand the challenge and move it forward. This can be through my consultancy services or through longer term product partnerships.
Chartered Engineer · Former FTSE 100 senior leader · Cross-sector consultant · Professional sports coaching experience
What is your situation?
You may know what needs to change but lack the time or capacity to address it. You may see the problem but be unsure how to solve it. Or you may need an independent view to understand what is happening.
Consultancy: The right support for the right challenge
Problem solving and improvement
Find a workable way forward. Through focused workshops, research and testing, I help teams challenge assumptions, develop solutions and put improvements into practice.
Independent reviews & practical advice
Understand what is holding progress back. I combine stakeholder conversations with evidence and research to identify underlying issues and recommend where to focus.
Strategy and action planning
Turn ambition into an achievable plan. I help you explore opportunities, agree what success looks like and establish priorities, milestones and responsibilities.
Leadership and change support
Bring experienced judgement and additional capacity where needed. Support can include fractional leadership, advisory work, team alignment, coaching and hands-on implementation.
Keynote speaking
Connecting my extraordinary experiences from crossing the North Atlantic to falling off a mountain into business leadership. Giving audiences stories to reflect on and ideas to take into their own lives and work.
Product Partnerships
You’ve solved a technical problem but need help for it to become a success.
Developing the technology is one part of building a product business. Understanding how customers will use it, what they value and where to focus next brings a different set of challenges.
I work with a small number of technical founders, combining engineering expertise with customer understanding, product direction and practical business support. I provide guidance and constructive challenge, and get hands-on where it helps move things forward.
These are selective, longer-term partnerships, with our contribution and commercial arrangement agreed around the opportunity.
How I work with you
Understand the whole picture
I listen to the people involved and examine the available evidence. I look for patterns across decisions, processes and relationships, rather than accepting the first explanation of a problem.
Agree what success looks like
Different people can mean different things by success. I help make those expectations explicit, find common ground and translate the outcome into practical steps.
Adapt the approach and maintain progress
My experience across professional settings and sport gives me a broad toolbox. I select methods that fit your situation, facilitate difficult conversations and help people stay focused through implementation.
Different challenges. Practical results.
Getting stalled development moving
Helped an industrial business address conflicting priorities, establish requirements and strengthen delivery leadership. 18 of 26 product variants moved into production within six months.
Establishing a direction for growth
Combined customer insight, market research and partner assessments to deliver a ten-year product and technology roadmap through a ten-week assignment.
Turning employee insight into action
Connected board expectations with employee needs and led an initiative that became a workplace standard rolled out across more than 200 sites.
Examples from my consulting and previous leadership experience.
Experience I can bring to your challenge
I’m Dr Gillian Mara, founder of FLP Catalyst.
My experience spans engineering, senior business leadership, consulting and professional sports coaching. Working in different environments has taught me how to investigate unfamiliar challenges, adapt useful methods and bring people together around a shared outcome.
As a Chartered Engineer and former senior leader in FTSE 100 businesses, I can work with both specialist detail and board-level priorities. My sporting and coaching experience strengthens how I listen, understand motivation and help teams maintain focus under pressure.
I bring curiosity, practical judgement and care for the people who will make change happen.
How would you like to move forward?
You do not need a fully defined brief. Tell me what is happening, what you want to achieve and where you need support.
We can explore whether an independent review, focused piece of work or ongoing leadership support would help.