CEO Advisory — A Confidential, Personal Relationship

Every high-performing CEO has a trusted advisor who has been exactly where they are.

Leading a listed company — particularly for the first time — is unlike any other professional challenge. The technical demands are well-supported. The personal and leadership demands of public company life at this level are not.

What happens when the board's confidence begins to fracture? When a major institutional investor calls on a Friday afternoon before a difficult announcement? When a capital raise is stalling and the conversation you need cannot be had within the company?

I co-founded and led London Mining PLC as CEO for nine years across eight countries. I managed a global institutional investor register through multiple capital cycles. I led 2 stock exchange listings and a strategic exit under hostile takeover conditions. Every version of the conversation a listed company CEO will eventually face — I have had it.

"This is a confidential, monthly advisory relationship. Not a coaching programme. A direct, candid conversation with someone who has been where you are and has no agenda other than your performance at the highest level."

Most Relevant When:

In the first two years of leading a listed company — the period when most challenges arrive for the first time

Preparing for an IPO as a CEO who has not previously led a listed company at this level of complexity

Facing a specific challenge — a board dynamic, an investor relations crisis, a capital raise under pressure

Wanting a regular, structured conversation with someone who has navigated every version of the challenge

What the Relationship Covers

Board Management

How to lead a board rather than report to it. Managing the Chairman relationship when it is under pressure. Using the board as a strategic resource rather than an administrative obligation.

Institutional Investor Dynamics

What institutional investors want versus what they say they want. Managing the register when a major holder is losing patience.

Capital Raising Under Pressure

The real dynamics of a roadshow. What breaks a deal and what saves one. Managing the broker or Nomad relationship when confidence is fraying.

Crisis Response

The decisions that cannot be delegated. The communications that define how the company is perceived when the crisis passes.

Personal Resilience

The personal toll of listed company leadership is real and rarely discussed. Maintaining judgment under sustained pressure.

Government & Stakeholder Navigation

Managing government relationships in frontier jurisdictions. Navigating the regulatory environment when it shifts.

How It Works

Format
As agreed, for example: Monthly 90-minute session — in person or video. Available for urgent calls between sessions.
Onboarding
A structured 3-hour initial conversation — not charged — covering background, current position, primary concerns, and mutual assessment of fit.
Confidentiality
Absolute. The CEO's identity as a client is not disclosed. Nothing discussed is referenced elsewhere without explicit consent.
Independence
CEO advisory and board-level governance work at the same company do not coexist without transparent disclosure and explicit consent.
Duration
Minimum 6 months. Most relationships continue for 12–24 months.
Fee
Monthly fee depending on company size and intensity.

Every high-performing CEO at this level of complexity has someone they call. Someone who has been there, who has no agenda, and who can say the things that no one inside the company or on the board can say directly.

Initial enquiries are entirely confidential and without commitment.

Contact Graeme