The Leadership, fractional and embedded
- When
- Delivery needs an owner, not another tracker.
- What
- Three to six months embedded with you. I run the function and leave a team behind that can keep it running.
- Outcome
- A working team and a working system.
Data · Systems · Business Operations · Transformation
Clear Decisions.Hardened Delivery.
Advisory and fractional leadership for the bigger calls on data, systems and operations. I help you make the call, and then I make sure the work gets done.
I · Why Work With Me
I work on the bigger calls in data, systems and operations, the ones that move cost, risk and timing. When a programme has stalled, my job is to bring the picture back into focus and then get the work done.
For more than a decade I've run this kind of work: data migrations, new systems going in, replacements, reporting and analytics, and the operating models around them. I've built teams, swapped out platforms, and pulled programmes back together when leadership and delivery had drifted apart.
I run Stratford Ellis, my consultancy, as Lead Data Consultant, with a small team behind me. Based in London, working wherever the work is.
II · Who I Work With
Two tracks.
One operator.
The offering is simple. Businesses, large or small, who need a senior pair of hands on a stalled programme or a missing function. And founders building the company, who need senior data and AI thinking without a full-time hire.
Track A
For Business
Large and small organisations sitting with a stalled programme, a missing function, or a decision they need made cleanly. Six engagements — fractional, advisory and fixed-scope.
See the Business Track →
Track B
For Founders
Founders building the company, navigating data, systems and AI decisions. Four offers — fractional leadership, 1-2-1 mentorship, a strategy sprint, or implementation support.
See the Founder Track →
III · For Business
Six ways to bring me in.
For organisations, large or small, sitting with a real call: a system to pick, a migration that won't add up, numbers that don't agree, an AI bet to size. Advisory, fractional and fixed-scope.
The Engagements
Pick the one that fits where you're stuck.
The Kickstart, a fixed-scope reset
- When
- The programme has stalled and momentum's gone.
- What
- Five to ten days to get everyone reading the same brief, settle the open questions and reset the plan.
- Outcome
- A plan the team has actually agreed to.
The Partnership, principal-in-residence
- When
- You want someone steady to think things through with as the work moves.
- What
- An ongoing advisory relationship at the pace you need, focused on the calls you can't park.
- Outcome
- More confidence in the decisions you're making.
The Briefing, strategic briefings
- When
- A team needs to agree what they're talking about before they can move.
- What
- Focused sessions on a single data, systems or operations question, built for your team.
- Outcome
- Common ground, and a better set of next steps.
The Delivery Diagnosis
- When
- You want an outside read on systems and delivery before the next move.
- What
- Fixed-price look at systems, data and delivery, with a plain-language report in five business days. No vendor agenda.
- Outcome
- A clear picture and a short list of what to fix first.
The Data Audit
- When
- You can't fully trust the numbers running the business.
- What
- An independent audit of what you hold, where it lives, who owns it and whether you can trust it.
- Outcome
- A plain-language report and a plan for what to fix first.
IV · For Founders
Four ways to bring
me in as a founder.
Senior thinking at the right stage, without the cost or commitment of a full-time hire. Fractional leadership, mentorship, sprints and implementation support.
The Founder Offers
Pick the one that matches the stage you're at.
Fractional AI & Data Lead
- When
- You need a senior pair of hands on data and AI, but not a full hire.
- What
- Part-time and ongoing. In the key meetings, on the tooling, on the AI calls you're not sure how to make.
- Outcome
- A steady hand at the right stage. 2–4 days per month · Min. 3 months.
1-2-1 Founder Mentorship
- When
- You're navigating data, systems or AI decisions alone.
- What
- A structured monthly thinking partner, with support between calls.
- Outcome
- Clearer calls on tools, numbers, reporting and where AI fits.
AI & Data Strategy Sprint
- When
- You need clarity fast.
- What
- Four to six weeks. Audit, quick wins, prioritised roadmap.
- Outcome
- A clear picture of where you are and exactly what to do next.
Implementation Support
- When
- You have a plan and need help executing it.
- What
- Tool selection, build oversight, migration, working alongside your team or suppliers.
- Outcome
- Delivery that matches the strategy, at your scale and budget.
Office Hours
- When
- You have one specific decision and want an outside view, fast.
- What
- 90 minutes · £150 · For Founders, business & Leaders with a specific data, systems or transformation decision.
- Outcome
- A clear next step and a short written follow-up.
V · Start a Conversation
Not sure which track?
Start here.
Two booking options that sit alongside both tracks. One paid and focused, one free and exploratory.
VI · What People Say
Words from the room.
A handful of notes from leaders, founders and chairs I've worked alongside.
Barbs walked into a programme that had been stuck for nine months and had us all reading off the same page inside a fortnight. The plan we left with was the one we actually ran.
Helena Marsh
COOFolio & Field
She tells you what she thinks. No fluff, no vendor agenda. Our board got a read on our data we could finally act on, and a short list of fixes we could start on Monday.
James Okafor
ChairNorthstone Group
Having Barbs in the room changed how we made the call. She knew the context from month two and saved us from at least one expensive mistake on the systems side.
Priya Shah
Founder & CEOLoomwork