Strategic Portfolio Management

Marakon works with Executive teams to raise the level of strategic ambition, create clarity on the best strategic direction and shift resources towards the generation of superior value growth, putting in place the standards, accountabilities, and performance management systems for making it happen on a consistent basis.

We work on a range of strategic issues including optimizing resource allocation across the portfolio, organic and inorganic growth strategies, strategic turnarounds or disposals, as well as individual product / brand / customer / market strategies.

 

 

Related Articles

The risk of incrementalism and the importance of clear strategy during periods of uncertainty

Chairpersons and CEOs are at risk of becoming incremental in their thinking as a natural defense to today’s uncertain environment. We observe companies that are at risk of getting stuck given the extreme set of existential risk CEOs and Board members face in managing through today’s environment. They may take comfort from managing operational improvements within their control and shy away from bold choices that might deliver competitive advantage by fundamentally altering their strategy.

Global Macroeconomic Outlook

As we enter 2022, the global economic engine is overheating with inflation higher and more broad-based than anticipated, worrying investors and Central Banks alike. Additional risks to monitor include new potential COVID-19 variants, a mounting global debt pile, and ongoing geopolitical instability. The UK despite a successful vaccine rollout faces challenges of its own with a cost-of-living crisis threatening short-term recovery and Brexit likely to exert a long-term drag. Forward-looking executives are closely monitoring these macro-economic indicators to anticipate challenges and find hidden opportunities, e.g., building capabilities in an inflationary market, managing the energy transition amidst an energy crisis.

Re-Base the Plan; Regain Control - Food and Beverage

Covid-19 has created significant uncertainty for the Food and Beverage sector. How can business leaders re-gain a measure of agency over their short-term business performance? Marakon recommends formulating a 12-24 month plan to re-base your strategic plan to re-gain visibility and control over the alternative futures possible. This can arm you with the knowledge needed to make the right cost, investment, and financing choices now and over the next few months – choices that will help you not only survive, but also outperform when the recovery comes.

Strategic Resource Management - The Hidden Secret to Outperformance

Solid operational performance matters; if your team can’t reliably execute you’re finished. However, our comprehensive study of 1,200 companies revealed that the path to superior performance is determined by management’s decisions about where to focus the firm’s strategic resources (time, people and capital). At least 60–75% of the difference in performance can be attributed to high-level portfolio choices. The implications for senior management are stark and the report outlines the common challenges they face and six actions they can take to help ensure outperformance is within their grasp.

The Digital Wealth Management Imperative

Following the financial crisis, there is a wave of new startups that are trying to redefine or refresh traditional models of wealth management. Their services are priced to sell, and traditional firms have not been able to deliver the quality of customer experience of these startups. While some startups have been able to grow to a modest level relatively quickly, the question is whether they will be able to sustain this rapid pace of growth, and what more can traditional players do.

Making Better Technology Investments in Oil Sands

Ramping up your investment in innovation and technology is a logical response to increasingly complex and marginal – but potentially huge - oil and gas projects. And the numbers confirm it: despite the recession, overall R&D spending by oil and companies has jumped by several billion dollars in the last 5 years as national oil companies and independents have piled in. Yet chief executives cite “making technology work” as one of the hardest challenges of the industry. In this article, we highlight what oil sands operators – as owners of the largest volumes of marginal barrels and growing investors in technology – are doing to improve their odds of success.

Testimonial

From start to finish Marakon is personally invested in the partnership and relentlessly pursues the right answers and optimal outcomes. From Marakon you will get robust and leading strategic thinking, and a roadmap to implementation. They have set themselves apart within their industry, and we are a better company for having partnered with them.

Philip Yuzpe, President and COO - Sentry Investments

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Marakon applied a disciplined approach to help us navigate our complex questions. They employ a good blend of classic strategy approaches, advanced analytics and a much welcomed sense of pragmatism.

Head of Strategy - Large online brokerage

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The partnership is unparalleled. Marakon helped us to develop the right strategic priorities and build-out the capabilities to deliver against them. In that way we were able to create significant value in the business in a relatively short time — disciplined value creation.

Bridgette Heller – Former EVP and President of Merck Consumer Care

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Marakon’s strategic thinking, organisational insights and personal dedication to our success is the best I have experienced in the strategy space.

CEO - Aviva UK

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A consultancy that has advised some of the world’s most consistently successful companies.

The Economist

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An absolutely top notch consultancy, among the half-dozen firms that form the elite in strategy consulting.

Fortune

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Their corporate strategy work is the best I have seen in 20 years of working with top consulting firms. They are original thinkers with a challenging point of view.

Former Chairman - Barclays

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They have a unique, highly disciplined approach to strategic decision making and worked closely with our management to tailor it to the business situation and culture at Xerox.

Former Chairman & CEO - Xerox

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They bring a rigorous process focussed on intrinsic value creation. They really get under the skin of the economics and value of our business.

Former CEO - Prudential

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They allow us to translate strategy into action and deliver a strategy that we are able to implement

Former CEO - BP

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Marakon did a great job for us. Their strategic thinking is financially disciplined, and they had a big impact on our thinking and decision-making. They bring real clarity to our focus on growing long-term value.

Former CEO - Cardinal Health

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Their strategic logic and intellect is miles better than the rest. They draw a conclusion and put it on the table with confidence and belief; the others keep working the facts but don’t tell us what they think we should do.

Former Chief Strategic Officer - Heineken

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With Marakon we get the right answers, not the answers we want to hear.

CEO - Nordstrom

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They are different from other top-tier consultancies. They brought their general management perspective and expertise as an important team member working on our financial and business turnaround.

Former Chairman & CEO - Gillette

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Marakon has a unique and effective approach in working with our leadership team to sharpen its focus on value creation, develop distinctive strategies and build management capabilities to maximize value. They are trusted advisors in helping us to win for the future.

Former Chairman & CEO - Roche