Governance.
Leadership.
Culture.
Strategy.
Resilience from the inside out.
Blackheath helps boards and leadership teams build the inner resilience to thrive in an era of accelerating complexity, geopolitical instability, and technological disruption.
We work the "inner game" - governance, collective leadership, strategic agility - and then pressure test using high-impact crisis simulations, facilitated debate, tabletop exercises, and war gaming.
What We Offer
We partner with Chairs and CEOs to strengthen the foundation and test under pressure with three dynamic modules.
01.Blackheath 10-Point Governance Framework
We meet you where you are in your journey to establish meaningful oversight reflecting your business stage and regulatory status. Our unique 10-point framework prizes substance of form: Shareholder & Capital Structure | Board Purpose & Risk Appetite | Decision Rights & Rules of Play | Board Composition | Power Dynamics & Independence | Management Empowerment & Oversight | Governance Structure & Hygiene | Independent Assurance | Culture & Leadership | Strategy & Crisis Readiness
02.Culture & Collective Leadership
Shine a light on the existing and desired culture through management team interviews, observation and collective leadership diagnostic. CEO-led, board visible programme leveraging the Collective Leadership Assessment (CLA) - a globally benchmarked psychometric reflecting the views of the top team across 31 dimensions. Coupling the quantitative diagnostic with qualitative interviews, focus groups and workshops provides a complete view of your leadership culture.
03.Crisis Simulation & Strategy Lab
Zoom out to view the wider playing field and see around corners with horizon scanning and interactive strategy frameworks. Strengthen defences through our crisis simulation labs, table top exercises and war games. AI enabled simulation tools surface alternative scenarios and outcomes to tackle blind spots and sharpen questions. Media training arms board members with robust PR and communication strategies.
What We Offer
Special Offer
Blackheath 12-Month Resilience Programme
Our flagship advisory programme delivers integrated modules over a 12-month period to fundamentally strengthen your company's foundations. Designed as a retained service, this package helps companies move beyond fragmented workshops and one-off reviews toward a holistic approach.
While others measure external risk... we build inner resilience.
Blackheath 12-Month Resilience Programme
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Governance: Build robust foundations with a clear board purpose, risk appetite, rules of play and accountability.
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Leadership: Assess 'Collective Leadership' to create awareness. Shift reactive tendencies into purpose-driven authentic leadership.
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Culture: Understand how 'Collective Leadership' is shaping the culture through focus groups and one-to-one interviews. Build a values-driven winning culture.
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Strategic Agility: Zoom out to see the wider playing field with a horizon scan of macro trends and interactive strategy frameworks to sharpen strategic questions, stimulate constructive debate, and make better decisions.
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Crisis Readiness: Pressure test strategy and resilience to build confidence and ensure crisis readiness. Add media training to own the message and story.
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Ongoing Virtual AI Board: Synthesize insights, augment judgment, stress test decisions and identifies blind spots.
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Ongoing Board Advisory: Dedicated board advisor serving as a confidential sounding board to sponsor (1 day per month).
WHO WE ARE
Advisory Board with a Difference
Our Advisory Board is comprised of board directors, advisors, entrepreneurs, investors, authors, academics, speakers and thought leaders with decades of leadership experience in corporate, military or government.
We are united in our commitment to fostering better boards. In addition to providing guidance to Blackheath Advisors on the vision, values and governing principles, our advisory board members selectively support clients in their areas of expertise.
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Laura McCracken
Founder & CEO
Impressive global corporate leadership and board experience ranging from big tech to fintech.
Focus: Governance, Strategy, Leadership & Culture Development
Deep Dives & Talks: Crisis in the Boardroom, Leadership Agility, Governance 101
Peter Ibbetson
advisory board member
Distinguished career in financial services and entrepreneurial success in media relations.
Focus: Crisis Media Training, Reputation Management
Deep Dives & Talks: Speaking Under Fire, Crisis Communications
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David Birch
Advisory Board Member
Internationally recognised author and speaker with expertise in digital money, identity and payments.
Focus: Board Advisory, Strategy, Financial Market Resilience, Innovation
Deep Dives & Talks: Future of Money, Currency Cold Wars, Identity, Metaverse
Rupert Jones CBE
Advisory board member
Exemplary career in the military with expertise in leadership, geopolitics and crisis-management.
Focus: Strategy, Crisis Simulations, War Games, Leadership Coaching
Deep Dives & Talks: Geopolitics, Defence, Leadership, Decision Making Under Pressure
Simon Black
Advisory board member
Trusted board advisory, leadership development, and succession experience with early career in the military.
Focus: Leadership Coaching, Culture Development. Board Composition
Deep Dives & Talks: CEO Succession, Leadership & Culture
Jane Emma Peerless
advisory board member
Distinctive blend of commercial mastery, financial services expertise, and experience building resilient, high trust, high-performing cultures.
Focus: Leadership Coaching | Culture Development
Deep Dives & Talks: The Wellbeing Wallet | Authentic Culture | Confident Resilience
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Alison Donnelly
advisory board member
Deep governance, regulatory, and compliance knowledge coupled with fintech and payments industry expertise.
Focus: Governance, Board Effectiveness, Compliance, Regulation
Deep Dives & Talks: Regulation, Governance, Compliance
Benoit Reillier
Advisory board member
Recognised strategist and author with deep expertise in regulation, economics, AI and platform business models.
Focus: AI-enabled Board Simulation and Augmentation, Strategy, Board Advisory
Deep Dives & Talks: AI, Platform Strategy, Economics & Regulation
Alistair Brown
advisory board member
Gobal corporate leadership, strategy and consulting experience across payments, banking and monetary policy.
Focus: Board Advisory, Strategy Lab
Deep Dives & Talks: Payments & Politics | Stable Coins | Open Banking, Finance & Data
Dr. Ruth Wandhöfer
Advisory Board Member
Academic excellence across cybersecurity, quantum computing, digital finance, technology and regulation.
Focus: Regulatory Strategy, Cybersecurity, Digital Innovation
Deep Dives & Talks: Quantum Resilience & Cybersecurity
A 60-minute conversation to understand your board's context, challenges and objectives. We identify which service fits and whether there's a good match.
We conduct stakeholder interviews, review board packs, governance documents and MI. A tailored brief is shaped before any workshop or engagement begins.
Finalise board formation or evaluation. Conduct agreed interventions including culture workshop, strategy lab, or crisis simulation. You leave with a board-ready output pack with a priority roadmap — not a slide deck.
Getting Started
From first conversation to board-ready output.
Scoping Call
Pre-work & Discovery
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Delivery & Output
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A 60-minute conversation to understand your board's context, challenges and objectives. We identify which service fits and whether there's a good match.
Scoping Call
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2
3
"Blackheath Advisors transformed our newly established board from a 'Chevrolet' to a 'Jaguar'. The vibe changed from ticking boxes to a highly engaged board that prized substance over form and embraced constructive conflict."
Shareholder —
Cross-border payments company
BOARD FORMATION
"Blackheath challenged us to view the wider playing field and debate alternative outcomes, which ultimately drove better decisions. The interactive strategy offsite forced us to step back from the regular board pack and engage ideas with openness and curiosity."
CFO —
Social commerce platform
STRATEGY
STRATEGY DAY
"Blackheath Advisors opened our eyes to some underlying culture challenges that undermined trust and held us back on growing at pace. We shifted our culture from 'playing not to lose' to 'playing to win'."
CULTURE & LEADERSHIP
CEO —
Insurance company
"Even though entering the picture part way through the conflict, Laura quickly built trust by taking the time to understand the history, being visibly present, engaged with the team and facing the problems head on."
Chief Compliance Officer & MLRO —
EMI
BOARD ADVISORY
What Clients Say
Hot Topic Dinner Debates
Invite-only dinners for Chairs, NEDs and CEOs. Curated speaker, facilitated debate, no slides.
Keynotes & After Dinner Speeches
Signature speech series "Crisis in the Boardroom" plus board-grade talks on macro trends and geopolitical risks.
Crisis Simulations
Board-level crisis simulations and tabletop exercises to rehearse high-stakes decisions under pressure.
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Governance 101 Course
Cohort-based, practical Board Operating System course with templates, frameworks and live clinics.