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Rowan CEO Paul Waite on Looking to the Future Most founders reach a point where it’s time to step back from the business they’ve built from the ground up. But, how should they approach planning their own exit? Like many business founders, I take the time to…

In today’s fast-paced business landscape, high-growth companies face unique challenges. To thrive in this dynamic environment, they need a Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) who thinks differently, spearheads change, and embodies agility.   Utilising our PACE behavioural evaluation tool we are able to identify the behavioural traits most…

How to ensure business continuity when building a succession plan As an owner founder you’ve worked hard over the years to build a successful business around a set of values that have driven the growth of the business to date. As you look to continue to scale…

Can you identify tomorrow’s business leaders with certainty? Appointing a first-time or future leader to your senior leadership team can be valuable and rewarding, but also risky. If an individual has no track record in a leadership position, is there a way to truly tell whether they’re ready…

As a senior female leader or business owner, you know the value of coming together with like-minded individuals to discuss all things business. Networking and collaborating with other C-suite executives and senior leaders can lead to personal growth and remarkable opportunities. That’s precisely what our Empowering Women…

In the fast-paced and competitive world of high-growth businesses, having a capable and strategic Chief Financial Officer (CFO) is instrumental in achieving sustainable financial success. As the key senior leader within your finance function a CFO plays a multifaceted role, providing expertise and guidance in areas such…

Scaling your SME requires a strategic approach and as an owner founder you will need the right people around you to help you seize the right opportunities to fuel your growth. A Non-Executive Director (NED) brings invaluable expertise and guidance to navigate this journey successfully. Here we…

Is securing that initial, primary investment a goal of yours as an SME owner/founder?   Private Equity funding has the potential to revolutionise business performance, fast-track your growth journey, and bring you closer to realising your ambitions.  Embarking on a PE journey can be uncharted territory for many…

A positive culture is critical to attracting and maintaining the right people in any SME and keeping them productive. But the goal of any SME is growth, and with growth comes change. As a founder-led business embracing a period of high growth ourselves, we wanted to share…

Management due diligence provides independent scrutiny on the present leadership and executive management team of a given business. But can a more data-led approach bring greater objectivity, and deliver additional insight to potential investors, than the traditional, hands-on approach? Typically, Management Due Diligence is performed via in-depth…

As the Empowering Women network and series of events goes from strength to strength we catch-up with founder Louise Stephenson on the story behind the network. Louise Stephenson, Director – Rowan Group. Louise leads the PE Growth Division for Rowan Group and is the founder of the…

As businesses kick off the new year, important decisions must be made about the direction of travel, and the best leadership team for the journey. Leaders must combine strategic vision, agility, curiosity, and the right functional balance, to anticipate and capitalise on the risks and opportunities ahead….

Diversity and inclusion are more than just buzzwords. They are an increasingly important component of creating effective leadership. Diverse perspectives and inclusive environments can help to foster a dynamic leadership environment. What impact does diversity and inclusion have on leadership and how can organisations build strong and…

The journey of an entrepreneur is often fueled by the short term desire to create something for themselves, but more longer term for the ambition to generate wealth.  The SME owner accepts a greater deal of risk than the employee for the opportunity to transform their idea…

Non-executive director recruitment can be a time-consuming process. Finding people with the right combination of experience and insight for the role sometimes feels like a hit-and-miss affair. Whether you’re looking for someone with previous non-executive director experience or you hope to persuade someone into becoming a non-executive…

The ‘Tipping Point’ Every successful business is built on the foundation of passion, knowledge, and hard work invested by its visionary leaders. You’ve come a long way, establishing yourself as a key player in your industry, driven by your expertise and dedication. However, now you find yourself…

A skilled and competent CFO can have a significant impact on the financial health and overall strategic direction of a company. When searching for a successful CFO candidate, certain key qualities can be indicative of their suitability for the role. Finding the right talent can be time-consuming…

Finding the right talent for executive leadership roles for your organisation can be challenging. Understanding the talent that’s available, who may be interested and how they should be approached takes skill, time, and a deep understanding of the executive level market. For this reason, many companies will…

Diversity & Inclusion is a core part of Rowan’s ESG agenda, and underpins everything we do here internally, as well as for our clients. We believe that greater Diversity & Inclusion enriches businesses and leadership teams; providing different perspectives, experiences and voices that businesses can benefit from….

  You’re an ambitious owner/founder who realises that a strong, positive culture in your SME is integral to your success, and to attracting and retaining top talent.     But how do you sustain your culture as your business scales?        Recently, Rowan appointed a ‘People’ leader to a growing SME that…

As well as sponsoring the £10-50m category, we’re really looking forward to seeing some of our clients battling it out in the £50m+ category: DA Languages and Foresight Group: Sale of the business to IK partners Rowan appointed MD Matt Taylor and Chair Diane Cheesebrough alongside the owner in 2018 after Foresight’s initial…

  APEM provides independent advice and guidance to support government and regulatory guidelines in the B2B space, with a sharp focus on sustainability. The business took on investment from WestBridge in early 2019, and has doubled in size by pursuing an acquisitive strategy. This includes the acquisition of GoBe Consultants…

It’s a big week for North-West business, with this year’s Insider Media Dealmaker’s awards taking place at the sold-out Manchester Central arena this Thursday 27th October.   We’re proud to again be sponsoring the £10-50m award category.  Rowan has always been a big advocate for the awards, which showcases the…

As an ambitious SME owner/founder, you might well have prioritised ‘industry experience’ when making appointments to your leadership team.  It only makes sense, right? You sell software (for example), so you want your next Senior Leadership Team (SLT) member to know how to sell software. We would…

As an SME owner/founder, you’re an expert in your field, and you’re passionate about your business. Your drive and leadership have brought your business this far – now it’s time to leverage more value from your leadership team and take your business on the next stage of its…

For over a decade, we have worked with owner/founders to provide the leadership expertise, experience and contacts to achieve their business ambitions and attract primary investment if that is their goal.  Rowan operates a tried-and-tested research-based model when undertaking Executive Search assignments to appoint business leaders. Our…

Sales and marketing are sometimes wrongly perceived as siloed activities within an organisation. Although both work together towards the common goal of promoting and selling a company’s products or services to customers, this foundational fact can sometimes be lost regarding how the roles are understood. When sales…

  Our market-leading, proprietary behavioural analysis tool, PACE, can define behavioural archetypes for upper-quartile, high-growth leaders. Unlike generic psychometric tests, PACE goes beyond abstract insights, delivering targeted results tailored to meet the needs of business owners and investors in high-growth companies. With PACE, defining behavioural archetypes for…

What is ‘Complementarity’? ‘Complementarity’ refers to the ability of business leaders to work together effectively, based on complementary behavioural traits. A leadership team that is high in complementarity has the best chance of driving growth, working through problems and fostering a harmonious, productive atmosphere throughout the business….

One of the ways to boost growth is through acquisition, but what makes for a successful ‘buy-and-build’ strategy? Firstly, the acquirer must be aware of the entry point into the new business. Is it a pure start-up or an established entity? For start-ups, there is a great…

At its core, private equity is an investment approach that involves buying a significant stake in a company with the goal of improving its financial performance and operational efficiency. Private equity firms typically work closely with company management to identify areas of opportunity and to develop and…

The Chief Operating Officer (COO) has a position of key importance in any organisation. In an ambitious SME, their role can be particularly pivotal. Any small or medium-sized business that is looking to grow, diversify, develop, and expand will lean heavily on the skills, vision, and expertise…

When a company is looking for the kind of exceptional talent they need to initiate change, drive growth or see the company through a period of transformation, then they are likely to turn to an executive search firm. In short, executive search is a process through which…

Here at Rowan, the concept of ‘leadership’ is close to our hearts. We appoint leaders and future leaders to our SME clients, and are acutely aware of the difference strong leadership can make to a business’ outcomes. It’s a multi-faceted concept with a lot of variables, however,…

  Executive Search is one of our consultancy services. Finding, assessing and introducing senior talent to our private capital and PE-backed SME clients is what we’ve traditionally been know for – but when we partner with clients, we are so much more involved than that. We partner…

A leadership review can make a critical contribution to the success of a business. It’s used to thoroughly evaluate and assess the effectiveness of the leadership team within an organisation. It can identify strengths and accomplishments, as well as highlight areas that need improvement. What exactly is…

Private equity investment can offer significant benefits for owner/founder led and independently owned businesses looking to access capital and accelerate growth. Private equity firms provide not only capital but also operational support, industry expertise, and strategic guidance to help companies reach their full potential. Private equity investment…

Diversity and Inclusion means different things to different people. In fact, Diversity and Inclusion can mean different things to the same person at different times in their life. It is exactly what Kellie Rixon MBE FIH spoke about recently when she addressed a room of 19 other professional female…

Data is all around us. Leadership, financial, people, operational, customer – the list goes on. However, without the correct insight, data is useless. As leadership performance moves towards being more data-driven, it’s critical to have the correct insights that will allow you to optimise for growth and…

In the UK, the issue of gender diversity in senior leadership positions has been increasingly brought to the forefront. The FTSE Women Leaders Review, which captures over 24,000 leadership roles in 350 of Britain’s largest listed companies, has set a target for 40% representation of women in…

~ By our Marketing Consultant Laura Ball ~ You know it’s been a good event when you’ve laughed and cried in equal measures! And that is exactly what happened when a group of twenty like-minded business women got together to start their conversations around Diversity and Inclusion…

There is much more to being a CEO than just a title on a nameplate on their office door. It is a complex, multifaceted role with a range of responsibilities and organisation-specific challenges. Chief executive recruitment agencies look for outstanding individuals with a broad skill set who…

Despite uncertain global economic conditions, UK mid-market PE activity in H1 ‘22 remained high, albeit slightly down in terms of volume and value on the post-lockdown surge of 2021. Business services and technology, media, and telecoms accounted for nearly 60% of PE investments in H1, fuelled by…

We believe that effective leadership teams take time to develop, and the appointments we make are always with a view to the long-term ambitions of the business leader, underpinned by the strategic plan. The ‘Leadership Dynamics’ product suite was built on these principles. Working towards a specific…

‘Leadership Dynamics’ is the product suite designed and built to benchmark a leadership team against its peers, provide analysis as to the effectiveness of that team, and suggest a route to optimising that team; giving it the best chance to deliver on the business’ strategic growth plan….

Data used to be perceived primarily as a marketing tool; used mainly for tweaking and improving customer journeys. This has changed dramatically in recent years. The capture, analysis and exploitation of data is now fundamental to the performance of most businesses. All business systems are awash with…