Former Deloitte and North Highland executive, Charles Vivian, has been appointed as an independent strategic adviser to Gate One’s internal strategy board.
His appointment takes Gate One’s independent strategic adviser tally to three, including Sophia Hughes, formerly of McKinsey and PepsiCo, and Adil Khan, co-founder of Boxwood.
Gate One is growing rapidly in the UK and recently expanded to France, Ireland and the US to serve its growing customer base. Recruitment is underway for experienced management consultants in all offices.
Charles has first-hand experience of scaling management consultancies in both the UK and US. He ran North Highland’s business in the UK for over five years, launched North Highland’s Managed Service business in the UK and US, and latterly ran its North-East US Consulting Business. He is well versed in the challenges consulting businesses currently face, including the need to stand out from the crowd in a congested marketplace, win the war for talent, and be able to remain relevant to clients.
Charles was instrumental in North Highland finding its place in both the UK and the North-East US markets. He helped to identify what the consultancy wanted to be known for and championed this agenda to inspire talent and clients alike. He points to the ability to have a larger, deeper impact with employees and clients when they know exactly what you stand for and where you are going.
Of Gate One, Charles said: “I’m hugely excited and privileged to be working with what is arguably the UK’s premier international consulting challenger brand.
“I’ve followed Gate One closely over the years and admired them as a competitor,” he continues. “Having scaled businesses in the UK and US that were a similar size to where Gate One is now means my experience is of direct relevance to this particular point in the company’s journey. I’m looking forward to drawing on my experiences and networks to add significant value to Gate One’s growth.
“I’m conscious of the responsibility that comes with this appointment and believe a sense of productive insecurity, paranoia and humility among strategic advisers is healthy. It drives a desire to contribute, challenge and shape thinking, heightening collective performance.
“It’s also important that you like the leaders of the business,” he adds. “I’ve known the founders of Gate One for some time and they are good people and a great team. Given the aim is to make the business – and those leading it – successful, you have to want to drive the best outcomes for them.”
Tim Phillips, managing partner at Gate One, said: “We are delighted to welcome Charles to the Gate One strategy board. His background in management consultancy, know-how in scaling businesses in markets relevant to Gate One, and experience of holding non-executive director positions means he’s well placed to offer the necessary support, challenge and rigour that we require as we embark on the next phase of our growth journey. Like our other strategic advisers, we are certain that Charles’ advice will be honest, thoughtful and with the very best interests of Gate One at heart. This gives us great confidence in our future.”
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