Former Sky, Barclays, KFC, and Deloitte execs unite to scale disruptive model helping UK businesses grow

Four former C-suite and senior executives from major UK and global brands have joined forces with Beyond the Blueprint – a fast-growing, multi-million-pound growth advisory firm – to scale a disruptive model designed to help UK businesses and their leaders grow through complex change.

The new partners are all accredited executive coaches and bring a powerful blend of senior leadership and hands-on experience in founding, scaling and transforming businesses at all stages of maturity. Alongside the founders, their backgrounds span organisations including ITV, Unilever, Tesco, Liberty Global, BT, JP Morgan, Mediacom, Marakon Associates, Eve Sleep and the AA.
They join co-founders Patrick Ugeux (formerly of Deloitte) and Gareth Hussey (formerly of O2 Telefónica) in response to rising demand for a more integrated approach to growth – one that delivers strategic reinvention, and the human dynamics needed to deliver it.

Founded in 2023, Beyond the Blueprint has grown rapidly, working with boards and leadership teams at companies including Octopus Investments, Just Group plc and Next 15 plc. Its unique partner-only model combines board and top team advisory with executive coaching to help unlock double-digit growth through moments of major change – including post-merger integration, new business creation and significant shifts in strategic direction.

The addition of the new partners strengthens Beyond the Blueprint’s reach across sectors including technology, FMCG, retail, direct-to-consumer and financial services. It also reflects rising demand for more integrated approaches to growth, particularly in the face of economic uncertainty and the urgent need to harness the opportunities presented by AI-led disruption.

The new partners include Cheryl Calverley, award-winning CMO and former CEO of Eve Sleep, who more than quadrupled the profitability of the business, and Will Worsdell, a global brand strategist and former agency founder who built and globally scaled a multi-million-pound marketing services business.

They are joined by Charli Kumar, former Managing Director of two Sky streaming businesses, and named one of the UK’s Top 50 Women Gamechangers in TV and Jen Wright, an entrepreneur who has previously led major digital, data and AI transformation projects for KFC, BT and Specsavers.

Co-founders Gareth Hussey and Patrick Ugeux similarly bring first-hand experience of leading change at scale. Patrick, a strategy, M&A and transaction executive, led large-scale change and transactions at Clear Channel and Liberty Global. Gareth steered the multi-billion-pound consumer P&L at O2 UK to significant growth during the pandemic, and brings deep commercial, marketing and coaching expertise, alongside extensive experience working with scale-ups at Octopus.

Patrick Ugeux, co-founder of Beyond the Blueprint, said: “We’ve been struck by how deeply our approach resonates with leaders and investors. By expanding the business, we can support more boards and leadership teams through systemic change, not just by shaping strategy, but, as trained executive coaches, by tackling the human dynamics that enable it.”

Jen Wright, former KFC leader and partner at Beyond the Blueprint, said: “Having led and coached growth, technology transformation and AI-driven change in major organisations, I know that it’s this combination of experience, creativity and focus on the individual leaders in the room that truly helps businesses rise to their biggest challenges. Beyond The Blueprint’s integrated approach to human dynamics and business mechanics is what really drew me in.”

With McKinsey research showing that 70% of business transformations still fail, often due to a disconnect between vision, team alignment and execution, Beyond the Blueprint’s growth reflects a shift in what organisations value. Many are now looking beyond traditional consultancies, seeking advisory partners who understand and can bridge both the strategic and human sides of growth.

The firm is currently expanding its offering, client base, and geographic footprint primarily across EMEA and North America.