Who we are

Leaders who want to move fast (and already have to deal with their own organisation’s inertia) are looking for nimble partners. We bring a collaborative mindset shaped by our values, and a way of working centred on being agile and adaptive.

We are a purposefully small team – ‘what you see is what you get’. Simply put, we offer a business model based on low-overhead, high-value pricing – it’s all about fewer consultants and more expertise.  We bring in additional skills or experience only when you need them. Outwith has established a unique network of ex-industry leaders and change practitioners worldwide that we call on as required. This gives our clients access to a rich community of like-minded people to lean into.

And because we are so focused on value, we are uniquely flexible. Our simple engagement model enables open monitoring and management of our resources committed – such that you have the assurance and convenience of a long-term partner, but the flexibility of a short-term solutions provider. Outwith works with only a few clients at any one point in time, so we can target more of our effort towards your challenge. This means that we can help you shortcut to the right answers.

Learn more about Outwith’s founders below:

 

Peter Hocknell

Peter Hocknell

Tim Sefton

Tim Sefton

Peter’s journey to co-founding Outwith saw him:

  • Deliver performance improvements across a diversity of sectors in EMEA, North America and APAC, as lead customer strategist at PA Consulting
  • Lead Customer Experience (CX) capability development and operational turnaround agendas respectively as a senior executive at Nationwide (the UK’s most trusted financial brand) and First Utility (a ‘Top 25 Fast Track’ UK company since acquired by Shell)
  • Deliver what Forrester’s analysts cited repeatedly as best-practice client solutions, as one of the pioneering team of directors that led Mulberry Consulting to become the largest international consultancy specialised in CX.

Tim’s journey to co-founding Outwith saw him:

  • Jointly architect the transformation of mobile operator BT Cellnet to become O2, the UK’s leading mobile operator brand (during his 12-year career at O2, Tim rose to the position of Customer Director and then Strategy & New Business Development Director on the Executive Committee)
  • Build for O2 a pipeline of new growth platforms and a capability to foster intrapreneurship which included the creation and launch of successful customer-led businesses such as giffgaff (revenues of >£400m) and O2 Wifi
  • Appointed as architect or workstream leader for a diversity of multinational organisations that are intent on customer-centric transformation, including Jaguar Land Rover, Verizon, Sage, Harvey Nichols, Good Energy, Welsh Water and the National Lottery.

What we are like to work with

Our partnering approach relies on collaboration: Outwith’s know-how and perspectives, combined with your expertise on your organisation and today’s market. We won’t re-invent knowledge or re-present it as our own – the more answers you have to our questions, the faster we can deliver.

Where we find gaps, we can work together on how best to fill them. We often work with other, larger solution providers – but we remain independent. We do not commit to exclusive partnerships as we know that’s not necessarily in the client’s best interest. No one wants ‘me too’ strategies and solutions used by your competitors. Breakthrough thinking comes from outsiders who don’t have a vested interest in playing to the masses and preserving the norms of the industry.

Outwith’s collaborative mindset is reflected in our three values that define how we lead, the choices we make and what we seek to permanently embed into the leaders we work with:

  • INVESTED: We care about the outcome. We believe that if we are working together, we are in it together for the long-term.
  • OPEN & INCLUSIVE: We challenge norms and potential myths – we ask “Why?”. And we embrace new and creative ideas – we say, “Why not?”. We are considerate of each other, sensitive to and welcoming of different cultures and personalities.
  • HUMAN: We advocate the mutual value that customers can create with business. Business can be a force for good in society and we purposefully work to include real customers in the change journey itself – to reveal the ‘human’ hidden in the data, technology or process.

Who we have helped