Fractional Leaders feat. Andy Ryan

Can you please introduce yourself and your journey to becoming a Fractional Leader?

Hi I’m Andy. I took an interest in technology and coding at a very early age, and after leaving college I worked my way up through the ranks of application and data development, initially in the trading (EPoS) data space for Neilsen, then onto marketing and “people” data. By the time I was leading teams I’d managed to develop a knack for communicating the complex and technical to non-technical colleagues and clients such as Danone, PepsiCo, Shell, Jaguar Land Rover and P&G.

This skill, combined with a creative thinking approach I have managed to retain led me naturally into the consultancy world. After a tenure as CTO, I decided to freelance in 2023 which opened the door for me to work directly with some great clients and their teams, drawing from all aspects of my background and experience, getting my hands dirty as well as acting as a trusted strategic leader.

Let’s talk impact, what achievements are you proud of the most?

In recent years I drove +25% improvement in Operating Profit, closed £5m net new revenue, +50% improvement in employee satisfaction, helped 80% of my teams gain their chosen technical certifications and the business retain three business standards certifications. Oh, we also won six industry awards.

Numbers, badges and achievements aside, I have built some great relationships with clients and colleagues which will outlast tenures of employment. These are my proudest achievements.

Based on your work with start-ups and scale-ups, do you have any pieces of wisdom you could share with businesses in scale-up mode?

Know (and share) your vision:

Take time to explore your “WHY” and how you would deliver the most unique and effective impact. This is what people buy, what inspires your teams and is a North Star to maintain clarity on your journey.

Focus on your user/customer experience:

When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. The objective should not be to build cool products and services in the expectation that you will automatically find success. It’s how you change people’s lives with cool products and services.

Embrace change and focus on what matters most:

Don’t pretend to know everything on day one. Priorities change, markets move and new ideas surface. Define detail as you approach it and don’t get precious about changing things up a little. Embrace new techniques and technologies to challenge the norm.

Trust your team:

If you have a talented and engaged team that share the vision, let them fly. It’s what gets us out of bed in the morning and will promote teams to lift each other.

Use the data:

Whether it be understanding your market, knowing your users or tracking scope and progress of your work, having a solid objective foundation pays dividends whether it’s planning, making tough decisions or celebrating success.

Lead by example:

Don’t be the general sitting behind the troops shouting orders, that never inspired anyone. Be the guy with the blue face-paint charging in from the front.

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