Management consultancy talks exciting future

Sue Williams & Peter Ahye

Management consultancy, Hexagon Consultants is celebrating its fifth anniversary with increased profits and a prestigious catalogue of clients and projects.

The Leeds-based business which was founded in 2015 by Pete Ahye and Sue Williams has this year undergone an expansion and rebrand, having had its most profitable year to day with over £5m of revenue.

The firm has brought on two new managing directors in Ben Willis and Paul Hawkes who will look after the Retail and Finance Practices respectively. In addition it has increased its activity in the direct to consumer space in order to support businesses through the changes brought about by the current pandemic.

Ahye commented on the success: “This was down to our growing reputation as a firm but more crucially due to the way we align ourselves to our clients, extending their capabilities by providing experienced and proven Hexagon people to get critical projects delivered, not just talked about.”

However its the journey to this record year which is interesting.

Ahye said: “I’d spent the previous 15+ years of my career as CFO or FD in a number of blue chip businesses such as United Biscuits, Next and Shop Direct.

“As I left the last ‘employed’ role I had with Pattonair, I was asking myself ‘what do I want to do next?’ I had turned down a number of CFO roles along the way as I tried to make up my mind. It’s hard to get to the top of the ladder and jump down to start two businesses from scratch with zero revenue. But that’s what I did!”

Alongside Hexagon, Ahye also founded vegan dessert brand Freaks of Nature which has gone from strength to strength, having scaled up production this year and launched into the foodservice market.

Williams added that the success followed a change in focus for the business after it worked with clients including Jaguar Land Rover, Liberty Steel and Dyson.

She said: “In the early days at Hexagon, we were focused more on working with clients on supply chain projects but were continually being asked for more once clients understood the broader teams’ capabilities – including M&A, finance, complex debt funding and transformation”.

Looking to the future Ahye says the business is being kept busy by some “confidential projects” that are significant both in terms of “the role that Hexagon has been asked to play but also become one will provide significant value to the Yorkshire region, whilst the other has huge implications for the whole of the UK.”

The experienced business leader adds that the team is “truly excited” about the future of the business despite the challenges which the market has faced throughout 2020.

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