About Us
AI is everywhere right now. Most of what's being sold is noise. The hard part is working out what is genuinely useful for your business, and then actually delivering it without burning through cash or patience.
That's where we come in.
At Strategy Room, we help small and medium-sized business leaders plot the right course in the first place, navigate the icebergs before they hit, and make sure you get to your destination in one piece. Whether the question on the table is an AI pilot, an automation programme, or a wider technology strategy, we help you make the calls that matter and avoid the ones that quietly sink projects later on.
Some clients engage us to pressure-test a single high-stakes decision. Others retain us to provide ongoing leadership through periods of change.
"Outcomes not technology"
In every case, we care about outcomes not technology. There is a reason you are looking at this investment in the first place. We make sure we understand it at the beginning and achieve it at the end.
Between us, we have sat on both sides of the table, as clients making technology investments and as the partners delivering them. That dual perspective means we know how delivery partners think, how they price, and where value tends to quietly disappear.
We are also independent. We do not sell software. We do not take commission from vendors. We do not have an in-house team waiting to deliver whatever we recommend. The advice is objective because there is no incentive for it to be anything else.
What we know about AI
We have been working with AI and intelligent automation in real businesses for years, not just slide decks.
Our principal consultant was Managing Director of an intelligent automation business, delivering AI, machine learning and intelligent document processing into finance, operations and customer service teams. So when we talk about what AI can and cannot do in an SMB context, we are talking from delivery experience, not vendor brochures.
We help leaders separate the parts of AI that are genuinely ready for production work from the parts that still need a few more laps round the track. We are equally happy telling you AI is not the right answer for the problem you have described, which is something many of the loudest voices in this market struggle with.
Our Services
Practical advice and senior leadership for SMBs investing in AI, automation and technology.
AI Strategy and Adoption
For leaders who know AI could change the game but are not sure where to start, or have already tried and got nowhere.
We help you:
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Identify where AI will genuinely add value in your business, and where it will not
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Build a business case that holds up under scrutiny
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Select the right tools, models and delivery partners without the vendor bias
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Avoid the common traps that turn AI projects into expensive science experiments
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Get a first use case live and proving value within a sensible timeframe
Technology Strategy & Roadmap Definition
For organisations that need a clear, realistic view of how AI and technology will support the business over the next two to five years.
This includes:
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Aligning technology and AI priorities to business objectives
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Defining sequencing, dependencies and investment horizons
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Creating a roadmap leadership can actually execute
Pragmatic, commercially grounded, and free from vendor bias.
Fractional Technology & Transformation Director
Ongoing senior leadership without the overhead of a full-time role.
We work alongside MDs and leadership teams to:
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Shape and steer technology-enabled change
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Challenge thinking and assumptions
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Provide continuity across multiple initiatives
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Act as a trusted decision partner during periods of uncertainty
Programme Leadership & Independent Oversight
Senior oversight once initiatives are underway.
This focuses on:
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Keeping programmes aligned to original intent
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Managing risk, scope and value realisation
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Holding delivery partners to account
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Intervening early when momentum or confidence drops
Capability & Operating Model Design
Support in shaping the organisation needed to sustain change.
This may include:
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Defining future technology leadership roles
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Supporting CTO or senior hire design and transition
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Reviewing supplier and delivery models
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Strengthening internal governance and decision-making
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Designing future operating model for value realisation
Steve Motley
Principal Consultant
Twenty years ago, in my first role at a business strategy consultancy, I asked the firm’s principal whether I could join him on a client visit as a junior consultant.
“You need more grey hairs before you can call yourself a consultant,” he replied.
Twenty years on, my career has come full circle. I now run my own strategy and technology consultancy – and I’ve thankfully acquired the grey hairs I was missing back then.
Over the last 15 years I’ve worked in Director-level roles across consultancy, manufacturing, distribution, retail and technology. Most recently, I served as Managing Director of an intelligent automation consultancy, helping organisations use technology to drive efficiency, resilience and growth.
More than a decade of my career has been spent leading complex technology and transformation programmes. I’ve been accountable for the decisions, the budgets, the outcomes – and the consequences when things don’t go to plan.
That experience now shapes how I help clients think about AI. I am interested in the practical question of how AI actually delivers value in a real business, not the theoretical one. There is plenty of the latter going around already.
Associate Consultant
Mike brings over 20 years’ experience helping global consumer product brands drive profitable growth through digital channels.
He specialises in developing and delivering digital strategies that generate measurable improvements in customer acquisition, revenue growth and customer experience.
A significant part of Mike’s work focuses on helping organisations gain greater clarity from their web analytics and marketing data, enabling more confident, insight-led decision-making.
Increasingly, he supports clients in applying AI to optimise digital marketing performance — improving targeting, campaign efficiency and return on investment.
Mike leads digital marketing and eCommerce optimisation engagements for Strategy Room, working closely with clients to translate strategy into measurable commercial outcomes.
Mike Jessop
What people say about us
"What really impressed me was that Steve could work in the detail and then switch quickly into a more strategic approach. Due to this versatility he was able to support the project team and get the very best from them."
"I've worked with Steve over many years and have always been impressed with his pragmatic and hands on attitude to delivery. He has a great strategic approach and importantly is easy to work with."
Nick Marshall
Managing Director, Omega Red Group
Neil Griffiths
Site Director, RS Safety
Our Experience
Our experience spans a breadth of technologies that are prevalent within manufacturing, wholesale, distribution and retail sectors. Some of the highlights include the following technology categories.
AI and Intelligent Automation
We have been delivering AI, machine learning and intelligent automation into real businesses for years. From intelligent document processing in finance and operations through to AI-driven decision support, analytics and customer service, we know what is deliverable today, what is still maturing, and how to put it to work without burning through your budget. Finance, customer service and operations are usually the best places to start.
eCommerce
The eCommerce channel is not new to most product orientated businesses but it is often under utilised. Deployed successfully, eCommerce can be a game changer for product businesses, driving profitable growth and reducing the burden on internal teams. Strategy Room can support you across the lifecycle from the initial implementation of an eCommerce channel through to the optimisation of the channel.
Business Intelligence
Many product based businesses we speak to still rely on the manual analysis of spreadsheets or pre-baked reports from isolated systems to provide insight into their business. Our consultants have spent years helping clients understand what insights will really help unlock business and customer value. We've also got hands on experience getting that insight built through some of the leading business intelligence tools on the market.