In this episode Craig speaks with Darryl Petticrew, Director at Lancia Consult, a firm known for stepping into transformation programmes at the exact moment others step out. When projects stall, when plans unravel, when teams lose confidence, Lancia is the first call. This conversation explores why.

Darryl spent more than fifteen years in major consulting firms before joining Lancia, drawn by its entrepreneurial culture and its obsession with real impact.

We explore the realities of transformation work in 2025. Darryl explains why co creation beats traditional delivery, why capability transfer is now a core differentiator and why the firms that win today are those willing to take ownership while working on the client’s side of the desk.

Consultancy leaders will also hear a candid breakdown of the hidden fragility in growing consultancies and how to fix it. Darryl shares the warning signs inside firms that look successful on the surface but are operationally vulnerable. Over dependence on rainmakers. Decision making slowed by hierarchy. A small cluster of clients carrying the revenue. Teams stretched across delivery with no capacity for growth. These weaknesses tend to appear just as revenues rise.

Craig and Darryl explore how resilience is built. How trust creates speed. How the boutique advantage becomes real. And what it actually looks like to lead when your client has run out of answers.

In this episode you will learn

• Why boutique consultancies win transformation work the big firms lose
• How to build trust quickly in high pressure environments
• What programme recovery teaches about leadership, ownership and clarity
• The hidden fragility in growing consultancies and how to fix it
• How co creation and capability transfer create long term client loyalty
• Why clients drop big four firms for smaller teams that can deliver fast
• How to position your consultancy as the first call when a project turns red

For consultancy leaders facing a tougher market, this is a clear playbook for building a firm that clients trust with their hardest problems. Human. Fast. Under pressure. And impossible to replace.

Host Craig Herd
Guest Darryl Petticrew