Advisory
Better Decisions Create Better Businesses.
Every business reaches moments where the next decision carries real consequences. Whether you're launching something new, navigating growth, strengthening your organisation or rethinking your direction, an experienced perspective can help bring clarity before commitment.
A note on the work
I work with founders, business leaders and organisations to solve complex challenges through strategic thinking, product leadership and creative direction.
Rather than industries, organised by people.
01
Founders
Turning ideas into sustainable businesses while navigating uncertainty, product decisions and growth.
02
Small & Medium Businesses
Helping growing businesses strengthen strategy, products, customer experience and operational clarity.
03
Executives & Established Organisations
Helping leadership teams in established businesses navigate product complexity, digital transformation and organisational change.
04
Public & Educational Institutions
Supporting public bodies, universities and other institutions through product thinking, transformation and capability development.
05
Creative & Product Teams
Helping brands, designers and product teams connect strategy with compelling experiences and clear narratives.
Pathway I
Strategy & Business Advisory
When important decisions deserve experienced thinking.
For founders and business leaders facing consequential decisions about direction, growth, opportunity and what to do next.
Sometimes the greatest value isn't another deliverable — it's having a trusted sounding board before making a significant decision. I help bring structure to uncertainty.
Typical conversations
- Business and growth strategy
- Opportunity and business-model assessment
- Product strategy and product-market fit
- Innovation strategy
- Strategic planning and leadership decision support
- Prioritisation and resource allocation
Best suited for
- Founders
- SME owners
- Executive teams
- Non-profit leaders
Pathway II
Product, Technology & Transformation
When products, technology and ways of working need to move together.
For organisations navigating product complexity, digital transformation, AI readiness or the adoption of technology and new ways of working.
MADEbyAkin provides the strategy, leadership and advisory. Where hands-on implementation is needed, I'll recommend the right delivery partner — sometimes AsteriskRD, sometimes others.
Typical conversations
- Fractional product leadership and CPO-level advisory
- Product operating models and governance
- Digital transformation strategy
- Technology and AI readiness assessment
- Technology adoption and organisational readiness
- Change alignment and capability development
- Product team leadership and mentoring
Best suited for
- Growing businesses
- Scaling startups
- Digital organisations
- Transformation initiatives
Pathway III
Brand & Creative Direction
Ideas deserve thoughtful expression.
For businesses and teams that need sharper positioning, clearer narratives and more coherent experiences.
Before becoming a product leader, I trained and worked as a designer. This is strategic creative direction — not production design or a high-volume design studio.
Typical conversations
- Brand positioning and strategy
- Brand and product storytelling
- Creative direction
- Customer and product experience strategy
- Strategic design reviews
- Executive presentations and narrative development
Best suited for
- Founders
- Creative businesses
- Technology companies
- Purpose-driven organisations
Executive product leadership, without a full-time hire.
Not every organisation needs a permanent Chief Product Officer. Some need experienced leadership during growth, transition or transformation.
As a fractional or interim product leader, I work alongside your leadership team to strengthen product direction, governance and decision-making, and to mentor the people who will carry the work forward.
Scope, time commitment and duration are shaped around your context in an initial conversation.
For rooms that need clearer thinking.
Keynotes, executive and leadership workshops, strategic facilitation and offsites, panels, roundtables and guest lectures — on product leadership, decision-making, AI readiness, innovation, organisational maturity and digital transformation.
01
Choose your route
Book a strategy session if you're ready to talk through a specific decision, or send an enquiry for larger or less-defined work.
02
Understand the context
We start with your situation — the decision, the constraints, the people involved — before discussing any format.
03
Agree the right shape
If there's a good fit, we agree the most useful way to work together. If not, I'll point you to a better-suited path.
When I'm not the right fit
Sometimes the best advice is a referral.
I don't believe every engagement should become a client relationship. If your challenge is better suited to another specialist — or requires implementation beyond my advisory role — I'll happily point you in the right direction.
Where appropriate, implementation work may be delivered through AsteriskRD, the product engineering and innovation company I founded, or through trusted collaborators within my professional network.
That means every recommendation is guided by what's most likely to create value for you — not simply by the services I offer.
Frequently asked
A few things people ask first.
- Do you only work with large organisations?
- No. Many of the most interesting challenges come from founders and growing businesses. I work with organisations of different sizes, provided there's a meaningful opportunity to contribute.
- Do you build software?
- Not directly through MADEbyAkin. This platform focuses on strategic advisory, product leadership, creative direction, speaking and knowledge. When implementation or product engineering is required, I may recommend engaging AsteriskRD or another trusted delivery partner.
- Do you work outside Africa?
- Yes. While I collaborate closely with organisations across Africa, I work with teams across different regions through both remote and in-person engagements.
- What's the difference between a strategy session and an enquiry?
- Book a strategy session when you're ready to talk through a specific decision. Send an enquiry for larger, ongoing or less-defined engagements — such as fractional leadership, transformation support or a speaking invitation.
- What happens after I get in touch?
- Every conversation starts with understanding your context. If it appears there's a good fit, we'll discuss the most appropriate way to work together. If not, I'll recommend alternative paths or connections where I can.
Final invitation
Better decisions begin with better conversations.
Whether you're refining a product strategy, navigating organisational change, strengthening your leadership team or shaping a new direction, I'd be glad to explore the challenge with you.
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