Permanent, interim, fractional and advisory Solution Director
Solution Director for technology businesses
I work with technology businesses where complex products, services or transformation programmes need someone who can connect the customer problem, the commercial opportunity and the solution.
That can mean shaping a proposition, working with customers and sales teams, defining the right solution, bringing technical and commercial people together, or helping turn a complex opportunity into something that can actually be sold and delivered.
I bring 25+ years across enterprise software, SaaS, ERP, cloud, AI, digital transformation, consulting, sales, pre-sales and delivery.
What a Solution Director does
A Solution Director sits across several parts of the business.
The role is often about taking a customer requirement or commercial opportunity and working out what the business should actually offer.
The important part is the connection between customer, technology and commercial reality.
- Understanding the customer's business problem and what they are trying to achieve
- Shaping the solution around the real requirement rather than simply presenting the technology
- Bringing product, technology, sales, pre-sales and delivery teams together
- Developing propositions and solution approaches
- Supporting major and complex sales opportunities
- Challenging whether a proposed solution is commercially viable and deliverable
- Turning technical capability into something a customer can understand and buy
- Making sure what is sold can ultimately be delivered
When businesses bring me in
Businesses usually bring me in when a significant opportunity or proposition needs senior ownership — someone who can connect what the customer needs, what the business can offer and what can actually be delivered.
- A major opportunity needs shaping before the business commits to it.
- A proposition exists but is not landing with customers.
- Solutions are becoming more complex, with commercial, technical and delivery questions to answer.
- The business is entering a new market or sector and needs a credible solution story.
- Bids and tenders need experienced solution leadership.
- A transformation opportunity needs a proposition the customer's board can understand and approve.
Bringing commercial and technical thinking together
I have worked across technology, software, sales, propositions, commercial strategy and teams, on both sides of the commercial and technical divide.
That background matters, because solution leadership is rarely a pure technology question. The work is answering four questions at once:
Does it solve the customer's problem?
Can we explain and sell it?
Does the commercial model work?
Can we actually deliver it?
Experience: NHS shared infrastructure
A large NHS Trust wanted to reduce the cost of running its IT infrastructure while creating a better route to modernise its technology estate.
I led the opportunity from the initial requirement through to the proposed solution. This included developing the proposition, writing the proposal and presenting the solution to the Trust's board.
The solution was to create a shared infrastructure service, allowing the Trust to share infrastructure and services with other NHS Trusts rather than each organisation continuing to operate everything independently.
The result was significant savings for the organisations involved, while also providing a much easier route towards moving infrastructure and services into the cloud.
My role was to bring together the customer requirement, commercial case, technology solution and delivery approach, and turn that into a proposition the board could understand and approve.
Complex opportunities and propositions
At Capita, I was Head of Pre-Sales for UK & Ireland, leading a team across pre-sales, sales engineering, bid management and specialist expertise.
I worked on opportunities ranging from £1m to £50m across digital transformation, enterprise software and ERP, cloud and managed services, technology consulting, AI and emerging technology.
This included major organisations such as Transport for London, NHS Business Services Authority, DEFRA and Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, as well as more than 250 public sector organisations.
The work involved much more than producing technical responses. It meant understanding the customer's requirements, shaping propositions, working with sales and delivery teams, and building solutions that could be won and delivered.
Solution leadership
I can work at whatever level the situation needs:
- An individual opportunity — shaping and leading a specific deal or bid
- A proposition — developing what the business takes to market
- A solution function — building and leading the pre-sales or solution capability
- The wider commercial operation — working alongside sales and delivery leadership as part of the commercial team
Engagements can be permanent, interim, fractional or advisory. What matters is the level of ownership the opportunity needs, not the shape of the contract.
Experience across technology and software
Earlier in my career I spent 17 years with Sage Timesheet / DSA, working across sales, consulting and implementation with more than 1,000 organisations across the UK and Europe.
Since then I have worked across enterprise technology, software, SaaS, ERP, cloud, digital transformation, AI and consulting, giving me a broad understanding of how technology moves from an idea or capability into a proposition that customers can actually buy.
If you need a Solution Director
If you have a complex opportunity, proposition or technology challenge that needs someone who can work across customer, commercial, technology and delivery, I can help.
Let's talk about what you are trying to achieve and where you need the additional leadership.