Sustainable strategy that delivers measurable value
I help boards and leadership teams turn sustainability ambition into investment-grade strategy—clear value drivers, Board/CFO-grade metrics, and an execution cadence that delivers.
Sustainable strategic management
Leadership with purpose
Strategy with measurable value
Bridging academic rigour and practical relevance, the book helps learners and leaders understand how to make sustainability central to strategy and long-term value creation.
Delivered through innovative programmes – MBA, MSc and executive education, investment-grade strategy tools, sustainable strategy brief live (SSBL) insights, and executive sprints.
I am Dr Paul A. Phillips
- Professor of Strategic Management and practitioner with CEO/board-level delivery experience
- Founder and CEO of Investment-Grade Strategy Partners
- Author of Sustainable Strategic Management: Leadership with Purpose (with Routledge)
- Founder and Host of Sustainable Strategy Brief Live
New Book!
The strategy textbook for a more sustainable era
The 3 key outcomes for you:
- Value drivers and KPIs that translate sustainability into measurable performance across revenue, cost, risk, and trust
- Board-ready business cases with assumptions, proof plans, and decision gates
- 30/60/90-day execution cadence so delivery sticks beyond the strategy deck
How to work with Dr Phillips
Start Here
(Free)
Begin with your free 90-day plan that helps you move from compliance to strategic action.
Strategy Sprints
& Advisory
Fast, structured engagements that produce board-ready outputs.
Speaking & Workshops
Keynotes and workshops that help leaders move from sustainability ambition to execution.
What we build together
STRATEGY CLARITY: choices, priorities, value proposition
EXECUTION DISCIPLINE: owners, rhythm, decision gates
PROOF & PERFORMANCE: KPI tree, baselines, evidence plan
See Sustainable Strategy Brief Live in action
Practical episodes on sustainable strategy, value creation, and execution.
Episode 1 — Strategy eats compliance for breakfast
Why sustainability fails when it’s treated as reporting, and how to re-anchor it in strategic lever for value creation, resilience, and competitive advantage.
Episode 2 — Turning sustainable growth ambition into credible business cases
Translate sustainability ambition into investment-grade business cases with clear value drivers, financial logic, and execution discipline.
Episode 3 — How to make your sustainable value proposition through sprints
Use focused sprints to test where sustainable value is real, what deserves scale, and where capital should not yet be committed.
Selected case studies
Startup Global Online Business School
Sustainable strategy to revenue-ready
From concept to a sustainable, employer-backed, revenue-ready school.
Challenge
Create an UNSDG-focused, employer-backed online business school with global reach.
What we did
Created a strategic development plan, designed ecosystem and platform, produced a three year strategy, business plan, budget and cashflow model, with funding options.
Outcome
Clear vision and resilient operating model, enabling infrastructure to identify the internationalisation pathway.
China Development Bank
Growth strategy
From regional aspirations to a knowledge-based global investment decision-making hub.
Challenge
Upskill 20 senior managers and unify appraisal standards for global retail acquisitions.
What we did
Led the delivery of a two-week in-company programme with UK and European finance experts and City of London field visits, with master classes and round tables events on financing methods and investment of funds.
Outcome
Methods embedded into China Development Bank’s acquisition approach, more consistent governance and faster deal-review cycles to redefine its future.
UK Government
Deputy Prime Minister’s Office
From digitisation aspirations to an agile, execution-ready, sustainable organisation.
Challenge
Digital work wasn’t improving decisions or processes.
What we did
Executive outcomes workshop, mapped high-value decisions, prioritised the digital portfolio, and built a KPI tree with decision cadence.
Outcome
12–18 month roadmap with sequenced priorities and executive KPIs tied to policy & delivery outcomes, and decision lead times reduced.
UK Ministry of Defence
Digital Strategy & Agile Operating Model
From digitisation aspirations to an implementation-ready agile organisation.
Challenge
Momentum stalled across human factors and fragmented portfolios.
What we did
Benchmarked practices, ran operating model scenarios, executive working sessions, built a flexibility and agility framework, and set decision rights and ownership.
Outcome
Prioritised transition portfolio and critical path, agility embedded in governance, leadership behaviours reset, portfolio throughput increased.
Canterbury Retail Challenge
Place-based growth
From lecture theatre to a knowledge-based retail consulting firm.
Challenge
Strengthen student employability and local business performance.
What we did
Created a new university degree module with multi stakeholder workshops, student consulting with real firms, community events, and translating insights into action.
Outcome
Student employability capability uplift, The BBC said it was an example of the university demonstrating its value and direct contribution to Kent society.
China Development Bank
Growth strategy
From regional aspirations to a knowledge-based global investment decision-making hub.
Challenge
Upskill 20 senior managers and unify appraisal standards for global retail acquisitions.
What we did
Led the delivery of a two-week in-company programme with UK and European finance experts and City of London field visits, with master classes and round tables events on financing methods and investment of funds.
Outcome
Methods embedded into China Development Bank’s acquisition approach, more consistent governance and faster deal-review cycles to redefine its future.
Leadership with Purpose
Sustainable Strategic Management revolutionises strategic management by combining cutting-edge academic theories with the latest sustainable business practices.
Featuring a visionary framework for sustainable strategic management, this textbook offers practical strategies for aligning financial success with ethical and sustainable practice. It covers a spectrum of topics, from core principles of sustainable strategic management and technological disruptions to stakeholder engagement and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs). The text thoroughly examines the interconnected relationship between sustainability and practical strategic decision-making efficacy and offers case studies, strategy nuggets and practical strategies throughout for integrating sustainable practices and reducing pushback from stakeholders.
Written for postgraduate students, executives and practitioners, this forward-looking resource empowers readers to lead the sustainability transition within organisations, preparing them for the challenges and opportunities of a rapidly changing business landscape.
Sustainable Strategy Brief live
Strategy eats compliance for breakfast
The first episode of my livestream show went live on 3 December 2025. We had 322 registrants.
The theme of the first episode was ‘Strategy eats compliance for breakfast.
My guest for my inaugural show was Cecilia Thorn, ESG expert, and the Moderator was Michael Baxter of The ESG Show.
Watch the 1-minute video for an overview, or go to my YouTube Channel @SustainableStrategyBriefLive for the whole event and clips.
From backlash into boardroom advantage
Kent Workshops
How can a sustainable strategy create sustainable value for organisations? Last November, in partnership with the Royal Society of Arts, I hosted a two-part workshop series in Kent to explore this question further.
According to Accenture, “an overwhelming 99 per cent of CEOs plan to maintain or increase their sustainability commitments, prioritising initiatives that deliver measurable business value.”
I delivered two place-based events in Canterbury and Tunbridge Wells to explore how to move the dial beyond talk to tangible ESG 2.0 solutions for Kent-based organisations.
Participants joined to hear live case study examples from the corporate sector and public sector to help reframe the big ESG 2.0 questions and identify solutions.
Selected Projects
Startup Global Online Business School —Sustainable strategy to revenue-ready
From concept to a sustainable, employer-backed, revenue-ready school.
Challenge
Create an UNSDG-focused, employer-backed online business school with global reach.
What we did
Created a strategic development plan, designed ecosystem and platform, produced a three year strategy, business plan, budget and cashflow model, with funding options.
Result
Clear vision and resilient operating model, enabling infrastructure to identify the internationalisation pathway.
UK Government — Deputy Prime Minister’s Office
From digitisation aspirations to an agile, execution-ready, sustainable organisation.
Challenge
Digital work wasn’t improving decisions or processes.
What we did
Executive outcomes workshop, mapped high-value decisions, prioritised the digital portfolio, and built a KPI tree with decision cadence.
Result
12–18 month roadmap with sequenced priorities and executive KPIs tied to policy & delivery outcomes, and decision lead times reduced.
UK Ministry of Defence — Digital Strategy & Agile Operating Model
From digitisation aspirations to an implementation-ready agile organisation.
Challenge
Momentum stalled across human factors and fragmented portfolios.
What we did
Benchmarked practices, ran operating model scenarios, executive working sessions, built a flexibility and agility framework, and set decision rights and ownership.
Result
Prioritised transition portfolio and critical path, agility embedded in governance, leadership behaviours reset, portfolio throughput increased.
China Development Bank — Growth Strategy
From regional aspirations to a knowledge-based global investment decision-making hub.
Challenge
Upskill 20 senior managers and unify appraisal standards for global retail acquisitions.
What we did
Led the delivery of a two-week in-company programme with UK and European finance experts and City of London field visits, with master classes and round tables events on financing methods and investment of funds.
Result
Methods embedded into China Development Bank’s acquisition approach, more consistent governance and faster deal-review cycles to redefine its future.
Canterbury Retail Challenge — Place-based growth
From lecture theatre to a knowledge-based retail consulting firm.
Challenge
Strengthen student employability and local business performance.
What we did
Created a new university degree module with multi stakeholder workshops, student consulting with real firms, community events, and translating insights into action.
Result
Student employability capability uplift, The BBC said it was an example of the university demonstrating its value and direct contribution to Kent society.
Make Sustainable Strategy Investable
We help boards and executive teams convert sustainability ambition into investable strategy—that earn confidence, funding, and results.