Business Strategist | Co-founder of Write Way Up

Hi, my name is Kris, and I am a business partner at Write Way Up.

I help ambitious founders and leadership teams scale their businesses with clarity, structure and intent, turning chaos into traction, and good businesses into great ones.

Most of the businesses I work with don’t need a McKinsey-style army of consultants. But I’ve worked alongside those firms, I know how they operate, and I’ve seen the decks. By working within complex organisations over decades, I’ve learned to apply the principles of good management consulting with relevance and pragmatism, at a fraction of the cost.

What our clients need is someone who can step in quickly, understand the business deeply, and help them lead with focus, structure, and heart. That’s where I come in.

What I bring is a sharp ability to see what matters, to quickly assess which ideas are worth pursuing and how to bring the right people together to make them happen. According to the Working Genius model, I’m a Discernment–Galvanising type, which means I thrive in the space between ideas and action. I cut through the noise, sense what will work, and rally momentum behind the right path forward.

Over the past 30 years, I’ve led business strategy, brand development and marketing transformation for global brands, high-growth startups, and purpose-led organisations.

My work goes beyond advice, I roll up my sleeves and apply proven frameworks to help teams move faster, align better, and deliver meaningful results.

• At IKEA, As Chief Marketing Officer, 50% of my time involved leading the marketing function and the oter 50% leading the business as a member of the IKEA Australia Executive team.  led business planning processes and drove the deep, foundational work needed to align the entire organisation behind a clear brand promise, navigating one of the world’s most complex stakeholder environments across global, regional, national, and local levels.

   

• At Telstra, as a Senior Marketing Specialist I practised the art of business case development and influencing across layered corporate structures to secure investment and alignment.

   

• At Temple & Webster, as Head of Brand I worked within the Objectives and Key Results(OKR) framework — a method first developed at Intel and popularised by Google — and experienced first-hand how powerful it can be in aligning teams, sharpening focus, and driving collective momentum toward meaningful outcomes.

   

• Through my work with clients, I’ve embedded the measurable objectives that translate long-term strategy into weekly action and real traction.

   

• At IKEA, I experienced how the Triple Bottom Line guide commercial decisions in a way that balances people, planet, and profit, not just as a principle, but as a real everyday business practice.

   

These experiences aren’t one-offs. They’re the building blocks of the Profit on Purpose playbook, the strategic framework I’ve co-developed with Amanda McDonald, based on our collective 50 years of experience working with, adapting, and applying the best of what leading frameworks have to offer.

We’ve taken what works in the real world, not just in theory, and built a model that gives medium-sized businesses the structure, clarity, and confidence they need to grow.

It’s practical, values-aligned, and purpose-built for leaders who need expert strategic support, but not the overhead or overkill of a traditional management consultancy.