The Clay Advantage Business Consulting and Coaching
Welcome to
The Clay Advantage
We are a uniquely experienced duo, able to bring about impactful solutions to everyday business challenges in the UK or Internationally.
Strategic realignment is crucial for businesses to navigate these economic uncertainties effectively. To foster resilience, flexibility, and agility within teams, businesses must prioritise culture and actively reassess strategic priorities.
If you have a business challenge, we have the ability as The Go to Two to come into your business (one or both), quickly understand the visible and underlying issues, and work alongside you in bringing about sustainable solutions.
We ‘get things done’, from strategy to operational execution, moving beyond conversation to consultancy, coaching, Interim Management or Board Advisors.
Who we are
The Clay Advantage: The Go To Two
Sharon’s Expertise
- 31 years operational accountability
- Senior Leader (Director & Managing Director level) accountability in Policing
- Programme Director for Home Office led Strategic Review of Counter Terrorism Policing
- Board Advisor experience (private sector)
- Women In Leadership Speaker
- National and regional experience
- Major Incident Management
- Worked with NHS, Local Authorities, Fire and Rescue Services, Military
- Strategic and operational execution in politically sensitive and high-profile areas
- Regional Head of Intelligence
- Head of Professional Standards
- Investigations experience
- Ethics and compliance experience
- Awarded for Inspirational Leadership
Martin’s Expertise
- 32 years operational accountability
- 7 years UK and International consultancy
- Interim Board level expertise and accountability
- Interim Managing Director experience
e2e Supply Chain – International expertise
eCommerce: Clothing; GM; Food; Trade; B2B; B2C - Responsible for head count up to 10k
- Retail: Clothing; GM; Food;
- Trade and Construction
- Business Strategies and Proposals
- Tenders and Commercial Agreements
- Warehouse / retail design and builds
- Restructures
- Automation installations and WMS projects
- Representing clients in negotiations and contracts
- Sustainability programmes
- Visiting Fellow and lecturer
“Sharon was fabulous: she is a natural leader; understands her business; is determined and honest; and most importantly she is driven by wanting to deliver the best outcomes…. She challenged constructively, cared for her team……to cap it all she was great fun to work with.”
Andrew Newsham
Partner PWC
“Martin is a very engaging and creative leader who sets a high bar and helps his team soar to new heights. Martin is a truly innovative leader whose aptitude for driving change, improving customer experience, and enabling scalability is unmatched. He’s a true asset and valued leader on any team.”
Mike McMahon
USA CEO
Who we are
The Clay Advantage: The Go To Two
Sharon’s Expertise
- 31 years operational accountability
- Senior Leader (Director & Managing Director level) accountability in Policing
- Programme Director for Home Office led Strategic Review of Counter Terrorism Policing
- Board Advisor experience (private sector)
- Women In Leadership speaker
- National and regional experience
- Major Incident Management
- Worked with NHS, Local Authorities, Fire and Rescue Services, Military
- Strategic and operational execution in politically sensitive and high-profile areas
- Regional Head of Intelligence
- Head of Professional Standards
- Investigations experience
- Ethics and compliance experience
- Awarded for Inspirational Leadership
“Sharon was fabulous: she is a natural leader; understands her business; is determined and honest; and most importantly she is driven by wanting to deliver the best outcomes…. She challenged constructively, cared for her team……to cap it all she was great fun to work with.”
Andrew Newsham
Partner PWC
Martin’s Expertise
- 32 years operational accountability
- 7 years UK and International consultancy
- Interim Board level expertise and accountability
- Interim Managing Director experience
e2e Supply Chain – International expertise
eCommerce: Clothing; GM; Food; Trade; B2B; B2C - Responsible for head count up to 10k
- Retail: Clothing; GM; Food;
- Trade and Construction
- Business Strategies and Proposals
- Tenders and Commercial Agreements
- Warehouse / retail design and builds
- Restructures
- Automation installations and WMS projects
- Sustainability programmes
- Visiting Fellow and lecturer
“Martin is a very engaging and creative leader who sets a high bar and helps his team soar to new heights. Martin is a truly innovative leader whose aptitude for driving change, improving customer experience, and enabling scalability is unmatched. He’s a true asset and valued leader on any team.”
Mike McMahon
USA CEO
Culture as a foundation for growth
“Businesses with a strong, identifiable culture are up to 60% more valuable than businesses without one”
The secret to building the value of a business is to focus on developing a senior team, building a powerful culture, and developing and implementing a suite of strategies.
The Culture of your business underpins People, Strategy and Revenue. Coaching models overlap because thinking and behaviours get results.
We start with your culture and support you to define it and embed it. Our unique blend of coaching and consulting gets your business to where you want it to be by balancing culture with commerce.
This is the kind of transformation we deliver:
- Leadership clarity: Faster, more aligned decision-making.
- Employee engagement: Teams who are motivated to perform.
- Profitability: A culture that directly impacts your bottom line.
Even better? Businesses that invested in building a strong, identifiable culture saw a 85% increase in net profits over 5 years.
(Source: Gallup)
How we do it
Our proven, step-by-step process ensures your culture becomes a powerful driver of success. We help you build your business from the inside out:
- Understand and/or Define Your Purpose, Mission, and Values. We start with clarity—because a business without purpose is a business without direction. It is vital that your company has a well-defined Purpose, Mission and Values that everyone knows and understands.
- Identify Aligned Behaviours. Your values mean nothing unless they’re reflected in how your people act every day.
- Embed Those Behaviours into Systems and Processes. We make sure your culture isn’t just aspirational—it’s operational.
- Sustain and Grow Your Culture. Through leadership development, coaching, and regular culture audits, we ensure your culture evolves as your business grows.
- We will work with the people who are responsible and accountable for the relevant business area.
What we do
Past Employers and Clients
We have proven track records in strategic planning, team development,
operational execution and value creation. We can work internationally on an individual or team perspective.
We can offer a network of part time or full time experts on a flexible basis with NO headhunter fees.
We will help you take proactive steps to ensure you and your business are well equipped to respond to market challenges.
At The Clay Advantage, we can harness the power of one or two, by bringing together our distinct, yet complementary experiences, to help your business look from the inside out and meet its challenges in
People, Culture, Strategy, and Revenue.
Our proven record of strategic thinking, operational execution, and value creation underpins every venture we undertake. We have access to an expert network if required to complement our skills.
In these challenging economic times, it is increasingly important to develop a high-performance culture that adds value to your business.
Recognised as “Kick A** Culture Coaches and Consultants,” powered by Tricres, we can also step in as Interim Directors or Board Advisors where leadership gaps arise. We guarantee discretion, have no minimum contract length, and remain fully committed to helping you achieve sustainable growth. Having lived and worked in UK, Europe, USA, China and Mexico we offer an international perspective.
Supporting a greener future
Reducing our carbon footprint
We are passionate about reducing our own carbon footprint through solar, battery, heat pump and EV car technology.
Green Fingers
We have a passion for gardening and have created a high pollinating flower garden to increase local bee and butterfly populations, supported by bird and bee feeding and housing locations. We grow our own vegetables and salads using micro propagation / greenhouse and source local produce.
Supporting the community
We provide pro bono coaching and business support to small businesses who have great products aiming to reduce carbon footprints, or who provide community-based support as part of their proposition.
Our Charity Agenda
We support charities and are excited to be taking part in the “Race the Sun” challenge this year.
Please see our link below to this years challenge – please help us to support medical research into children’s health and wellbeing.
Our Small to Medium Business Proposition
We will tailor Our Value Proposition in order to help you
Are you looking for support with:
- Growing your business profitably
- Containing cost challenges in times of economic uncertainty
- Ensuring you have the right culture as a foundation for growth
- Assessing if you have the right people in the right place doing the right things
- Giving you more headspace to drive the business
We can help you
- Bespoke workshops would be facilitated allowing opportunity to meet entrepreneurs like yourself in an informal environment.
- As accredited business coaches, we will tailor sessions to help you build your business from the inside out, enabling you to gain new skills and knowledge in a safe environment.
- We can also provide consultancy expertise for a few hours a month or as fractional executives.
And the best part? You will pay a fraction of the cost charged by big companies.
We ‘get things done’, from strategy to operational execution, moving beyond conversation to consultancy, coaching, Interim Management or Board Advisors.
We know that every business has its own personality and unique requirements. We can combine our many years of experience and leadership skills to ensure we deliver results for your business.
We have access to a select team of outstanding experts on a part time basis with no headhunter margins.
We are based in UK with international experiences and ability to travel.
Supporting a greener future
Reducing our carbon footprint
We are passionate about reducing our own carbon footprint through solar, battery, heat pump and EV car technology.
Green Fingers
We have a passion for gardening and have created a high pollinating flower garden to increase local bee and butterfly populations, supported by bird and bee feeding and housing locations. We grow our own vegetables and salads using micro propagation / greenhouse and source local produce.
Supporting the community
We provide pro bono coaching and business support to small businesses who have great products aiming to reduce carbon footprints, or who provide community-based support as part of their proposition.
Our Charity Agenda
We support charities and are excited to be taking part in the “Race the Sun” challenge this year.
Please see our link below to this years challenge – please help us to support medical research into children’s health and wellbeing.
Helping you create a Sustainability Roadmap
Supporting the community
We provide pro bono coaching and business support to small businesses who have great products aiming to reduce carbon footprints, or who provide community-based support as part of their proposition.
We can help you design your sustainability roadmap
We provide advice and support for business in developing their sustainability agenda through the energy of colleagues and board member support. We can create a sustainability roadmap and facilitate carbon footprint data capture or assist in developing alternative sourcing / packaging solutions or e2e supply chain improvements.
It’s not always about single big ideas but creating small steps to make daily changes and reduce your company’s carbon footprint or improve your support for the community that you serve through your ESG agenda.
Contact us to see how we can help support your business make the change.
Supporting the community
All our client sponsors receive a complimentary Bee-Vive bee revival kit key ring. 
