Compound equity returns faster, and more reliably.
We work with PE-backed businesses to install a management-led Value Creation System that helps leaders focus their teams on the work that will really move value, reduce wasted effort, and keep delivery on track as conditions change.
The Challenge
Why portfolio companies do not always realise their full potential for value creation.
Most PE-backed companies are not short of ambition, effort or ideas. For many, the problem is not a lack of intent. It is that equity returns can be quietly eroded by avoidable three relatively common but avoidable issues:
- Teams do not share an economic lens for decision making — trade-offs get made through functional, political or growth-led lenses, not an economic one focused on cash, returns and capital-efficient growth.
- Resources are not sufficiently concentrated — too many priorities stay live; the hardest choices don't get made and effort is spread too thinly.
- Top-down planning doesn't translate into delivery — priorities are agreed at the top but are not always understood or owned by the teams that have to deliver them.
These aren't capability problems — they're system problems. Most businesses recognise at least one. [Read More →].
The Value Creation System
A fact base to ground decisions. An annual roadmap to set direction. An operating rhythm to turn it into delivery.
The Value Creation System aligns leadership around what creates equity value, focuses effort on the few things that matter most, and gets the organisation committed to delivering them - adapting as reality changes. The system is built around 3 layers.
01I CLARITY— The Value Foundation.
Creates a shared, economically grounded view of where value is created and destroyed today. The output is a leadership fact base that makes the real value creation levers visible.
02I FOCUS— The Strategy Layer.
Enables a small number of economically focused choices that concentrate the organisation behind the highest-return work. The output is a practical roadmap that turns value creation ambition into clear decisions on what matters most, with everything else going to a backlog.
03I RESULTS — The Operating Layer.
Embeds the quarterly, monthly and weekly cadence that turns the roadmap into reality. The output is a plan that stays live, owned and current — not a document that ages between the annual strategy planning cycle.
What changes when the system is installed?
Fewer priorities, better decisions, and a plan that adapts as reality changes.
Within Weeks
- Clarity on where value is created vs destroyed.
- The 5- 7 key drivers that matter the most for equity value, identified and prioritised.
- Explicit trade-offs, including what to stop — even if it's growing.
- A roadmap for this quarter and this year. Everything else in the backlog.
Within Months
- Capital and effort concentrated in higher-return segments.
- Leadership aligned on what matters and what doesn't.
- Priorities translated into owned initiatives with clear accountability.
- A monthly rhythm that produces decisions, not updates.
- A plan that's always current —refreshed each quarter as reality unfolds.
Who is the system for?
The Value Creation System is built for mid-market PE-backed businesses — typically £50m–£250m enterprise value. It is built for two sides of the same situation:
Management teams, particularly when:
- in the first 90 days post-deal
- a new MD or CEO is establishing grip
- value creation is behind where it needs to be
- preparing for exit
PE sponsors, particularly those backing:
- first-time PE-owned teams
- minority investments
- corporate carve-outs
Who We Are
Ignition BD was founded by James Waddilove, who brings 20+ years of experience in value creation — seen from the perspective of an investor, operator and strategist.
- Previously co-led Corporate Development at Wesfarmers in Australia, responsible for capital allocation and portfolio value creation across an AU$85bn portfolio .
- Strategic Advisor to executive leadership teams and boards, including at Ocado and Marks & Spencer.
- Led multiple value creation initiatives for private-equity, founder-led firms and corporates.
“James helped shape and deliver Ocado’s Group strategy — grounding Board-level decisions in value creation, cash flow and delivery reality, and putting in place the ownership and cadence required to turn priorities into action.”
James Matthews, Deputy-CEO, Ocado Group plc
What Happens Next
If the situation above resonates, the next step is a thirty-minute call to understand where you are and assess whether the Value Creation System is relevant.
No preparation required. No obligation. If it’s not a fit, we’ll tell you.
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