Richard Fry
- Specialism: Fractional COO; operational scaling; execution and delivery; operating model design; product, delivery and trust readiness; governance and decision-making; operational resilience; regulated technology environments.
- Track Record: Held a variety of senior roles at bp, most recently as their director of Design Operations. Now working in a couple of startups and supporting Design for Good as an ambassador.
- Offer: I work with founders of scaling technology businesses when growth has made execution slower, less clear and too dependent on them. I identify where delivery is breaking down across product, technology and operations, then establish clearer priorities, ownership, decision-making and operating rhythms. I can lead a focused reset or stay involved as a fractional COO.
- Richard says: “When growth makes a business slower rather than faster, I help founders understand why and fix it.”
- Try me: blackbrooktechnology.co.uk
After leaving bp, I realised I did not want to return to corporate life. I wanted greater flexibility and more control over my career. Having led bp’s innovation lab, I knew I enjoyed the pace of execution and the opportunity to turn ideas into something tangible. Becoming a Portfolio Executive allows me to bring that experience to start-ups and scale-ups while working across a range of businesses and challenges.
My first opportunity came through a former colleague who had started a RegTech business. I began advising the company on product positioning and enterprise delivery, drawing on my experience in compliance delivery, data governance and operational resilience. That gave me a practical starting point and confirmed that my corporate experience could add real value to early-stage businesses.
My first real success has been developing and applying an Execution Readiness Sprint with an early-stage FinTech business. The work brought together product, delivery and trust readiness, giving the founder a clear view of what was ready, what was missing and what needed to happen next. It showed that I could turn my experience into a focused, practical offer for founders.
Along the way, I have learned that portfolio work is very different from working in a corporate environment. You are responsible not only for delivering the work, but also for business development, sales and marketing. Being good at the work is not enough; you also have to create the opportunities to do it. Much of that comes through trust and relationships, so I have focused on building a strong, relevant network alongside developing a clear offer.
It’s working for me now because I have a good work-life balance most of the time, and the variety of the work keeps me interested and energised. I have more control over how I use my time, and being able to spend more of it with friends and family has been a real bonus.
Looking ahead, I hope to continue building my portfolio and working with start-ups and scale-ups where my experience can make a practical difference. I want to keep developing strong relationships, applying what I have learned to new challenges and building a career that gives me the variety, flexibility and control I was looking for.