Portfolio

Work that moves the needle forward.

Nicola works on a fractional basis with a small number of organisations and leaders navigating strategy under genuine uncertainty, where the opportunity needs framing before ambitions can be achieved.

Early Stage & Scaling Companies

Fractional CSO

Ongoing fractional Chief Strategy Officer engagement across strategic governance, commercial development and design, and leadership decision support. As well as one-off advisory engagements on specific projects, opportunities or inflection points in business growth and operating model design. Specific project strategies, business priorities, funding and investment readiness.

Venture Partner

Capital & Investment Advisory

Nicola works with funds and capital allocators who need an informed perspective on where the opportunities are across sport and performance, and where the narrative is running ahead of the reality. This can mean stress-testing investment theses against operational experience, identifying opportunities and connecting capital. As UK Ambassador for GSIC Powered by Microsoft, Nicola has direct sight of where serious technology development is happening across markets.

Women's Sport

Strategic Advisory

Advisory work at the intersection of women's sport, investment and governance, where commercial opportunity and institutional resistance frequently coexist. Engagements can span organisational design, strategic leadership development and the business case for structural investment in women's sport. The work here is strategic: identifying where capital, data and governance reform intersect to create durable value.

── Key outcomes

Results that speak clearly

01

Structured commercial partnership proposals for a client that created a data flywheel argument for both clinical and consumer market entry.nts.

02

Advisory consultancy for negotiating M&A terms that resulted in a substantially stronger equity stake, improved deal terms, and significantly greater confidence entering the partnership.

03

Reframed fundraising scope to match founder capacity, resolved term sheet inconsistencies, and identified academic and commercial partnership routes to strengthen the platform's evidence base.

Testimonials

  • “Nicola has been an incredible role model and mentor throughout my career. She has always been the first person I turn to when I’m at a career crossroads. She was the first to show me that my skills, as well as those of any clinician, extend far beyond the clinic and are highly transferable. She ignited a sense of possibility in me and has consistently been there to help turn ideas into reality.”

  • “I trust Nicola completely and genuinely believe she has my best professional interests at heart. Her listening ear, insight, encouragement, and willingness to join the dots and make connections have been invaluable, and I’m deeply grateful for her support.”

  • “Nicola Graham was instrumental in helping me navigate a complex merger and equity negotiation. Her experience in the space and strategic insight enabled me to see that I was bringing far more value to the transaction than I initially appreciated. She helped me quantify that value, reposition my negotiating strategy, and focus on long-term rather than short-term value. As a direct result, I secured a substantially stronger equity stake, improved deal terms, and entered the partnership with significantly greater confidence”


Ready to think differently?

Nicola takes a small number of engagements at any one time. If you are at a genuine inflection point, she wants to hear from you.

Book a discovery call