David Gardiner, Management Consultant in Edinburgh, United Kingdom
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David Gardiner

Verified Expert  in Management Consulting

Management Consulting Expert

Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Toptal member since May 3, 2022

Expertise
Growth Strategy
Bio

David is a highly experienced management and digital transformation consultant with 25+ years of experience in senior executive positions. At Accenture, David led business case assessments for UBS Bank, Barclays Bank, and a government department, advising on ROI, ACM, and process change. Appointed client and project stakeholder director for an energy industry multi-million project, David has experience in strategy, ACM, process analysis, TOM, and RACI, and uses Kano, TMap, and Miro tools.

Career Highlights

Microsoft 365 Operating Model Consultant
Lloyds Banking Group
Lead Consultant for Advanced Analytics CoE
United Utilities
Senior Advisory Consultant
Renewable Energy Systems

Education Highlights

Bachelor's Degree
University of the West of Scotland (UWS)

Certification Highlights

Knowledge Asset Management Consultant
Knowledge Associates International

Case Studies

Industry Expertise

  • Business Services
  • Custom Software & IT Services
  • Energy, Utilities & Waste
  • Finance
  • Banking
  • Investment Banking
  • Venture Capital & Private Equity
  • Hospitality

Other Expertise

  • Artificial Intelligence (AI)
  • Business Process Analysis
  • Change Management
  • Data Analytics
  • Go-to-market Strategy
  • Knowledge Management
  • Operating Models

Work Experience

Group Manager | Workplace Advisory

2022 - 2024
Avanade
  • Worked in the leadership team to define the go-to-market strategy and set out the framework for working with client groups for sales. Monitored and adjusted every three months with new learning and impacts from new technology (e.g., Copilot).
  • Was a stakeholder engagement lead for the company's largest European deal for the energy market. The company is driving data management services. Prepared stakeholder comms, guides, and launch management and defined the onboarding for the 800 clients.
  • Conducted two major AI (Microsoft Copilot) business case analysis projects, running workshops, assessing change and transformation, and providing impact reports—one for UBS Bank and one for the UK Home Office.
Focus areas: Business Cases, Business Process Analysis, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Knowledge Management, Growth Strategy

Microsoft 365 Operating Model Consultant

2020 - 2021
Lloyds Banking Group
  • Ran business workshops with senior stakeholders, conducted user readiness research, defined the target operating model, created the roadmap of change, and supported app modernization, stakeholder communications planning, and user personas.
  • Created the Microsoft 365 security squad for the corporate security office and defined data loss prevention, information protection, and user protection.
  • Developed the product owner model to gain new investment to extend the leverage of the Microsoft 365 portfolio, define modernization apps, and support the change program.
  • Acted as a lead advisor to the security program manager, providing critical guidance on user engagement, training on new Microsoft 365 services, and running regular insight sessions.
Focus areas: Cybersecurity, Collaboration, Product Owner, Strategy, Operating Models, Customer Success, Sales Effectiveness, Sales & Channel Enablement

Lead Consultant for Advanced Analytics CoE

2019 - 2020
United Utilities
  • Provided the blueprint for shaping the first data analytics center of excellence for United Utilities.
  • Utilized persona profiling, workshops, maturity, and readiness assessments to define a three-year roadmap.
  • Collaborated with a data science team, specialists in the operating model definition, conducted stakeholder analysis, and defined the RACI matrix. Created a new department with the capacity to deliver quick win outcomes across multiple departments.
  • Worked closely with the systems thinking team to run strategy reviews and create the investment model and critical partner process improvement model, ensuring a complete operational service.
Focus areas: Data Analytics, Sales Effectiveness

Head Consultant

2016 - 2020
Mitchells & Butlers
  • Set the strategy for cultural change, focused on digital technology leading the mechanism and service model for this goal. Cut employee churn by improving HR engagement.
  • Ran workshops, created t-shirt modeling for project scope and costs, and worked intimately with leadership. Our team of 15 quickly took ownership of their digital workplace initiatives, working with their in-house teams to form a super team.
  • Contributed significantly to the Hospitality 2025 mission. As an expert innovator, I researched and constructed future investment targets in AI, ML, avatar assistants, virtual client engagement models, and digital experiences for staff and customers.
Focus areas: Business Solutions, Organizational Change Management (OCM), Solution Architecture, Sales Effectiveness

Senior Advisory Consultant

2017 - 2018
Renewable Energy Systems
  • Reduced the cost of document and information software by over £1 million per year and created a first saving planning hub, targeting over a million pounds in savings.
  • Defined a migration strategy for data and content and prepared a training program for staff working across US, UK, France, and Singapore. Utilized the Kano method to extract the priority services needed. Created an ideation service to connect teams.
  • Ran one-week workshops in all regions and utilized online training and workshops to deliver a fast and effective transformation from the old to new world of work. Defined and implemented the cost-saving hub for the senior execs.
Focus areas: System Integration, Cloud Migration, Customer Success, Sales Effectiveness, Growth Strategy

Solutions and Adoption Consultant

2010 - 2013
Heineken
  • Leveraged new technology to reduce operational costs with this project. My team defined a new skills and career management center system. It was delivered in three months using Agile, reducing the high-caliber employee churn by 30% within one year.
  • Conceptualized a hospitality control system saving over £1.5 million per year. The solution removed multiple request mechanisms, introduced a usage log and hospitality limits, and ensured tax management control.
  • Created a dashboard and drill-down control for Heineken UK's multi-million investment.
Focus areas: Business Process Analysis, Business Solutions, Sales Effectiveness

Business Development Director

1991 - 2000
Capito
  • Worked as a sales director and solution director, responsible for building partner relationships (HP, Digital, Oracle, Lotus) to maximize sales discounts, training programs, team development planning, and building a service delivery team.
  • Ran the full sales operation, conducting market sector research, solution mapping to industry, and piloting new functions and features, as an executive. The company grew from £250,000 to £14 million turnover in eight years.
  • Conceptualized and led the sale and client engagement for the two largest deals of £3.4 million (invoiced in one year) to a global pharma company and £1.2 million to a medical supplies company. Accountable for client satisfaction throughout delivery.
Focus areas: Business to Business (B2B)

Education

1980 - 1985

Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science

University of the West of Scotland (UWS) - United Kingdom

Certifications

JUNE 2005 - PRESENT

Knowledge Asset Management Consultant

Knowledge Associates International

Skills

Industry Expertise

Technology

Other

Computer Skills, Systems & Tools, Knowledge Management, Personas, Knowledge Bases, Sales Effectiveness, Microsoft 365, Change Management, Business Process Analysis, Go-to-market Strategy, Customer Success, Sales & Channel Enablement, Growth Strategy, process change, Modeling, Programming, COBOL, Data Analytics, Cybersecurity, Collaboration, Strategy, Operating Models, Training, User Research, Analysis, Business Cases, Business Solutions, System Integration, Cloud Migration, Organizational Change Management (OCM), Solution Architecture, Product Owner, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Business to Business (B2B), Stakeholder Interviews, Stakeholder Management, Finance

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