Governance & Strategy Advisory · Africa

Governance advisor to boards, founders & family businesses.

Reimagining governance as a strategic capability, not a compliance function. Organisations that get this right do not just comply. They flourish.

35+ years advising boards, founders and executive teams across Africa. Governance and strategy programmes delivered to hundreds of directors across more than 20 countries.
About

Roger Hitchcock

Roger is the architect of the Adaptive Governance Methodology and the Flourishing Business Framework: a governance philosophy built on a simple premise. Organisations that treat governance as a strategic capability outperform those that treat it as a box to tick.

Over more than 35 years in business, he has advised boards, founders and executive teams across Africa, designing governance frameworks, board evaluation systems, strategic planning processes and leadership programmes that have strengthened decision-making and organisational performance in businesses ranging from entrepreneurial ventures to multinational financial institutions.

He describes his own role as that of a Strategic Value Creation Partner, working across leadership, strategy and governance as three foundations of organisational performance, rather than three separate disciplines.

He is the author of Flourishing: The Ultimate Guide to Working ON Your Business, and has designed and delivered governance, strategy and board effectiveness programmes used by hundreds of directors and executives in more than 20 countries.

Founder-led businesses Family businesses Start-ups Private companies Non-profits & foundations Professional services Growth-stage businesses Listed companies Banks & financial institutions State-owned entities Private equity & investment Public sector organisations
Portrait of Roger Hitchcock
Experience35+ years advising boards & executive teams
Reach20+ countries across Africa
PublicationFlourishing: The Ultimate Guide to Working ON Your Business
Prior affiliationsInstitute of Directors South Africa (2015–2023); Financial Planning Institute of Southern Africa (1996–2015)
Expertise

Five areas, one discipline.

Governance, strategy and leadership are treated as one integrated capability, not three separate services.

01

Corporate Governance & Board Effectiveness

02

Founder, Family Business & Shareholder Governance

03

Strategy Development & Strategic Facilitation

04

Leadership Development & Executive Decision Making

05

Governance Diagnostics, Assessments & Organisational Design

Professional Services · Financial Services · Banking · Insurance · Investment Management · Mining · Manufacturing · Agriculture · Healthcare · Retail & Wholesale · Construction & Infrastructure · Education · Technology · Public Sector · Non-Profit
PURPOSE STRATEGY GOVERNANCE MANAGEMENT PERFORMANCE
Signature Methodology

The Adaptive Governance Methodology.

A framework that integrates purpose, strategy, governance, management and organisational performance. Like growth rings, each layer forms around and depends on the one before it, helping organisations adapt, grow and flourish at every stage of their development.

  • Flourishing Business FrameworkThe practical model underpinning Roger’s book and approach to working ON a business.
  • Governance for FlourishingGovernance designed to enable growth, not merely constrain risk.
  • Board Effectiveness & Governance DiagnosticsStructured assessment of how a board is actually functioning, versus how it’s designed to function.
  • Three Organising SystemA model for aligning purpose, strategy and governance as one system.
  • Three Horizons Governance Planning ModelPlanning governance across immediate, medium and long-term organisational horizons.
“When purpose is clear, strategy is disciplined and governance is adaptive, organisations flourish.
Roger Hitchcock
Governance should never become bureaucracy. Roger’s role is to bring clarity to complexity, translate ideas into practical action, and equip boards and leadership teams to make better decisions that strengthen the organisation today while increasing what it is capable of becoming tomorrow.
Engagement

Where this work is best suited.

Roger does his best work where organisations are facing complexity, transition or growth, not where governance is a formality to be filed away.

Diagnostic

Governance Diagnostic & Alignment Process

A structured assessment mapping governance gaps, succession risk, decision-making authority and ownership alignment, through a survey, selected interviews and a priority clarifying workshop. Delivers a confidential, customised governance roadmap.

30 to 60 days
Family & Shareholder

Shareholder & Family Protocol Design

A facilitated, multi-month process building shareholder and family alignment: interviews, alignment workshops, shareholding design principles, governance framework design, succession framework and risk appetite clarity.

3 to 9 months, depending on complexity
Ongoing Advisory

Retainer-Based Advisory

Ongoing guidance for businesses navigating stabilisation, growth and scaling, leadership renewal, transition or exit, and capital events, ensuring governance stays aligned as complexity grows.

12 to 18 month agreement, renewable · 2 to 8 days per month
Capability Building

Governance & Leadership Training

Open programmes and in-house training for directors, boards and leadership teams, building capability in governance, strategy and risk.

Format and duration tailored to the organisation
Who this is for: Roger can add value to any organisation with a genuine desire to know more, do better and improve, though the nature of that work differs by size and complexity. It is generally not the right fit for businesses too small to engage fully with the process, and large listed companies are typically better suited to the Training track given their more formal decision-making and proposal requirements, though Roger has also worked successfully at that scale.
Proof

Trusted across sectors and borders.

A track record spanning banking, infrastructure, non-profits and public sector institutions across Africa.

African Finance Corporation
Equity Group
Equity Investment Bank
FDH Bank Malawi
Tristar Construction
GNPC ExploreCo
Mohinani Group
SANCCOB
Breadline Africa
Children’s Hospital Trust
SVG Group
Hiconnex / AutoIH

Also trusted, under confidentiality

Family offices · listed companies · large privately held groups · financial institutions · founder-led businesses · government entities · investment groups · a pan-African banking group · a pan-African insurance group · public sector entities across South Africa, East Africa and West Africa.

FAQ

Before you get in touch.

No. Roger works across the full spectrum, from founder-led start-ups and family businesses to listed companies, banks and public sector organisations. The common thread is a leadership team ready to treat governance as a strategic asset, not a compliance exercise.

Yes. Roger has designed and delivered governance and strategy programmes across more than 20 countries in Africa, working with organisations from banking groups to public sector entities in East and West Africa.

Yes. A significant portion of Roger’s engagements, including work with family offices, listed companies and government entities, are conducted under strict confidentiality, which is standard practice at board level.

The Adaptive Governance Methodology is designed to strengthen and adapt existing structures, not replace them wholesale. Most engagements start with a diagnostic to understand what’s already working before anything changes.

With a conversation about the specific transition, complexity or growth challenge your organisation is facing. From there, Roger will recommend the right starting point: a governance diagnostic, a strategy facilitation, or an ongoing advisory relationship.

This depends on the scope and nature of the engagement, and is discussed directly once we understand what your organisation needs.

Yes. Roger is currently open to new engagements.

Most of the work is conducted remotely, with travel available where an engagement calls for it.

This is considered case by case. Roger will not take on an engagement where there is a material, real conflict of interest.

Contact

Let’s discuss what governance should look like for your organisation.

Roger is currently accepting new engagements. Share a few details and he’ll follow up personally to see if it’s the right fit.

Connect