Episode 155: From $2M to $20M - The Alchemist Growth Formula with Stu Packham
Update: 2025-05-29
Description
What happens when you step into the CEO seat of a small consultancy in a niche market, with big ambitions, PE backing, and a bold growth target?
In this episode of Climb in Consulting, Nick Synnott chats to Stu Packham, Group CEO of Alchemist, about how he led the business from a modest $2M learning consultancy to a $20M global challenger brand.
Before stepping into consulting, Stu spent years in the world of recruitment - building teams, scaling businesses, and getting under the skin of what makes people tick. It was that deep experience, paired with a well-timed chat with a close friend, that led to him being put forward for the CEO role at Alchemist in 2019.
What followed was nothing short of a whirlwind. Stu stepped into a six-person business without meeting any of the team beforehand, not exactly your textbook onboarding. From that uncertain start came a high-speed journey of transformation: expanding into the US, building out UK operations, and laying the groundwork for a global presence. Stu didn’t just steer the ship, he helped it grow new engines mid-flight.
This episode is a behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to lead a PE-backed consultancy through rapid growth. Stu shares:
- How fractional leadership became a secret weapon for scale
- What a People function looks like when growth is the goal
- How to prepare (mentally and practically) for due diligence
- The biggest lessons he’s taking into Alchemist’s next chapter
Whether you're running a consultancy, thinking about working with private equity, or just love a gritty transformation story, this one’s worth your time.
Enjoy the show!
In this episode of Climb in Consulting, Nick Synnott chats to Stu Packham, Group CEO of Alchemist, about how he led the business from a modest $2M learning consultancy to a $20M global challenger brand.
Before stepping into consulting, Stu spent years in the world of recruitment - building teams, scaling businesses, and getting under the skin of what makes people tick. It was that deep experience, paired with a well-timed chat with a close friend, that led to him being put forward for the CEO role at Alchemist in 2019.
What followed was nothing short of a whirlwind. Stu stepped into a six-person business without meeting any of the team beforehand, not exactly your textbook onboarding. From that uncertain start came a high-speed journey of transformation: expanding into the US, building out UK operations, and laying the groundwork for a global presence. Stu didn’t just steer the ship, he helped it grow new engines mid-flight.
This episode is a behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to lead a PE-backed consultancy through rapid growth. Stu shares:
- How fractional leadership became a secret weapon for scale
- What a People function looks like when growth is the goal
- How to prepare (mentally and practically) for due diligence
- The biggest lessons he’s taking into Alchemist’s next chapter
Whether you're running a consultancy, thinking about working with private equity, or just love a gritty transformation story, this one’s worth your time.
Enjoy the show!
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