About
Peter Hay is an independent strategic advisor and fractional advisor based in the UK. For over 20 years he has worked alongside senior leaders navigating complex change inside established organisations – when a product has lost momentum, a team is working hard but moving in the wrong direction, or a strategy that looked convincing on paper is struggling in practice.
He works as a thinking partner: moving comfortably between the detail and the wider system around it, restoring clarity, direction and momentum when pushing harder is no longer the answer.
His advisory work is strengthened by practical use of AI across customer enablement, research synthesis, workshop preparation, service blueprinting, rapid prototyping and decision support.
Project highlights
PepsiCo – data trust and efficiency
R&D teams relied on disconnected systems to access flavour and seasoning data. Peter mapped the system, identified duplication and trust breakdowns, and built a grounded business case. Outcome: 5,000+ hours of efficiency opportunity identified and a clear path towards a connected data ecosystem.
Mastercard – global product governance
Siloed teams across regions and no shared definition of success slowed product development across 12 global business units. Peter aligned the groups, defined Materiality, Velocity and Quality metrics, and removed friction from governance. Outcome: 3 years saved in development timelines and 70% global alignment achieved.
Lloyds Commercial Bank – commercial onboarding
A 6-month onboarding process for new commercial customers was underpinned by fragmented systems and poor customer experience. Peter introduced agile and lean experimentation and scaled solutions within a newly formed innovation lab. Outcome: onboarding reduced from 6 months to 7 days.
Southern Water – innovation capability
No internal innovation capability, slow delivery processes and rising pressure from ageing infrastructure. Peter co-designed and ran an innovation capability with a team of 12, launching live experiments within 3 months. Outcome: £25m savings and new ways of working adopted across the business.
Fulham Pier – digital placemaking
A major riverside destination had to be designed while construction was still under way. Peter translated the vision into a connected end-to-end digital experience spanning customer research, journey design, service blueprinting and product ownership.
Calor Gas – legacy process redesign
A core customer process unchanged since 1935 was misaligned with modern customer needs. Peter led customer-centric research, mapped the end-to-end journey and created new solution concepts, establishing a foundation for complete process redesign.
The Big Issue – digital and financial inclusion
Growing risk that vendors would be excluded from digital financial systems. Ethnographic research translated real barriers into a viable service model. Outcome: a beta product designed and a live pilot shipped to vendors in 10 weeks.