How we got here
Trusty Consults started in 2016 when our founder, Claire Maddox, left a fifteen-year career in supply-chain management at a FTSE 250 manufacturer. She had spent the last five of those years hiring external consultants and was frustrated by a recurring pattern: expensive teams would arrive, produce a thick report, and leave. Implementation fell to the same overstretched internal staff who had needed help in the first place.
Claire set up the firm with a different model. Every engagement includes implementation support. We stay until the changes are working, not just until the slides are approved. That principle still governs how we scope and price every project.
The firm grew slowly and deliberately. We hired our second consultant in 2018, our third in 2020. Today we are a team of seven, based at 89 Alfred Street in Leeds city centre. We have no plans to grow beyond twelve people. Staying small means our senior consultants stay on client work rather than managing layers of junior staff.
Key milestones
2016 – Founded in Leeds
Claire Maddox registered the company and signed two founding clients within the first quarter, both in the food-manufacturing sector. Revenue in year one was £95,000.
2018 – First hire, first sector expansion
Tom Ngata joined the team, bringing deep experience in financial modelling. We took on our first healthcare client, a private dental group with seven practices across West Yorkshire.
2020 – Remote delivery during lockdown
We adapted every engagement to remote delivery within two weeks of the first lockdown. Three clients credited our support during that period with keeping their businesses solvent. We also launched our leadership coaching service.
2022 – £10 m cumulative client savings milestone
Across all completed engagements, documented savings for clients passed the £10 million mark. We celebrated by donating £20,000 to the Leeds Community Foundation.
2024 – Team of seven, 14 sectors served
We completed our 130th engagement and expanded into two new sectors: professional sports clubs and regional logistics firms.
Meet the team
Everyone here has managed a P&L, hired staff, or run a department before becoming a consultant. That operational background shapes how we give advice: we think about who will do the work, not just what the work should be.
Claire Maddox
Founder and managing director. Former head of supply chain at a FTSE 250 manufacturer. Specialises in operational efficiency and cost reduction.
Tom Ngata
Senior consultant. Chartered accountant with ten years in corporate finance before joining the firm. Leads pricing strategy and financial modelling projects.
Priya Kaur
Consultant. Background in HR and organisational design at two NHS trusts. Runs our leadership assessment and talent programmes.
What we believe
These are not slogans on a wall. They are rules we use to decide which projects to take and how to staff them.
Finish what you start
A recommendation without implementation support is just an opinion. We stay until the change is live and measured.
Be honest early
If we think a project will not pay for itself, we say so in the diagnostic phase. Telling a client what they want to hear is the fastest way to lose trust.
Measure everything
We define success metrics before work begins and track them at six and twelve months. Gut feeling is fine for lunch choices, not for business decisions.
Stay small on purpose
We cap the team at twelve so clients always work with senior people. Growth for its own sake creates exactly the bloat we help clients eliminate.
Ready to talk?
Call us on +44 113 078 3835 or email [email protected]. We are at 89 Alfred Street, Leeds LS1 4AP, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom.
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