We are
Positive Strategy

We are a management consultancy for boards and CEOs who value an independent, creative and experienced perspective to help drive positive change.

We uncover
creative paths

We open new doorways, resolve organizational tensions and co-create integrated business strategies enabling businesses to deliver on new ambitions.

An inspiring and relevant Vision and Purpose are important and valuable. But words aren’t enough. Successfully delivering on these new promises is critical for all stakeholders.

That’s positive impact.

Strategic Advisory

Through a personal and discrete partnership, we bring experienced, expert perspective to vital decisions about the future of the business. This includes developing or activating a multi-stakeholder Vision and Purpose. We then apply a unique methodology to disrupt institutional tensions and drive executive team alignment on strategic implementations, building actionable plans to realize positive impact.

Performance Improvement

To drive growth or improve margin we identify opportunities in key drivers through an inside/out, outside/in analytical process. Our collaborative and creative approach gains leadership alignment yielding detailed plans to accelerate growth opportunities (including new products, new markets, acquisitions, etc.) and/ or optimize profit.

Transaction Readiness

Whether an acquisition, merger or divestiture, we help develop strategies for optimizing performance, refine the business story and prepare for cultural impact. We advise on setting beneficial timing goals with near term actions to prepare the business and condition the company and the marketplace for the most positive transaction outcome.

How it works

We engage leadership teams in a co-dependent process of collaborative strategic planning. With a focus on creative thinking and team alignment, we develop connected strategies from brand purpose through to the operational realities of successful execution.

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Why Us

DECADES OF COMPLEMENTARY ENDEAVORS

Rob brings experience from the two worlds of Big 4 consulting and marketing, advertising and communication strategy. Michael contributes deep expertise from large enterprise management, PE strategy, board leadership and academia.

DISCIPLINED INSIDE-OUT, OUTSIDE-IN METHODS

We find surprising stimuli from other, bold organizations while diving within your organization to unearth ambitious opportunity. We also may access our network of CEOs, creative strategists, investors and consultants to bring relevant, valuable experience.

TRACK RECORD OF INSPIRING POSITIVE IMPACT

By stimulating creativity, we engage leadership teams to shift mindset, set ambitious goals and imagine transformative strategies. After gaining strategic alignment, we collaborate with leadership teams to build detailed roadmaps and operationalize the change.

Advised numerous incubating start-ups in the food, beverage and hospitality spaces

Led a strategic planning task force and chaired a CEO search committee for a top ten national trade association

Collaborated with a CEO to reimagine the leadership structure and operating model for a global business services firm

Advised a CEO to achieve better alignment, faster decision-making and more accountability for a professional service firm’s global executive team

Prioritized an investor group’s approach to identifying strategic acquisitions

Designed a growth model and prioritized realizable acquisitions for a marketing services holding company

Crafted a vision, purpose and strategic priorities for a divided Board’s uncertainty regarding its future growth

Our Work

We dive deeply, think broadly, analyze sharply, explore discreetly, communicate effectively and resolve quickly. We are not a multi-layer organization — retaining Positive Strategy is retaining Rob and Michael, and their network, as needed.

MICHAEL KAUFMAN

Michael is a critical thinker, innovator and rigorous business strategist. He is a senior lecturer at Harvard Business School and former CEO of a $1bn+ hospitality company

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ROB QUISH

Rob is a creative thinker, uncanny problem solver and insightful marketer. He is a former management consultant at EY and Global Ad Agency president

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Contact

You can reach us by calling or emailing.

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MICHAEL KAUFMAN

Michael is co-founder of Positive Strategy. Having engaged in numerous strategic planning exercises as a principal or client, he often wondered why there wasn’t a more effective way to find the intersection of internal beliefs, external research and creative thinking and then better connect process outcomes with organizational implementation. No worthy strategic plan should wind up on the proverbial shelf.

A Senior Lecturer of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School, Michael co-developed and teaches a second year MBA course, “Challenges and Opportunities in the Restaurant Industry”  and  has authored/ co-authored over 20 HBS cases.

Previously, Michael served as a partner of Astor Group, a New York boutique M&A advisory and investment firm, led Metromedia Restaurant Group (then a $1.4 billion multi-chain restaurant company) for a dozen years, created and successfully exited a restaurant start-up and innovated a restaurant brand for a luxury retailer.  Michael also served as an investment banker with Kluge & Co. and an M&A lawyer with Paul Weiss in New York.

He served as Chair of the Board of the National Restaurant Association, and is currently a director of the Association, a trustee emeritus of its Educational Foundation and of the Culinary Institute of America, Chair of the Business Leadership Council of a collaboration between the Harvard Chan School of Public Health and the CIA, and an executive advisor to the private equity firm Gryphon Investors. A past member of the Board of Northern Westchester Hospital and Chair of its Community Health Committee, he currently serves as vice-chair of the Community Health Committee of Northwell Health, the largest health system in New York State.  He also served on the boards of Benihana, Inc. and Culinary Concepts by Jean-Georges. The recipient of many industry awards, including the Golden Chain Award and the Cecil B. Day Ethics Award, Michael is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School.

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ROB QUISH

Rob is co-founder of Positive Strategy and a former management consultant at EY.  He co-created the Positive Strategy philosophy and approach with the belief that in a period of transformative change, institutions need to act purposefully and urgently to reconsider the vision and strategy that has guided them up to now.

Rob believes a strategic re-set process can be an exciting, enlivening and purposeful experience for an organization. Done collaboratively, inclusive of diverse perspectives and inspired by creative thinkers, the outcome can heighten relevance and importance of the institution yielding more engaged team members, partners and collaborators, spark faster growth, and ultimately increasing impact.

At EY Rob led the firm’s global practice serving the marketing services industry. His work centered on the business strategy, offerings, operating model, pricing and service design for these professional services firms. He brought a creative perspective to talent strategy, consumer innovation and emerging technology to help these firms raise their value to clients and earn the trust of their employees.

Before EY Rob was a top executive in NYC’s advertising industry. He held positions such global president, inVentiv Health Communications; North America President, J Walter Thompson and President, Lowe & Partners.  Over his advertising career Rob was a trusted advisor to top executives across a multitude of industries such as: food, technology, automotive, consumer goods, healthcare, travel and the US Marine Corps.  He also held an advisory role for the American Association of Advertising Agencies.

Known for his positive, creative and innovative outlook, he builds diverse teams and inspires the best of the collective. His teams won innumerable creative awards and he received the Crain’s NY 40 under 40 Award.

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