# Who we are | The Consortium Source: https://theconsortium.ie/who-we-are # Who we are Five senior specialists. Five independent firms. Each of us has 20 to 30 years inside real companies. No junior delivery teams. No vendor deals. We are the people in the room. ## Our mission Close the gap between AI strategy and the people who have to use it. Help leaders and teams take on new ways of working. Turn AI spend into lasting business value. The best technology fails when the people meant to use it are left behind. 60 to 70% of transformations fall down on exactly that. So we start with your people, build systems and processes that work for them, and feed your AI. Not the other way round. > “The transformations most worth regretting are the ones where leaders tapped out when it got hard.” > > Brené Brown We keep leaders and their teams in the room, and stay in it ourselves, all the way through. ## Where we started Five independent specialists. Five separate firms. Each of us runs our own practice, with our own clients and our own agreements. The Consortium is how we come together when a problem is bigger than one firm. Natalie’s firm, [ncco](https://ncco.ie/) (NC Consulting & Co), brought us together and handles first contact today. When you engage us, you engage the people you need for your problem, under one agreement for that piece of work. We work with entrepreneurs, micro-businesses and SMEs, up to national and global companies. Sectors include engineering, finance, construction, pharmaceutical, technology, manufacturing, food & drink, health & wellness, professional services, publishing. Organisations must be seen as a whole. Avoiding the “silo effect” is behind everything we do. ## Who you get ![Portrait of Natalie Garland-Cooke](/team/natalie-garland-cooke.webp) ### Natalie Garland-Cooke Founder, ncco (NC Consulting & Co) CRM and ERP, digital transformation, process and project management. 25+ years, cross-industry. Natalie has 25+ years across business systems, CRM, ERP and AI, digital transformation, process optimisation, customer care, sales and project management. She has worked in agile start-ups, large banks, pharma companies, engineering firms and tax practices. She is vendor-agnostic by principle. Every technology decision is made on fit for the business, never on commission or convenience. Natalie holds postgraduate qualifications from UCD in Digital Transformation Management and Project Management (with Distinction). She has won awards from Thermo Fisher Scientific and Sage, was Highly Commended for STEM in Network Ireland Regionals, and is an All Stars Thought Leader in Process Optimisation. ![Portrait of Katie Tether](/team/katie-tether.webp) ### Katie Tether Consortium Lead Business analysis, programme delivery, customer experience, data quality and change in regulated environments. 25+ years. Katie is a senior business analyst and programme lead. She turns complex, multi-stakeholder requirements into delivered outcomes across utilities, hospitality technology, health, financial services and insurance. She was business lead on a €180M national smart metering programme: requirements, multi-vendor evaluation and selection, and alignment across business, operations and technology. She built a customer success function from the ground up at a fast-scaling technology platform, introducing journey mapping, tiered service, CSAT measurement and a customer-informed product roadmap. ![Portrait of Joseph Rose](/team/joseph-rose.webp) ### Joseph Rose Senior Technical Advisor Software and systems engineering, cloud and on-premise infrastructure, automation and applied AI. 20+ years. Joseph is the consortium’s senior technical voice. With 20+ years across full-stack software, CRM and ERP, cloud and on-premise infrastructure, AI and automation, and CTO, COO and CEO roles, he advises on where a system should go, what to build versus buy, and where the real technical risks sit. He has personally built and run the core software behind multiple commercial platforms. His advice is grounded in delivery, and he can stand the solution up as well as shape it. Joseph works with SMEs and manufacturers on quoting engines, integrations and automation that take repeat work off teams. He also founded the Open Readiness Foundation, which writes plain-language standards for data protection, AI, automation and cybersecurity readiness. ![Portrait of Ron Kugler](/team/ron-kugler.webp) ### Ron Kugler Pricing, Monetisation & Commercial Negotiation Advisor Pricing, packaging, monetisation, deal structure and enterprise negotiation. 25+ years in VC-backed, PE-owned and public software companies. Ron is a pricing and monetisation specialist with 25+ years in enterprise software and SaaS. He built and led pricing and Deal Desk functions at VMware, Dell Software, Hortonworks, Poppulo and Cyncly, among others. He pairs pricing strategy and packaging design with hands-on commercial execution: Deal Desk build-outs, non-standard enterprise negotiations, and renewal and price-increase programmes run end to end. ![Portrait of Sinead Crawley](/team/sinead-crawley.webp) ### Sinead Crawley People, Leadership & Business Performance Leadership development, executive and business coaching, team performance. 30+ years in senior commercial leadership. Sinead has 30+ years in senior commercial leadership, leadership development and business coaching. She helps organisations line their people up behind clear goals, and deliver on them. Her experience spans financial, industrial, distribution, communications and SMB sectors, including senior roles at IBM where she led sales teams across Europe with a $1B annual quota across 28 countries. She won IBM’s Global Sales Award for top-1% global performance. Alongside her corporate career, Sinead is an experienced business coach and lecturer focused on leadership capability, alignment and team performance. ## What an ncco client says > “ncco played a crucial role in guiding us in the selection and implementation of our new CRM/AI business system as part of our digital transformation strategy. Throughout the process, Natalie and the team demonstrated professionalism, deep knowledge, and a keen ability to navigate complex transitions smoothly. We now have a more efficient and effective system in place, positioning us for long-term success.” > > Michael Murray, Board Director, [Kirby Engineering & Construction](https://www.kirbygroup.com/) [More testimonials](https://ncco.ie/testimonials/) · [The Consortium at ncco.ie](https://ncco.ie/abouttheconsortium/) ## Strategic partners Beyond the core team, we bring in trusted partners when a job needs them. Each is top in their field, and loves what they do. ## Tell us your problem. We’ll tell you straight if we can fix it, and what the first step is. [Book a Health Check](https://ncco.ie/contact/)[or email info@ncco.ie](mailto:info@ncco.ie?subject=Health%20Check) A Health Check is a short look at where you are. No obligation after it.