Case study: Boatfolk

Boatfolk: from a plan on paper to execution across 11 marinas

Client: Boatfolk, a Mansford LLP-backed marina group operating 11 sites, acquired by Premier Marinas in September 2025

Work: Value creation planning with the executive team, and roll-out of our operational excellence model across the group

Conditions in focus: Clarity, Cadence and Consequences

The challenge

Boatfolk was growing under private equity ownership, with an exit in view. The executive team needed a value creation plan that was clear and practical, that they owned, and that could be delivered across a business spread over 11 marinas.

That meant agreeing where to focus to create the greatest value, then making sure the plan did not stop at the leadership team. Priorities, ownership and standards had to carry through to every site.

What we did

We worked with Boatfolk from shaping the plan through to delivering it:

• Shaped the plan with the executive team. We facilitated the strategic discussions, challenged the team’s thinking and helped them agree where to focus their efforts to create the greatest value.
• Turned ambition into an actionable plan. We translated the team’s ambitions into a plan with clear priorities, clear ownership and a shared understanding of what needed to be delivered.
• Embedded operational excellence across 11 sites. We rolled out our operational excellence model across the group, so that every marina was working to the same priorities, rhythm and standards.

The result

The executive team aligned behind a clear, practical value creation plan that they understood, owned and could execute, and that was carried into day-to-day operations across all 11 sites.

That alignment supported Boatfolk’s growth and its preparation for exit. Boatfolk was acquired by Premier Marinas in September 2025.

What the client said

His contribution went beyond facilitating a strategy day. He helped us translate our ambitions into an actionable plan, with clear priorities, ownership and a shared understanding of what we needed to deliver. As a Mansford LLP-backed business, this alignment was important to our growth and preparation for exit.

Former Group Commercial Director, Boatfolk

Preparing a business for exit?

If you need a leadership team aligned behind a plan that holds up all the way from the boardroom to the front line, we would be glad to talk it through.