Lester Mak
Non-executive director & strategic adviser
Founder, Bright Intervals
I help Chairs, CEOs and PE-backed management teams make clear strategic choices and oversee delivery across value creation and transformation.
Governance • decision quality • value creation • transformation
Outside work, you’ll often find me at a chessboard.
About Me → .
When to bring me in
A decision is stuck and you need clear options with trade offs
Delivery is drifting and you need focus, cadence and follow through
You are preparing for investment, diligence or a board level reset
You need an independent view before a hire, partnership or major spend
What I do
NED and committee support
Investor work, including commercial and vendor diligence
Strategy activation and delivery support
Experience
19+ years across consulting, regulation and independent work
Former Ofcom competition policy manager
Ex L.E.K. Consulting
How I help
Board & committees
(NED / Chair)
I help boards bring clarity and momentum to complex decisions, combining constructive challenge with practical oversight.
Typical situations
Strategy and priorities when the agenda is crowded or uncertain
Oversight of transformation and value-creation programmes
Governance, decision cadence and stakeholder alignment
Executive adviser
(strategy → execution)
I support CEOs and leadership teams to set direction and translate it into an executable plan and operating rhythm.
Typical situations
Strategy refresh: choices, focus, and a coherent narrative
Activation: 90‑day priorities, KPIs, accountabilities and cadence
Decision support in moments that matter (growth, change, transactions)
Founders & startups
I advise early teams on viability, go‑to‑market and execution. I also make early‑round investments in technology-based startups, and I’m open to co‑founding where the fit is exceptional.
I work sector‑agnostically, often in high‑scrutiny environments and with technology-enabled businesses.
Testimonials
What clients and colleagues say about working with me.
“Lester offers a compelling alternative to big name consulting firms for tailored strategy development support!”
Joel Wittgren
Investment Professional, Solix
“He has proved himself a good, critical sounding board at various key junctures who has a wealth of experience and commercial understanding”
Ramin Takin
Founder & CFO, Exabler
“His combination of cumulative experience, the highest quality standards, strong analytical capabilities and effective and engaging communication style can deliver high value to almost any client.”
Diogo Silva
Independent Consultant and former Partner, L.E.K. Consulting and Accenture
“Lester is one of the most delightful people I've had the pleasure of working with in my career.”
Igor Gavrilovic
Competitive Supply Analytics Lead, Takeda
Selected experience
A sample of roles and engagements across board, advisory and transformation work.
Governor & Co‑Chair (Durston House School Education Trust) — led merger with St Paul’s School (London)
Strategic adviser to founders — Exabler (fintech)
Independent consultant (strategy / value creation / activation / transformation) — 80+ projects including commercial/vendor due diligence, strategy reviews and operating model work. More details on my consultancy website: Bright Intervals →
Healthcare — Novartis and Takeda; NHS England; NHS South West London (and other NHS organisations)
Competition policy (regulation) — Ofcom (telecoms & broadcasting)
Strategy consulting — L.E.K. Consulting (incl. European healthcare practice)
Ways we can work together
Advisory support
Ongoing support for a small number of leaders. Typical format is a regular call plus ad hoc input around key decisions
Project work
Time boxed support with defined outputs, for example diligence support, a strategy reset, operating rhythm set up, or governance and PMO light structure.
NED and committee roles
Support where independence and judgement matter, including strategy, transformation, risk and performance.
If you are considering external support, the quickest way to test fit is a short call.
Let’s catch up
Meet with me over a virtual coffee or even a real one. Or we could play a few games of chess.
You decide.
Send me a message
I aim to respond within 1 business day.