Mathieu Smeed Fractional Operations, Commercial Development & Finance

EXECUTIVE POSITIONING

I I work with founders who are great at what they do but are finding that the business side of things, running operations, winning new clients consistently, or expanding into a new market, is starting to hold them back. I come in, figure out what is actually getting in the way, fix it, and help build what is needed to move forward properly.

I have spent 10+ years in legal services operations and building my own business from scratch across the UK and France, doing everything myself, sales, operations, finance, compliance, client management, hiring, you name it. I know what it feels like to have no safety net and to have to make things work anyway.

Based in London. Speak English and French fluently. British and French national — can work anywhere in the UK or Europe.

Specialist in:

  • Day-to-day operations - running the business so the founder does not have to: finance, HR, IT, governance, client relations and everything that keeps the lights on.

  • New market entry - building from scratch in a new country, including company formation, banking, compliance, finding the first clients and building the commercial pipeline.

  • Crisis management - getting to the root of the problem quickly and fixing it before it gets worse.

  • Commercial development - building a pipeline from zero, pitching to clients, negotiating and closing deals with no existing infrastructure.

  • Cost and efficiency - identifying where money and time are being wasted and fixing it without disrupting the business.

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I work on a fractional basis (2–4 days per week) or through specific project mandates.

WHAT I DO FOR FOUNDERS / LEADERS

Revenue Acceleration

  • Build a commercial strategy from scratch — who to target, how to reach them and how to close

  • Set up the pipeline, outreach and follow-up processes needed to convert consistently

  • Identify and open new markets, including setting up operations in a new country

  • Build the sales capability and processes where none exist yet

Cost & Margin Expansion

  • Review day-to-day operational spend and identify areas of waste or inefficiency

  • Streamline processes and remove unnecessary layers that slow the business down and cost money

  • Assess supplier and vendor relationships to negotiate better terms and reduce cost-to-serve

  • Build lean operational models suited to early-stage or scaling businesses with limited resources

Exit / Scale Preparation

  • Professionalise governance, financial reporting and internal processes to make the business investor-ready

  • Build the operational foundation needed to scale, systems, workflows, roles and accountability structures

  • Stabilise client relationships and recurring revenue to demonstrate predictable income to investors or acquirers

  • Prepare clear documentation of business operations, commercial pipeline and financial performance ahead of a raising capital or exit

SELECTED IMPACT

  • Built a team and implemented full operational processes from zero within 6 months of joining, enabling the business to scale efficiently

  • Delivered a new CRM system in under 3 months, improving operational efficiency and driving a more consistent and scalable membership renewal process

  • Identified and eliminated £50k of annual wastage on a £3m revenue business, directly improving profitability without cutting headcount

  • Incorporated a French entity in April 2026, launched the Paris office on 1st July 2026, and within 27 days had won a first client and had 6 live proposals in progress — all managed as a solo founder

  • Built and ran a dual-market operation across the UK and France, managing all commercial, operational and financial functions as a solo founder

CURRENT & RECENT ENGAGEMENTS

  •  JAM Agency — Co-Founder & President
    Building and running a dual-market sales and business development agency across the UK and France, with full responsibility for commercial strategy, market entry, operations, client management, finance and compliance. Focused on helping fine jewellery brands grow their wholesale presence across Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

  • Resolution — Operations & Business Development
    Senior operational role within a legal services business, with responsibility for day-to-day business operations including finance, HR, IT, corporate governance and customer relations. Key contributor to CRM implementation, team building and process design, delivering measurable improvements in efficiency and profitability.

BOARD & GOVERNANCE / CREDENTIALS

Bilingual English and French - able to operate across both markets at board and executive level.
Dual British and French nationality - full right to work in UK, France and Europe.

Available for:

  • Fractional COO mandates - providing senior operational leadership on a part-time or project basis for early-stage, scaling or owner-managed businesses

  • Growth and revenue transformation projects - working with founders and leadership teams to build commercial infrastructure, enter new markets and drive sustainable revenue growth

  • NED / advisory roles - within entrepreneurial, sales-led, service or internationally-focused businesses, particularly those with a UK/France or broader European dimension

Work With Us