CIR Strategy - Key Team

Justin Hayward

Justin formed CIR in 2001. He continues to direct the company. He trained as a physicist, taking advanced degrees MASt, and PhD from Cambridge University. He was the only PhD student of Professor Stephen Hawking beginning in 1991, completing his doctorate in 1995 on black holes and energy. He worked at Deutsche Bank from 1996-2000 as a financial relative value analyst, and took an MBA from Cambridge Judge Business School in 2000/1 focusing on strategic management of technology. A list of research and business papers by Justin is here.

Mike McCreary

Mike has been a CIR Consultant since 2004. Mike creates value for CIR clients in the areas of high value manufacturing, particularly in electronics and instrumentation. In 1992, Mike joined Aeroflex (formerly IFR and Marconi Instruments) as Manufacturing Director. After his role as Manufacturing Director, Mike was appointed as Managing Director in 2000.

Nick Coutts

Nick has been a CIR Strategy Consultant since 2008. Nick provides expertise in segmentation, routes to market, services marketing and action plans in projects in sectors ranging from printing to ICT to energy efficiency and beyond. Amongst other aspects in a long career, as Vice President, Global Distribution Channel Strategy for IBM, he was responsible for the development and the effective use of distribution channels for IBM around the world. Nicholas has a masters degree in economics taken in 1975-1978.

CIR open collaboration

As a dynamic, flexible, service company, CIR has a number of two-way agreements with partner expert consultants and analysts. These partners are themselves independent companies or individual consultants. They are mainly based in the Cambridge, East Anglia, and London areas. CIR has agreements with printing, displays, electronics, sustainable and high value manufacturing, small-scale technology, energy, and ICT industry experts. It forms teams in these sectors, to solve the problems, most often, of technology and brand-owner companies or their supporters. CIR also has good connections with investors: ranging from business angel, venture capitalist, private equity, and corporate investors. CIR has run full-and two-day high-level conferences since 2002.

As a well-connected virtual company, CIR can expand quickly for bigger projects. The company tries to make its 'footprint', as well as its internal structure, more and more efficient, embracing step changes like those of its clients' innovations. CIR and its shareholders themselves do not own any other shares or securities, nor do they plan to: so both upstream and downstream, ownership is kept simple. And CIR has been fortunate to have a spread of clients, some listed below. When not working on client projects or marketing, the company's team will be networking, training or learning.
CIR offers solutions at high levels of rigour, but at business speed and focus.