Luke Heydenrych
@lukeheydenrych
I’m a Chief of Staff and COO who turns CEO vision into execution through operating cadence.
What I'm looking for
I’m a Chief of Staff and operations executive with 18+ years partnering with founders and CEOs to translate vision into execution. I specialise in building the operating cadence (OKRs, leadership forums, briefings, and cross-functional execution mechanisms) that gives the CEO leverage.
For five years as Group Chief of Staff at CJCH, I then progressed into Chief Operating Officer and Managing Director seats at the same organisation—leading 90+ distributed staff across the UK, Hong Kong, India, Japan, and Guatemala. I’m hands-on across strategic priorities, business operations, and corporate development, grounded in management consulting (Accenture), organisational psychology, and qualified in law.
I’ve delivered record outcomes by designing systems that make strategy repeatable: operational reporting and account-management cadence drove the company’s record quarter within three quarters of launch, a £100k+ uplift. I also built practical operational systems like a SharePoint employee portal that reduced HR enquiries from ~3 to <1 per employee per year.
High-stakes, sensitive cross-functional work is where I add real value. I stood up an India subsidiary and achieved profitability within two quarters, led TUPE of 65 staff during a legal-practice demerger, and closed an MBO within six months—while implementing IT/HR separation and advanced cybersecurity (Cyber Essentials Plus, phishing-test failures from 18% to 0%).
Experience
Work history, roles, and key accomplishments
Managing Director
CJCH Limited
Feb 2025 - Present (1 year 4 months)
Designed operational action management and reporting for client-service delivery, driving record quarterly revenue within three quarters and a £100k+ uplift. Built a key-account engagement model delivering £3.5m+ p.a. across the top two client teams and negotiated £500k+ (38.6% YoY) contract savings.
Chief Operating & CTO
CJCH Limited
Jun 2023 - Feb 2025 (1 year 8 months)
Scoped, sourced, and launched a £300k bespoke case-management platform, cutting case investigation time from 1–2 hours to ~30 minutes (50%+). Led CJCH Limited’s Management Buy-Out and demerger restructuring, delivering zero impact on business continuity while executing TUPE of 65 staff.
Chief of Staff (Group)
CJCH
Nov 2018 - Jun 2023 (4 years 7 months)
Built the operational reporting cadence and leadership forums to drive cross-department execution across the group, partnering directly with the partnership board. Implemented company-wide workflow and HR systems (Monday.com, SharePoint portal, employee lifecycle framework), supporting 40% headcount growth with retention sustained at sub-30% turnover.
Head of Operations
CJCH
Sep 2016 - Oct 2018 (2 years 1 month)
Led operational management across HR, IT, marketing, communications, and special projects, integrating an acquired legal practice across three offices. Delivered measurable improvements including a profitable new office within six months, inbound enquiries up 28% from a company rebrand, and 20%+ copier services savings plus 15%+ savings on bulk office supplies.
Director of Communications & Innovation
Red Marketing SA
Sep 2012 - Aug 2016 (3 years 11 months)
Built the social media and online reputation management division from zero, growing agency revenue by 25% in year one and doubling in year two. Won and onboarded major accounts (Sandton City and BMW/MINI brands) and launched a graduate content-creator programme to reduce reliance on freelance hires.
Senior Consultant
Accenture
May 2009 - Aug 2012 (3 years 3 months)
Specialised in change management, organisational design, transformation, and communication strategy across mining, resources, and banking sectors. Led multi-national SAP implementation change programmes, producing stakeholder engagement strategies and culture adaptation across the USA, Singapore, Australia, and South Africa.
Analyst
Accenture
Feb 2008 - Apr 2009 (1 year 2 months)
Researched client business needs and employee readiness for change, developing change-management and talent-management approaches. Coordinated training initiatives and delivered capability development support within Accenture’s in-house training function.
Business Process Consultant
Standard Bank
Jan 2007 - Jan 2008 (1 year)
Provided business process management consulting in retail banking, supporting internal operations and efficiency programmes. Contributed to process improvement work aimed at operational performance gains.
Education
Degrees, certifications, and relevant coursework
Cardiff University
Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL), Law
2016 - 2017
Completed a Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) covering Contract, Tort, EU Law, Criminal Law, Equity & Trusts, Land Law, and Public Law.
Vega School (The Independent Institute of Education)
BA Honours in Brand Leadership, Brand Leadership
2014 - 2015
Earned a BA Honours in Brand Leadership with study in Brand Building and Brand Management & Leadership.
University of Cape Town
Bachelor of Social Science (Honours), Organisational Psychology
Completed a Bachelor of Social Science (Honours) in Organisational Psychology with modules including Change Management, Change Consulting, Psychometrics, and Research Methodology.
University of Cape Town
Bachelor of Social Science, Organisational Psychology and Psychology
2003 - 2005
Studied Organisational Psychology and Psychology, covering areas such as Organisational Learning & Wellness, Labour Relations, Organisational Change, Health Psychology, and related topics.
Tech stack
Software and tools used professionally
Availability
Location
Authorized to work in
Job categories
Skills
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