I created Transform Value Propositions because I saw an opportunity to help mining and natural resource companies communicate the complexity of their business operations to investors and the market, with a compelling narrative about their value trajectory. Backed by a PhD from Cambridge University, academic expertise in research design design, and published research in value propositions and narrative structure, I can help you articulate and communicate a clear and convincing story for your company, so the market and investors understand the true potential of your projects, assets, and strategic trajectory.
When I began investing in the mining and natural resource sectors, I quickly realized it difficult to determine the value of individual stocks. As I reviewed hundreds of companies, I noticed that in many cases, the businesses weren’t effectively communicating their value. I found the complexity to be overwhelming – projects, assets, jurisdictions, permitting, drill results, the geology of the deposits, the surrounding infrastructure, the capabilities and experience of the management team, concurrent development, exploration and production activities, differing share structure – all against a backdrop of geopolitical risks, volatile financial markets, and rising energy costs. The complexity of their operations and business was obvious – but the overall value was not.
That’s when I began to see similarities with my own expertise – conducting complex academic research projects and the challenge of effectively communicating them.
After completing my PhD from Cambridge University, I specializaed in teaching research design and methodology at the doctoral and masters level. Academic research takes years to develop, involves evolving and uncertain decisions, demands careful analysis, strong evidence, and arguments that can withstand serious scrutiny. In response, I created the Research Design Canvas – an academic design and visualization tool for students to plan, learn, understand, design, and write their research. The research design canvas has been downloaded and used by students at over 500 universities in over 70 countries, and I’ve delivered seminars, webinars, and workshops to coach students to use the canvas and other academic design tools.
The complexity, depth, and technical details of a research project are similar to complex business operations – they need to be clearly communicated to help readers understand the credibility, veracity, and importance of the research.
That’s when I saw an opportunity to utilize my academic expertise to help mining and natural resources companies communicate the complexity of their business operations to the market.
I realised that I could help companies communicate complex operations because I had already published research on value propositions and value creation (1, 2, 3), narrative structure (1), and metaphors for customer sensemaking (1, 2). I had been building a specialized framework for designing transformative value propositions. The framework detailed how to construct narratives to strengthen customer perception of value and trigger purchasing decisions – such as buying a product or service – or for investors – deciding to allocate their capital to invest in a company’s stock.
I realized that I no longer wanted to invest huge amounts of my intellectual effort and years of life on writing, revising, and publishing research – especially the transformative value propositions framework – only for the journal article to be read by a handful of scholars whose primary interests were conceptual and academic.
So I decided to trade academic research for real-world impact, to use my intellectual effort, rigorous thinking, and hard work could benefit real companies. This was the genesis for Transform Value Propositions – to help companies transform the complexity of their business operations into compelling narratives which successfully communicate their value to investors.
My belief is that mining and natural resources operations require sophisticated and carefully designed narratives – to enable investors to understand, trust, and have confidence in the full value of companies.
Your C-Suite team and all your employees have dedicated years of hard work and effort into building your company, from careful planning to strategic implementation, including your marketing and investor and shareholder communications. Now let me help you with the final step of building a compelling value narrative which becomes a strong and reliable foundation for communicating your story to the market today and into the future.
Looking ahead, I’m going to establish longer term relationships with a small number of companies, so that I can help them strengthen their company narrative as their value trajectory evolves. When value is complex, unfolds over years, and depends on decisions and results whose significance is not always obvious to the market, a consistent value narrative is essential for investor understanding of a company’s evolving value trajectory
To discuss your company’s value trajectory, your strategic communication challenges, or simply to learn more about my approach and how I can help, send me a message so we can begin a conversation.
I’m Dr. Ben Ellway. I have a PhD from the University of Cambridge, and held prior academic apportionments as Assistant Professor, Visiting Scholar, and Visiting Professor in Australia and Thailand. I now reside with my family, in the northern mountains of Chiang Mai, Thailand. I specialize in clarifying and strengthening a company’s value propositions and building an overarching value trajectory — so potential investors, shareholders, and stakeholders can understand your strategic story more easily, clearly, and convincingly.
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