Independent strategy advisory

Clarify strategy.
Structure innovation.
Build partnerships.

Bleu Azur Strategies works with leaders of technology and industrial companies on their strategic decisions and on steering complex projects. A clear ambition: to support innovation and growth by engaging ecosystems and partners in Canada, Europe and India.

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Jean-François Audet
Jean-François Audet, C.Adm. Strategy Advisor M.Sc. Physics · MBA Finance

“Day-to-day urgencies leave little room for strategy. I bring the time, the perspective and the method to move it forward, in support of your team.”

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Expertise

Strategy, innovation and international partnerships

Targeted engagements to resolve a specific issue, or ongoing support for a transformation or a longer-term initiative.

Business Strategy

Turning ambition into clear choices, realistic priorities and a measurable execution plan.

  • Strategic positioning, growth strategy and business plan
  • Project structuring
  • Financial analysis and funding
  • Action plans, governance and indicators

Innovation Management

Structuring innovation to reduce complexity and uncertainty, speed up decisions and focus resources on the strongest opportunities.

  • Innovation portfolio and processes
  • Opportunity validation and roadmaps
  • Technology partners and collaborative projects
Distinctive focus

International Partnerships

A focus built across Canada, Europe and India. Identifying, qualifying and engaging the right partners to develop innovations, shape projects in new markets or diversify a value chain.

  • International development strategy
  • Partner search and qualification
  • Support through implementation

Sectors

An understanding of complex environments

Particular attention to organizations where technology, product development, operations and international markets meet.

Innovative manufacturing
Engineering and product development
Clean technologies
Advanced technologies

Ways of working

Four ways to work together

Every engagement should improve the quality of decisions and the ability to act. Scope, duration and pace of involvement are agreed at the outset. Deliverables stay simple, useful and easy for your team to take over.

1

Scoping engagement

A short, bounded piece of work to clarify the issue, compare the options, set out the trade-offs and reach a decision.

2

Targeted support

Help on a specific piece of work: project structuring, partner search, financial analysis, technology roadmap.

3

Ongoing advisory

A recurring advisory role, providing outside support to the chief executive or the leadership team through a transformation over time.

4

Fractional strategy leadership

A part-time role within your leadership team: I serve as your fractional Chief Strategy Officer and lead the implementation of decisions with your teams.

I take on a limited number of engagements at a time, when required alongside people from my network. In fractional leadership roles, that means a few companies at a time, never direct competitors. For work in India, I collaborate closely with a trusted associate on the ground. If a project calls for resources or expertise I do not have, I will say so and point you elsewhere.

Fractional role

Fractional strategy leadership

Distinctive offer

Not every company needs a full-time head of strategy

Many do, however, need someone to hold that function within the leadership team at certain stages of their growth: setting priorities, keeping a growth project on course, supporting an acquisition process, leading discussions with partners abroad.

Fractional strategy leadership meets that need. I join your leadership team as your fractional Chief Strategy Officer, at an agreed pace and for an agreed term. Unlike an advisory engagement, the role does not stop at recommendations: I take part in decisions and lead their implementation with your teams.

The model suits technology and industrial SMEs that need this capability before their size justifies a full-time position. As the company evolves, it can also prepare the transition to a permanent appointment.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

The parameters are set according to the company’s needs and objectives. As a guide, it typically means 5 to 10 days a month over 6 to 12 months or longer, roughly a quarter to half of a full-time position. Fractional leadership differs from an interim role: it adds a resource for a function the company does not yet need full time, whereas an interim fills a vacant position for a transitional period.

With Bleu Azur Strategies, the person you meet is the person who does the work. You engage my skills and experience directly: I work in direct contact with your team and am fully invested in your project. When needed, I draw on associates from my network for complementary expertise. A lean structure is reflected in the level of fees.

A simple, well-defined engagement can be quoted at a fixed price. For more complex situations, a block of hours can be allocated, with agreed check-in points. Ongoing advisory and fractional leadership engagements are generally set up as a monthly retainer, with availability agreed in advance.

I am based in the Greater Montreal area, in Quebec. A large part of the work can be done remotely. However, in-person meetings are often still necessary: I travel wherever the project requires. In Quebec and Ontario, a day trip by car involves only modest costs. Longer-distance travel, including international trips, is set out in advance in the agreement and built into the project budget.

As a member of the Ordre des administrateurs agréés du Québec, I am bound by professional secrecy and subject to a code of ethics. Every service agreement includes a confidentiality clause and, where the situation calls for it, a separate non-disclosure agreement can be signed.

Do you have a decision or a project to move forward?

A first 30-minute conversation helps frame the issue and establish whether I am the right person.

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