Joseph Mawdsley
Director & Co-Founder
Joseph is a senior executive with expertise in operational delivery, financial control, and governance across sectors including real estate, mining, logistics, and public services. As a Director and Co-Founder of Arx Nova, he leads on operational triage, financial clarity, and governance design during crisis and recovery phases.
Joseph has delivered large-scale transformation and stabilisation programmes in the UK, West Africa, and Canada. His experience spans project portfolio management, cross-jurisdictional operations, and crisis response leadership. He is known for implementing clear structures and reporting systems that allow boards to make fast, informed decisions under pressure.
At Arx Nova, Joseph works directly with boards and executive teams to restore operational stability and embed governance frameworks that drive performance and accountability. His ability to simplify complexity, re-establish financial control, and align teams behind clear deliverables makes him a critical presence in high-pressure situations.
He has led the financial and operational turnaround of overseas units, overseen international mining operations, and managed portfolios exceeding £200 million. His approach combines strategic oversight with hands-on delivery, ensuring both high-level governance and day-to-day execution are tightly aligned.
Whether building reporting frameworks, leading stakeholder engagement, or directing crisis recovery teams, Joseph brings the structure, pace, and board-level discipline that organisations rely on when stability is at stake.
Past experience
- Directed the strategic stabilisation and scale-up of a logistics and transportation company during COVID-19, overseeing business continuity, restructuring delivery models, and maintaining revenue flow under national and international disruption.
- Led in-country operations and asset protection in Guinea, West Africa, during a military coup, acting as the senior UK representative and coordinating crisis response across operational, financial, and legal channels.
- Advised executive leadership in guiding a UK financial firm with over £200m under management through controlled administration, shaping governance frameworks, regulatory engagement, and financial modelling.
- Oversaw financial reform and operational governance across an international, multi-industry portfolio, redesigning forecasting structures, driving reporting discipline, and restoring investor and board confidence under scrutiny.
- Partnered with board members during governance breakdowns, designing and embedding layered control environments and leadership protocols to restore regulatory confidence and directional clarity.
- Chaired turnaround efforts across underperforming strategic portfolios, aligning senior stakeholders, reasserting delivery control, and restoring accountability in complex and sensitive environments