What motivated you to co-found Arx Nova?
The position to effect rapid, measurable change is where I enjoy being most. I thrive on the energy and ambition that comes with generating forward momentum at pace and under pressure. We’ve built Arx Nova around providing resolutions to the most pressing questions, with the goal of allowing businesses to stabilise and move forward, even when their backs are against the wall.
How would you describe Arx Nova’s “no-nonsense” ethos in your own words?
We emphasise rapid, high-quality solutions. That doesn’t leave any space for waffle or delay. Our focus is on identifying and stabilising key issues and root causes affecting the most vital pillars of a business.
What does “crisis contained” mean to you personally?
Rapid stability where there was once uncertainty. Forward momentum generated from stagnation. Clear strategic tenets communicated throughout the layers of an organisation, allowing delivery on crisis planning designed to drag a company back into a position of strength.
I often envisage a CEO or CFO who reaches out to us when they can’t see the wood for the trees. Maybe their organisation has lost connection with its market, an unexpected event has resulted in a cash-flow crisis, or delivery teams are unable to meet the requirements of the organisation’s strategic essentials, no matter how hard they try. Pressure is high, they’re struggling to align sometimes conflicting advice from a small army of expensive consultants and advisers, and they would give their right arm for the execution of a unified, data-driven and well-communicated plan to see them through to the other side.
For me, “crisis contained” means providing senior leadership with that stable platform to move forward. Fighting the initial fire at speed, and then defining a route back to an established position of strength.
Why do you believe mid-tier businesses (£1m–£100m turnover) need this kind of support?
In my experience, mid-tier businesses often don’t have the infrastructure in place to deal with a crisis in a cross-functional way. They may have consultants and advisers on the books, but at the moment when pressure is highest and time is of the essence, a series of siloed responses can do more harm than good. Arx Nova provides mid-tier firms with what they need most in times of acute destabilisation: rapid and holistic input at market-leading value.
What is your specific role within Arx Nova’s crisis response?
I work to establish and then consolidate the strategic execution of crisis deliverables. I build out useful layers of governance needed to align an organisation’s teams to deliver on our agreed priorities. I also oversee the facilitation of transition between Arx Nova and any of our strategic partners entrusted to work on further long-term transformation with an organisation.
How does your background (law / governance / communications) shape your approach in a crisis?
I consider myself fortunate to have a wide-ranging set of skills and experiences, gathered through working across a variety of sectors and industries. I’ve spent the last 15 years either running companies or building out useful layers of governance that teams don’t hate, which connect senior leadership to delivery and thread key strategic objectives, data sets and performance indicators through each layer of a business.
In crisis, I work to consolidate all planning, before collaborating with internal teams to build out essential structures at pace, allowing a company to deliver on agreed priorities and maintain a focus on achieving the essential metrics required to steady the ship.
What’s the most valuable lesson you’ve learned from leading under pressure?
Communication and at least a broad commitment to change are vital. I’m often asked what is the most important element of successful business operations, whether at a programme, portfolio, BAU or crisis level. Stakeholder engagement is the only answer to this question.
How do you stay calm when a client feels like their business is collapsing?
We work to prioritise only the big issues, structured around the essential pillars of a business (products or services, the market, cash-flow, people, infrastructure). Often, clients become bogged down because they are confronted with an uncontrollable number of risks and issues springing up across the business. Isolated advice from a team of siloed consultants does nothing to ease the pain here. Arx Nova works to quiet the noise. We don’t let the big, important issues fall to the mercy of the smaller, more urgent ones. Take a step back. Outline key strategic issues and execute a clear, consolidated plan to resolve them. Clients find that all the other noise disappears.
Without naming names, can you share a type of crisis you’ve managed that left a lasting impression on you?
Running a business through the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown. Almost overnight our operation was forced to scale at an unprecedented pace, in terms of the stock our warehouses processed, the size of warehouse and delivery teams required, and the stringent compliance measures needed to meet new government regulation so the business could trade. I felt the weight of responsibility for just over 50 jobs (including my own) that hinged on my ability to deliver. Under significant pressure we managed to establish stability. I’m proud to say that business still trades today.
What’s the hardest leadership decision you’ve ever had to guide a client through?
Helping to guide an organisation with almost 150 employees across a number of jurisdictions, many of whom I’d worked closely with for almost two years, into administration.
How do you balance honesty with reassurance when talking to boards in distress?
Arx Nova deals purely in the brutal facts of the matter. We will always work with board members to build the unwavering faith necessary to achieve our collective goals, but we believe that confronting hard truths in the most honest way possible is an absolute requirement.
What mistakes do you see businesses make most often in a crisis?
Often, the sheer amount of noise and distraction that senior leadership experiences in crisis leads to a misdiagnosis of the root issues. This is understandable: the cognitive strain of going into overload at a time of acute pressure is significant, and we’re all human. A crisis may be identified as a communications issue, for example, or solely a problem with organisational structure. A benefit of providing a cross-functional stabilisation solution is that we can see where seemingly unrelated issues intersect, and understand that operational, legal, financial or PR problems rarely exist in isolation.
How do you personally reset after dealing with high-pressure situations?
I go home and put the kids to bed. I’m fortunate enough to live by the sea, so I walk and focus on breathing. I confer with people I trust to help develop my thoughts. These things ground me and help me establish perspective.
What’s your leadership style when working inside a client’s boardroom?
Whoever I’m working with, I place an emphasis on collaboration. To achieve effective collaboration, certain things need to be present, like mutual respect, a common understanding of the situation, and agreement on how we all want to work to move forward. Change should never be done to someone; we should always work to make sure it is done with them.
How would colleagues describe the way you operate under stress?
I wouldn’t want to speak for my colleagues. I would hope they’d see someone who is calm, thoughtful and who has the drive to work in whatever way necessary to alleviate moments of pressure, particularly when that pressure is on us as a team. I appreciate being in a position where I’m trusted to deliver on agreed outcomes once they’re defined, while being able to ask for help when I need it. As a leader, I look to put my colleagues in that same position, and make sure not to stray from that principle, even in moments of high pressure.
What advice would you give to a CEO who’s never faced a crisis before?
Don’t be afraid to ask for help. In fact, I’d argue it’s their responsibility to give the organisation the best possible chance of re-establishing stability and engaging forward momentum, which may require engaging a cross-functional team of stabilisation practitioners. I know that during peacetime some CEOs feel pressure to be seen to have all the answers and to be in complete control. This isn’t the reality when crisis hits. Make sure your organisation is structured so that indicators of crisis reach you fast and red flags are raised early. Then plot a clear pathway to stabilisation, taking advice from Arx Nova when required.
Where do you see Arx Nova making the biggest impact in the next 5 years?
I see us changing the game for SMEs and contributing to the reform of the current landscape. As of Q2 2025, nearly 50,000 businesses are in “critical” distress, a jump of 21% from the same period a year earlier. Almost 667,000 firms are in “significant” distress (up 10.8% year on year). These data points signify an underlying fragility in this area of the economy. For the first time ever, more UK SMEs expect to shrink or close (27%) than grow (25%) in the coming year.
Arx Nova will give overwhelmed leadership teams in “critical” or “significant” distress immediate control and a clear plan. We will work to align key stakeholders behind emergency measures, stabilise cash flow and establish clear decision-making authority. It is the opposite of the typical siloed advisory model that can paralyse leadership and will establish Arx Nova as a pioneer in the discipline.
How do you want clients to feel after working with you?
I want clients to feel clarity and control restored after working with Arx Nova. Crises and high-pressure growth environments are overwhelming by nature, but our role is to replace confusion with focus and help generate momentum from stagnation or paralysis. Clients should leave with a sense that their situation has been stabilised quickly and decisively, and that they now have the confidence to move forward on solid ground.
Too often, separate advisers create competing priorities that make things more complex. Our approach ensures they experience coherence and unified leadership instead, leaving clients feeling supported rather than burdened. I also want them to feel that the work we’ve done together is practical and lasting, and that they can look back on the period not just as a crisis survived, but as a turning point where discipline, clarity and resilience were built into the organisation. Above all, I want clients to feel calmer, more confident and equipped to make strong decisions in the face of uncertainty.
What does “success” look like in your role?
Success in my role means moving an organisation from chaos to stability quickly and decisively. It is when urgent risks are neutralised, leadership feels back in control, and the business is left not only steadier but also stronger and more resilient for the future.
Why should a business call you, rather than patching together different advisors?
A business should call Arx Nova because crises are rarely one-dimensional. Financial, operational, legal and reputational issues almost always overlap. If you patch together different advisers, you get fragmented advice and competing priorities. This can leave a leadership team struggling to coordinate, let alone lead. That delay and confusion often makes the situation worse.
When we step in, we provide a single point of leadership. We align all the moving parts, act decisively within 24 hours and give clients clarity and control from day one. Businesses get integrated solutions, faster stabilisation and lower long-term cost. What is more, they are not forced to manage the competing schedules and messages that come from separate advisers.
In short, they should call Arx Nova because we simplify what others complicate. We give them time, coherence and confidence when they need it most.
Who’s behind this post?
Joseph Mawdsley
Director & Co-Founder
Joseph Mawdsley is a senior project leader and governance specialist, and Co-Founder of Arx Nova. With extensive experience guiding complex organisations through change, Joseph focuses on operational control, strategic planning, and delivery under pressure. He helps businesses stabilise fast and move forward with structure and clarity.
