What motivated you to co-found Arx Nova?
I have previously been placed in a situation where I was thrown into the pilot seat of a business going through crisis. At that time, I had multiple advisors, all giving me good advice; however, each piece of advice came from their own perspective. It was left to me to try and work out what the best overall option was.
During that period, I would have given anything to have a completely objective voice telling me the cold, hard truth and providing me with a path I could at least try to follow.
When I came out of the crisis, I reflected on the experience and thought: I must be able to use what I went through to positively help others facing the same issues.
How would you describe Arx Nova’s “no-nonsense” ethos in your own words?
Arx Nova hasn’t been built by people who only worked at senior or director level in large organisations.
We are practitioners who have faced real crisis situations. When we enter a business, our aim is to translate that practical experience and apply it to the problem in front of us, stopping the immediate bleeding. We are not there to fix every issue at once, only the critical path items that, once addressed, allow the business to reset and stabilise.
What does “crisis contained” mean to you personally?
It’s when there is a path through.
When the outcome is positive, it is easier to say the crisis is contained. However, I always stress that even if the outcome is negative, particularly one many owners or founders don’t want to face initially, once you confront the reality of the world you’re in, rather than what you want it to be, you take back control. That’s when the crisis is contained.
Why do you believe mid-tier businesses (£1m–£100m turnover) need this kind of support?
£1m–£100m sounds like huge numbers to the average person; however, many successful businesses can reach that level of turnover simply by having an excellent product, a strong hold on the market, or exclusivity of contracts with suppliers.
What happens then is that recruitment and growth quite rightly focus on forward-facing departments such as Marketing, Sales, and Operations.
However, when businesses hit bumps in the road, the infrastructure often doesn’t include the right people to deal with the significant number of internal and external issues that arise in a crisis.
Arx Nova exists to provide businesses with additional bandwidth in times of crisis and, through our strategic partner network, introduce the right experts to help stabilise the situation.
What is your specific role within Arx Nova’s crisis response?
I provide legal and governance oversight.
How does your background (law / governance / communications) shape your approach in a crisis?
Having a legal background means that I approach situations logically. I like clients to be open and transparent with me, so I have all the pieces of the puzzle from the start.
This does, however, sometimes lead to clients saying I am relentless, as I will continue to question anything I don’t understand or that doesn’t make sense.
What’s the most valuable lesson you’ve learned from leading under pressure?
Communication is everything, but the narrative must be shaped for each audience.
How do you stay calm when a client feels like their business is collapsing?
I always present clients with the truth and face difficult conversations early in the relationship. That way, when we inevitably face tough decisions along the journey, we have already discussed the potential outcomes.
As awful as it is to be in a business that feels like it is falling apart, understanding the process and the steps available creates a sense of calm. I have always found that fear comes more from not knowing what comes next than from having to make a tough call.
Without naming names, can you share a type of crisis you’ve managed that left a lasting impression on you?
I worked for a company that was raided by the City of London Police, and all its Directors and the CEO were arrested simultaneously.
After their arrest, I was promoted into an interim CEO position, responsible for managing internal and external stakeholders, protecting the brand, and giving the Directors space to deal with the City of London Police.
What’s the hardest leadership decision you’ve ever had to guide a client through?
Closing an entire division of their business, which they had nurtured for 10 years, due to external funding constraints.
This included making over 200 people redundant, many of whom had worked for the company for more than 20 years, and where board members had personal relationships with those colleagues.
How do you balance honesty with reassurance when talking to boards in distress?
Arx Nova’s primary aim is always to save the patient. We set that out very early with clients.
Once we have all the information, our job is to tell the truth and set out a series of options and pathways for the business to choose and then follow.
Of course, it is always better when there is a positive path to take, but even when the only options are negative, outlining key milestones provides reassurance once board members have digested the advice.
What mistakes do you see businesses make most often in a crisis?
They either fail to act, what I call “turning the wheel”, or they focus on fixing lots of small issues and never identify the critical path items that need to be addressed to stop the bleeding.
How do you personally reset after dealing with high-pressure situations?
Each case, even when there is a positive outcome, is extremely draining, particularly because we work at such pace to help businesses.
I personally like to train physically, not to be amazingly fit, but to help my brain shut down and focus on the task in front of me. And if I can’t get to the gym, my wife and kids will always find an activity for me to do if I stand idle for too long!
What’s your leadership style when working inside a client’s boardroom?
A mixture of collaborative and authoritative.
How would colleagues describe the way you operate under stress?
Relentless.
What advice would you give to a CEO who’s never faced a crisis before?
Take cross-functional external advice quickly and face into the issues you know are there.
Where do you see Arx Nova making the biggest impact in the next 5 years?
Unfortunately, businesses everywhere are struggling with rising inflation, increasing employee costs, and heavier regulation across almost every sector. I can only see more organisations facing crisis situations.
Arx Nova is built to support any sector, so it’s difficult to say where we will make the single biggest impact. However, I believe that wherever we are deployed, we will add value and help businesses that might otherwise fail to stabilise, survive, and grow.
How do you want clients to feel after working with you?
Relieved and back in control.
What does “success” look like in your role?
That Arx Nova is seen as the go-to business when you are in a difficult situation.
Why should a business call you, rather than patching together different advisors?
Unlike many consultancy firms, we have actually been practitioners at senior levels and worked in businesses that have failed, or had to make very difficult decisions to survive. I know the fear, uncertainty, and sleepless nights leaders go through.
Alongside that, our offering is cross-functional. You get joined-up advice on all critical path items, with no gloss or polish. This means we get straight into the activities that will help your business, rather than spending time persuading people into a plan. From day one, we work collaboratively with the board to set that plan and start stabilising.
Who’s behind this post?
Chris Johnson
Director & Co-Founder
Chris Johnson is a Chartered Legal Executive and Co-Founder of Arx Nova. He specialises in legal risk, governance, and business restructuring during periods of instability. With over 17 years of experience across the legal and professional services sectors, Chris supports leadership teams to regain control, navigate complexity, and stabilise quickly.
