Crisis. Contained.

Author picture

Why Joseph Mawdsley co-founded Arx Nova

I’ve had the benefit of a diverse career. Utilising a primary skill set rooted in project and programme management allowed me access to a fantastically varied range of industries, from transport and logistics, to the third sector.

From property management and construction, to mining in West Africa and Canada. As my career progressed, I earned the opportunity to work with department heads across corporate organisations, establishing best practices and defining approaches, and found building out layers of strategic and tactical governance designed to connect the most senior leadership to their portfolio’s a particular area of interest and expertise. 

During that time, I’ve seen firsthand how a business can be knocked off course by unexpected challenges. A sudden operational failure, a shift in the market, a global event, or internal incident. I’ve found that these moments require people who can act fast to stabilise and bring order. Leaders who have the experience and the ability to identify root causes at pace, connect with people to design solutions, and guide teams forwards.

I’ve also found that this is a skill set in short supply. That’s why I built Arx Nova.

I’ve spent much of my career stepping into the kind of situations most people avoid. Stabilising and scaling a business through COVID-19, protecting assets and teams during a military coup, and leading crisis governance across diverse, complex, and high-value portfolios. In each of these moments, I identified the same risk: a fragmented response. Too many separate advisors, too many partial fixes, no one truly pulling it all together. I built Arx Nova to change that.

Arx Nova was created to provide a small, senior team that can step in at market-leading pace and bring calm when everything feels chaotic. We design strategies that give real direction and momentum, then help put them into action immediately. Businesses in crisis need decisive action and a clear, unified approach. That’s why Arx Nova exists.

I believe in refined, practical strategies that initiate action. At Arx Nova, we focus on positioning a few critical goals, moving quickly, and aligning everyone behind one shared direction. This isn’t just a preference; it’s a fundamental reason why I started the firm. We replace paralysis and confusion with clarity and speed.

I’m a passionate believer in collaboration, and it’s core to the Arx Nova operating model, whether an organisation is destabilised or looking to provide momentum to its portfolio. Crises aren’t solved in silos. They demand trust, shared information, and open communication. By creating an environment where expectations are clear and teams feel supported, we help organisations get the most from their people. Great organisations allow teams to confront the most brutal facts of a situation head-on, whilst at the same time empowering an unwavering faith that they’ll come out stronger on the other side.

Data and clear performance measures are at the heart of what we do. You can’t navigate uncertainty on instinct alone. We built Arx Nova to guide leaders with the right information so they can make confident decisions and stay focused on what really matters.

Too often, businesses are forced to patch together advice from different consultants. Legal, financial, operational, and communications advisors, each working to different timelines, pricing models, and priorities. I built Arx Nova to break that cycle. We bring a unified, multi-disciplinary team that moves fast, acts decisively, and restores control when it matters most.

Where the market fragments, delays, and burdens leadership teams, Arx Nova simplifies, accelerates, and stabilises from day one.

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.

Stay informed.
When it matters most.

Sign up to our newsletter and receive insights, practical advice and case studies on navigating business-critical events, from operational disruption to reputational risk.

Crisis. Contained.