About Dr. Ian Hallett

I am the Chief Operating Officer of International Workplace Group, the world’s largest flexible workspace company with $4bn in revenue, 5,000 locations across 127 countries.

Over the past two decades I have held C-suite positions across real estate, financial services, telecoms, and consulting, with a consistent focus on transformation: taking complex, multi-market businesses and fundamentally reshaping how they operate, compete, and grow. Before IWG, I held senior leadership roles at Lloyds Banking Group and Cable & Wireless, and began my career in strategy consulting at Arthur Andersen.

Alongside my executive career, I completed a PhD at ESCP Business School in Paris, investigating why some companies sustain outstanding performance while others, often well-run and well-resourced, decline. That research led to the development of Thematic Strategy, a framework built on six principles for aligning strategy, assets, and execution around the external forces reshaping industries.

What I write about

This publication combines my doctoral research with real-world experience. I write about strategy, transformation, and the forces, such as artificial intelligence, demographic shifts, climate, political change, that are rewriting the rules for business leaders.

Every piece draws on two sources: rigorous academic research and the reality of running a large, complex global business. If you lead an organisation, sit on a board, or are responsible for the strategic direction of a business, this is written for you.

How it works

I regularly publish First Principles, a long-form essay exploring a core idea in strategy or transformation, along with shorter reflections and occasional video.

Subscribers receive First Principles every Saturday.