From the Field: Christine Blyth on Turning Strategy into Execution

What does it really take to translate strategy into execution, and where do most companies get stuck? It’s a question that comes up repeatedly in boardrooms and executive offsites, often framed as an execution problem but rooted much earlier in how strategy is defined, governed, and resourced. To explore where the breakdowns actually occur, we put the question to Christine Blyth, Head of Strategy & Transformation at Evolvere AU. Drawing on work across growth, turnaround, and transformation contexts, Blyth points to a familiar pattern: organisations tend to invest heavily in strategic ambition, but far less in the operating mechanisms required to carry it through. The gaps show up not in intent, but in unclear mandates, misaligned incentives, and strategy functions positioned too far from the decisions that matter most. Her perspective reflects a broader shift underway, from viewing execution as a downstream activity, to recognising it as a design choice embedded in how strategy is set up from day one.