Let us help you to unlock the potential of your business, improve profit and build growth - leaving you free to get the most from life.

About Us

Thexton Consulting currently has over 40 Business Success Partners across New Zealand. Thexton Consulting South operates across the South Island. Our consultants come from a wide range of backgrounds: engineering, hospitality, retail, sales and marketing, corporate management, and finance – pretty much every business type you could think of.

We are not like many other stuffy “consultants” or “advisors” you may have met in the past, we understand the journey of owning your own business and work with you (and your team) to achieve the goals and dreams you had in mind when you first started out.

We use a system, we call the “Business Success Programme” to guide you through the process. This programme had been tried, tested and refined in the marketplace over the last ten years: it works! It is unlike anything else available to assist Business Owners. In addition, as a network we share ideas, draw on each other’s backgrounds and skills to ensure we get the best results possible for our clients.

Thexton Consulting South – We are Taking Care of Business!

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We don’t believe Business needs to be or should be an emotional and financial roller-coaster.

Our Team

Michael Hesp

Michael is one of the co-owners of Thexton Consulting South along with Ron Keene. Michael is based in Queenstown. Michael has many years of experience in finance and other management roles across a wide range of industries in both the private and public sectors. He also has significant consulting experience across both sectors. Michael is a qualified Chartered Accountant

For Michael, a prime motivator to join Thexton Consulting was the opportunity to marry that experience with the proven Thexton Consulting methodologies, to work with small and medium sized business owners to improve their business profitability and value, and their quality of life.

Experience and research shows that many business owners are working solely “in” the business without being able to find any time to spend “on” the business. What sets Thexton Consulting apart from other consultants is that long term relationships are formed with business owners and the processes employed to develop and implement long term goals and strategies mean that the strategic aspects of businesses are addressed as well as the day to day operational ones.

Michael is passionate about working with business owners to enable businesses to reach their full potential and business owners to have a better work/life balance. “I challenge business owners and am uncompromising in working with them in the pursuit of success”.

Since he joined Thexton Consulting three years ago, Michael has added considerable value to a wide range of businesses in the wider Queenstown Lakes area. He has a proven track record of “taking care of business” for small and medium business owners.

Michael has two grown up daughters, one who also lives in Queenstown and another who lives in Sydney. Michael and his wife Susan love spending time with their grandson and enjoy the lifestyle that the Queenstown Lakes region has to offer including the wide variety of golfing, skiing and hiking options.

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Business Success Partner

Otago & Southland

027 220 6570

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Ron Keene

Ron is the other co-owner of Thexton Consulting South and is based in Dunedin. Ron came to Thexton Consulting after a successful career in banking and finance. He also has extensive experience in consulting both in the public and private sectors, advising on procurement and risk management.

Ron is experienced in successfully running small to medium sized businesses. His family has operated businesses in the property development, food and beverage and tourism sectors. Ron has now divested these private interests to concentrate totally on helping other owners of businesses also to succeed.

With over 25 years of experience in the banking and finance sector, much of that financing and supporting small to medium sized enterprises, Ron is well suited to advise businesses on profit maximisation and growth strategies. He is a firm believer in managing business with a healthy balance between work and leisure.

Ron and his wife Kaye have returned to their home town of Dunedin, with Ron supporting businesses in the Otago area. They have a grown up family of four, all now following their own careers. His leisure interests are following sports, mainly rugby and cricket, fishing and exercising his skills in the kitchen. He is keen aficionado of both food and wine.

Let Ron and Thexton Consulting be your Business Success Partner in your efforts to improve the profitability, growth and value of your business. “The entrepreneur builds an enterprise, the technician builds a job.” Michael Gerber

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Business Success Partner

Otago & Southland

027 473 2962

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Peter Lawry

A resident of Rangiora for many years, and a proficient, versatile leader within the SME sector, Peter has more than 20 years’ business experience, beginning in accountancy practice and diversifying into the travel sector, business advice, family trusts, property renovation trading and development, import, export, food, transport, taxis and even mental health.

His diverse skill-base combine with an acute, analytical business mind and excellent communication skills. His expertise, candour and no-nonsense, easy-to-work-with personality allow business owners to increase their entrepreneurial flair (not just ‘doing the business’ but ‘making it hum’). As a Business Consultant / Business Success Partner, Peter is therefore an invaluable ally; and a business owner’s reward for partnering with him – namely growing more profitable, more time-efficient, self-sustaining businesses – is like almost nothing else!

Peter recognises that the business is yours – you are the technical expert in your field. His role is to add business growth expertise to your existing skill-base, offering rigorous support all the way, as you take your business to whatever next level is important for you. “Willing to engage hands-on, I have helped a number of organisations grow during my career, delivering tangible, profitable results and helping to improve the quality of life of business owners and managers.”

Peter is a qualified member of the CAANZ (Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand), a Fellow of the Chartered Association of Certified Accountants, and an Associate Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Management Southern.

He is married with five children and three grandchildren and is a keen tramper and overseas traveller, with a passion for good food and wine! An avid reader and lover of quality theatre and movies, Peter is also on the board of his neighbourhood Lions and Tramping Clubs, an active member of a local church, and a trustee both of a private investment trust and of Life Education Trust (Christchurch). He was born British, in East Africa, spending his childhood and teens in Kenya, Hong Kong, Bangladesh, the USA, and the UK. He became a Kiwi citizen in 1998 – a decision he has never regretted!

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Business Success Partner

Canterbury & Christchurch

027 252 9796

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Chris Lanigan

Chris Lanigan understands that knowledge and information are remedies to uncertainty and enjoys working with business owners in asking the questions to which the answers would change the actions. The majority of Chris’ professional experience over the last 20 years was with Red Bull a truly iconic and global fast moving consumer good company.

Chris has lived and worked in the United Arab Emirates and Australia, while gaining extensive experience in Information Management and Financial Strategies, Project Management, People Management and International Business.

Chris holds a masters’ qualification in Business Administration, and brings formal yet practical solutions to business owners to cash in on the true value of their business potential.

“There is no doubt that complexity is forever increasing”. The speed of product and marketing innovation certainly challenges business owners today to be working longer and scratching their heads at times. The Business Success Programme provides a full and comprehensive process to review all gaps that dilute the value of the business. A key contributor to a successful improvement process is having the right mindset to the discovery and learning process, as performance is both capability and behaviour.

Chris has made the move on from the corporate world now that he is based with his family in Wanaka. Chris is married with two boys who are embarking on their teenage years and is enjoying the opportunity to share with them the benefits of living in this special part of the country.

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Business Success Partner

Wanaka & Central Otago

021 255 3614

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Richard Cheeseman

Richard is a resident of the Motueka River Valley and has been involved in consulting and project management since 1990 having worked for Ernst & Young, Unisys and Vodafone. Richard has also owned and managed two firms working with all kinds of kiwi businesses and enjoys developing long term relationships to help others succeed.

Starting with a degree in Production Engineering and Economics, Richard's career has spanned both large scale corporate consulting, governance, sales and management roles and small business experience in both the UK and New Zealand. He has over 30 years experience in the ICT industry working with businesses across the retail, distribution,primary and health industries. He has sat on advisory and strategic boards at Auckland University and Vodafone and is a current member of the Institute of Directors and the Institute of Information Technology Professionals.

For the last 8 years Richards IT firm has been helping businesses get the most out of their technology, providing strategic advice to large national organisations as well as small owner operated customers across the country. Having sold this business in 2016 to move south, joining Thexton Consulting South has enabled Richard to work with business across all aspects of their company.

Business is based on trust. Developing and maintaining long term relationships with customers and suppliers has been a hallmark of Richard's career. A fast thinker with strong creative problem solving skills, Richard enjoys helping to facilitate teams to create a new vision and to develop practical plans and systems to make the vision a reality.

Richard and his wife Sue moved to Motueka in 2017 with their youngest daughter and have a son working in Japan and another daughter teaching in Auckland. Having long been involved in fostering and providing respite care for children with special needs, the family has settled in Motueka to develop a resort catering for families along with a small rare breed farm. Richard is a passionate fly fisher, occasional preacher and sound engineer at the local church and enjoys craft beers and the atmosphere at the local Moutere Inn when time permits.

 

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Business Success Partner

Nelson & Tasman

021 622 001

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Alice Young

Alice's professional experience, training and education is in business management and accounting, but her personal passions, experience, training and education are in human development, personal management and success coaching. Alice pairs her business success and accreditation, with her natural drive for growth and her desire to make a contribution, to give her clients the knowledge, skills and management resources they need to reach their goals, improve their businesses and create more personal freedom.

 

"It was so easy dealing with Alice. I explained what I needed and she made it happen, very impressed with the results, exactly what I wanted"; Hayden Cameron – Owner Complete Interiors Renovation Specialist Limited

Over the last decade, Alice has held positions in both the public and private sectors. During this time she has accumulated a solid knowledge of effective business practices in industries across the board. She has a wealth of simple organisational skills and methodologies to free management from the stresses of lost time and revenue due to "chaos"

Alice has a unique love of learning, in all its forms. She gets a great deal of satisfaction from the ability to pass her knowledge and skills on to others, and has developed a natural ability to facilitate change quickly. Combining Alice’s skills and experience with the Thexton Consulting Business Success Programme will ensure change is positive, targeted and measured, and will allow her to focus on supporting clients to manage the resulting business growth.

Alice is based in Timaru, with her husband; they have a son, now a young adult, and a teenage daughter. As a family they have a creative "get your hands dirty" nature. They each have their own hobby projects; model car building for her husband, actual car building for her son and her daughter is building her own house. Alice designs and builds furniture, but also enjoys regularly helping out with the other projects.

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Business Success Partner

South Canterbury

(022) 198 1501

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Jonathan McWatt

Originally from Auckland, Jonathan is now based in Marlborough. He has an extensive marketing and commercial background with multinationals, specifically Air New Zealand, Singapore Airlines and Rishworth Aviation, a global leading pilot crew leasing company. Part of these roles required extensive travel, especially across Asia Pacific.

With a strong knowledge and appreciation for digital, and it being increasingly dynamic in today’s market places, Jonathan has led and managed major projects to enhance market acquisition and customer loyalty, whilst increasing revenues and maximising profitability. Establishing and sustaining strong internal and external stakeholder relationships is critical – a key ingredient to business success and one Jonathan takes great pride in.

Jonathan is also a small business owner along with his father. The company is in its infancy stage however Jonathan and his father’s complimentary skill sets have seen the business grow well above expectations since releasing their product to market.

Along with Jonathan’s professional career, Jonathan holds a first-class Masters in Commerce, specialising in marketing and international business, and holds an accounting degree – a formidable skill set that has enabled Jonathan to be analytical and results driven. Jonathan is a pragmatic and constructive thinker, who is always willing to see things through the eyes of others and learn from technical subject matter experts.

Now with a young family the timing was right for Jonathan to relocate to live and enjoy what the Marlborough region has to offer. Jonathan is an avid gardener, below average fisherman and always enjoys cooking up new creations in the kitchen – accompanied with one of Marlborough’s fine wines. The whole family love the outdoors so Jonathan believes the family will settle in very nicely!

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Business Success Partner

Marlborough

(021) 910 235

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John Hopkins

John joined Thexton Consulting South following a varied career as a “hands on” manager and as a business owner. His extensive practical business experience and knowledge combined with the Thexton Consulting Business Success Programme results in a winning combination that helps business owners reach their full business potential.

 

 Over the course of his career, John has;

  • Managed a multi-site retail store - Mobil North Brisbane
  • Worked as a business development manager - Matilda Fuels Queensland
  • Opened and operated franchises - Need a Nerd Gisborne
  • Opened and operated a rental car agency - Thrifty Car Rentals Gisborne
  • Held and operated Site Dealer Contracts - Mobil Portside Gisborne
  • Started new businesses
    • The Laundromat (Gisborne)
    • The Internet Cafe (Gisborne)
    • Portside food van (Mobile food van)

John also holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree as well as being involved mentoring small and medium sized businesses through Business Mentors New Zealand. He is also a trained facilitator for the Co Starters business start-up scheme.

When he is not working, John is kept busy as the father of three teenage boys. In his leisure time, John enjoys tinkering with motor bikes and spending time in or on the water; surfing, fishing and diving.

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Business Success Partner

Nelson and Tasman

(027) 648 8889

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Carolyn Jones

Carolyn is proud to be a part of the Thexton Consulting South team of consultants which has such a diverse range of expertise and skills. To the team she brings over 30 years experience working in business, both as an employee and as a business owner.

 

The majority of Carolyn’s career has been in sales. She has 25 years experience in a variety of sales roles, including account management, new business development, business to business, and business to consumer sales. Carolyn has honed her sales skills in difficult industries and knows what it takes to be a successful sales person in a competitive marketplace.

Carolyn is passionate about the correct utilisation of employees in the business world, as she has noted that many businesses do not perform to their full potential due to mismanagement of their most important asset, their staff. Her psychology degree was based around business psychology, in particular the theories of motivation and employee engagement. Her specialist area is the psychology of sales, both for the sales-person, and also for the client.

She is excited about the prospect of using her skills and experience to help business owners in Southland achieve the best possible results from their businesses.

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Business Success Partner

Southland

021 615 940

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Kevin Franks

Kevin is a resident of Timaru, who brings to the company more than 20 years of business and project management experience. He understands the technical aspects as well as the commercial reasons for company decisions and how they are derived. He is passionate about adding value to all his customers businesses as a partner in success, with Thexton Consulting South.

Kevin has worked as a tradesman, plant operator and plant manager, this has given him a unique understanding of the differing personalities and challenges in small and conglomerate organisations. Kevin holds a National Certificate in Project Management, a National Certificate in Workplace Health and Safety, and an Unlimited Boiler Operation Certificate this enables him to bring the hands-on experience with his large store of knowledge. 

He thrives on a challenge and looks at each task with an how can I make this better from the status quo attitude. He will not give up until all avenues are explored and either accepted or dismissed.

He has worked in the power generation, heavy engineering, and marine fields both in New Zealand, Australia, and Asia for New Zealand Electricity Department, Carrington Slipways, Robin Dredging, Sembawang Engineering, Siemens, and Deutsche Babcock to name a few. During this time, he has gained extensive knowledge in business and project management, being responsible for projects from simple plant alterations, to the design of specialised plant for a specific function, to large international turn key projects.

 

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Business Success Partner

South Canterbury

027 342 5624

CONTACT ME

Testimonials

Be a Consultant

Be Consultant

At Thexton Consulting South, we are on a mission to help business owners take their business to the next level.All our consultants are just like you, skilled people who have a passion to help business owners to succeed. We are currently looking for like-minded people to join our team.

If you join Thexton Consulting South you will;

  • Receive first class training and ongoing mentoring
  • Be given access to systems and processes to help you sign clients
  • The chance to be your own boss within a proven business consulting model
  • Have access to a huge untapped market of small businesses needing assistance
  • Benefit from an established support network while having access to a large range of tools and resources

Currently we have opportunities available across the South Island. If you are interested in joining us, complete the form and one of our partners will be in touch.

Working for myself while adding real value to my clients is hugely rewarding. Joining Thexton Consulting South has meant work is fun again!”

Peter Lawry

Rangiora