APPLETON
Fractional Production & Operations Leader
18+ years leading emerging tech projects & programmes across London's leading agencies, creative studios and scale-ups.
From board-level mandates to cross-functional delivery across product, XR, immersive, brand, platform and SaaS. I've deliberately stayed multifaceted while others specialise.
Consultant and certified coach, trusted by directors, clients and teams.
I dive in quickly, ramp up fast and bring structure, stability, delivery and clarity to complex environments -
from specific projects to leading programmes or refining your production & operations to run more effectively so you and your teams can get more time back and concentrate on what really matters.
Trusted Parter
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Overhauled delivery at an award-winning studio: reducing project overrun to 10% gross margin, improving staff retention to 96%+ within 12 months, contributing to 30% YoY growth
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Successive senior mandates reporting into the board and executive leadership: Wonderbly | Fit-XR | SOON_
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Led delivery planning for rapid expansion through a funding round: Fit-XR
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First-of-kind repeatedly delivered across emerging tech - XR, immersive, brand and product: Wonderbly | Freeview | Meta | Bose x Mercedes | Science Museum
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Repeatedly invited back across XR, product, interactive, brand and experiential: Nexus Studios | UNIT9 | POKE | Imagination | Wonderbly | AKQA
For founder-led businesses, studios and scale-ups
navigating growth, complexity and transition.
1
Audit & Discover
Audit / focused evaluation of
what's working, what's not and refining or reshaping.
Trial based on brief.
6-10 days
Extended if required.
2
Specific Iniatives
Delivery and rollout against audit and / or project requirements.
Special projects
Length of time is project dependent
3
Strategic Partner
Monthly retainer
based on an ongoing agreement.
Leadership or
strategy-based.
1-3 days a week
How I can help
Strategic Planning & Delivery
Turning ambition into operational reality across complex programmes.
Cross-Functional Leadership
Leading initiatives across disciplines, supporting production and operations teams.
Emerging tech as a base: from XR, product and immersive to brand, platform and first-of-a-kind builds.
Operations & Process:
End-to-end delivery process and governance - designed for stability, visibility and scale.
Refining for production efficiency AND for your people.
Stakeholder & Risk Management
Aligning stakeholders & team expectations, spotting things others miss and clear decision-making.
Human to Human
Calm even when the stakes are high. Certified coach. Somatic and trauma-informed.
Commercial Awareness
Agency and production studio experience. Scale-up experience. Owner since 2010.
Navigating growth, drowning in complexity or transitioning operational leaders?
Hi, I'm Carolyn and I can support you to refine your systems,
dive into special projects and/or getting back your time. Let's talk.
Alex - Founder _SOON
"Bringing in Carolyn was one of the best decisions we've ever made.
She's friendly and reassuring but wears steel boots."
"Her exacting standards and tenacity were just what we needed to kick production process and quality up to the next level...Carolyn instantly spotted problems and plugged the gaps while keeping one eye on the big picture."
Valentina - MD UNIT9
"Carolyn is one of my go-to Producers...
No matter how tight the schedule or how ambitious the scope,
she always finds a way.
Plus she has got clear priorities in life meaning what you get from her is the real thing."
Nick - CPO Wonderbly
"...details-oriented, people-centred and always happy to be flexible to get the job done.
She’s done multiple complex digital migration and tech platform update projects for me at Wonderbly and they’ve all come in on time, in budget and with a happy team.
Would love to work with her again on more projects!"