The best way to predict the future is to create it.

northstr, derived from the concept of the North Star, embodies the guiding light for businesses in today’s dynamic landscape.

Just as the North Star has led countless voyagers safely home over the years, northstr aims to guide your business to its goals.

Founded by Keith Shortall, northstr is rooted in the belief that businesses should thrive in the unpredictable world we live in today. Keith’s innate understanding of End to End fundamentals, inspired him to establish northstr, a beacon of personalised guidance and customised services for your business.

What sets us apart is our outside-in perspective, putting the consumer, the category and the customer at the heart of what we do. We transcend the traditional role of consultants as we thrive on being ‘in the trenches together’ with personalised solutions that larger consultancy firms cannot provide.

We can help solve the problems that keep your team awake at night

Operating Model

“We are constantly being asked to do more with less, I only have critical levels of investment left!'“

Capability

“I am not sure we have the skillset to win in the future, how can I build a future proof organisation?”

Go to Market

“We are losing share and our GP is static, how can I accelerate top and bottom line without more funding?”

Investment Model

“How do I stop my trade spend from increasing each year, so I can increase investment in my brands?”

Portfolio

“Our portfolio complexity is killing my team and increasing my COGS, what can I do without losing sales?”

Execution

“Why do we continue to lose at the Digital and Physical shelf, how can I get my fair share of Distribution?”

Vision

We build and implement connected E2E business models to enable value creation across sectors, industries and categories. We focus on insight led prioritisation, execution and building highly productive, agile teams that help you accelerate top and bottom-line growth. We guide you to unlock value through the application of our proven growth algorithm, supported with dynamic commercial levers. Our market leading approach when applied will unlock transitional and/or transformational value.

Helping you realise your ambitions by increasing access for consumers to your leading brands locally, regionally or globally.

Transforming or building progressive & sustainable go to market models, establishing and increasing the mental and physical availability of your brands to win more consumers every day.

Identifying, building and integrating the emerging capabilities needed to win in the rapidly changing consumer environment, unleashing the full potential of your people.

The northstr Superpower

A connected E2E model that connects your operating model, identifies opportunities and creates maximum value

Strategic Portfolio Management: Design a insight led, future focused portfolio. prioritising, acquiring, aligning and distorting resources to grow consumption 1.5x faster than the market to maximise organic sales and margin growth. View Case-study

Equity Building: Elevate the Mental Availability of your brands with consumers to enhance priority your brand in the hearts and minds of consumers. Delivering consistent, sustainable Market Share Growth through stronger Brands and increased Household Penetration. View Case-study

Revenue Growth Management: Create an End to End RGM & Pricing culture through data, tools and digitalized real time analytics. Accelerating Market Share, unlocking ~5% value growth through pricing and up to 10% lower costs. Unlocking investment to fuel your operating model. View Case-study

Go To Market Excellence: Strategy to shelf: An externally focused Go to Market plan, connecting your market, brand, channel priorities with resource distortion and insight driven channel plans. Where the accelerated benefits of the portfolio, growth, share and pricing choices become visible. View Case-study

Retail Execution: A Field Sales Coverage and Execution plan that connects Brand x Customer choices and facilitates market leading execution standards across channels at optimal investment. Increasing +10% distribution, +5% in Online & Offline execution scores at lower cost. View Case-study 1, Case-study 2

Virtual Funding Cycle: Connected Operating Model Priorities & Connected commercial levers create a self funding Growth cycle

1.5x Revenue Growth

+3-4x Profit Growth

= More Investment to accelerate success View Case-study

How do we unlock value together

  • Apply the fundamentals of the Growth Model to connect your current and/or new business models to elevate your operating model and maximise value creation.

  • Laser focused support to advance 1-2 of the commercial levers in your business and or brands/customers with a view of immediate or short-term impact ie RGM and Go to Market

  • Provide an experienced outside in view of your business activities or initiatives to accelerate the realisation of targets at an organisational, functional or operational level.

  • Partner on the identification, feasibility and integration of new assets or acquisitions. Utilising Keith Shortall’s experience and the growth model fundamentals to meet milestones and goals.

  • Utilise Keith’s diverse experience to play an integral role in delivering results, shaping strategic direction and ensuring overall organisational compliance,

  • Support and/or Guide your leadership on existing and / or new business assets to play their strategic role in your broader business or portfolio strategy

Case-studies

  • North Star

    The Power of the Northstr Superpower

    16 QTR’S OF CONSECUTIVE GROWTH

    Read More
  • Portfolio

    Portfolio: Building the Foundation for Success

    +45% GROSS PROFIT VALUE

    Read more
  • Equity Building

    Equity Building: Prioritisation, investment and equity re-building

    MOST RECOMMENDED DERMATOLOGY BRAND

    Read more

  • E2E RGM and pricing unlocking 5%+ value growth

    +80% INCREASE IN E2E RGM VALUE

    Click Here

  • Go to Market: Winning in Winners with Winners

    MARKET LEADERSHIP PRIORITY/GROW BRANDS

    Click Here

  • Retail Execution: Resource Distortion unleashing value

    MAKING EXECUTON A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE

    Click Here

  • Retail Execution: Customer Engagement - From Good to Great

    ACHEIVING NO 1 IN THE ADVANTAGE TRADE SURVEY

    Click Here

The Trust & Experience behind northstr

Keith Shortall

An agile, versatile, resilient, collaborative & results-oriented leader, who is passionate about growing and accelerating talent, brands and organisations. Keith is an experienced leader with a diverse set of capabilities, delivering strong results across multiple cultures, markets, functions, brands, categories, channels and customers. With a balanced mix of strategic and operational leadership roles, Keith can build and implement progressive operating models to accelerate top and bottom-line growth through insight led prioritisation, execution and a focus on building highly productive, agile teams. Driven by a hunger to transform the lives of consumers, professionals and patients through advanced consumer solutions, Keith is excited about the opportunity to use his experience to support organisations to grow and create long term sustainable solutions to succeed in the future.

Experience & Expertise

  • Organisation: Colgate-Palmolive
    From - To: 2000 - 2008
    Scope of Role: Australia
    Location: Australia
    3yrs Supply Chain & Planning Experience

  • Organisation: Colgate-Palmolive
    From - To: 2008 - 2010
    Scope of Role: Cluster
    Location: Fiji

  • Organisation: Colgate-Palmolive
    From - To: 2010 - 2012
    Scope of Role: Australia
    Location: Australia

  • Organisation: Colgate-Palmolive
    From - To: 2013 - 2015
    Scope of Role: Asia Pacific
    Location: Hong Hong

  • Organisation: Colgate-Palmolive
    From - To: 2015 - 2018
    Scope of Role: IndoChina
    Location: Thailand

  • Organisation: Johnson & Johnson
    From - To: 2018 - 2021
    Scope of Role: North Asia
    Location: Singapore

  • Organisation: Johnson & Johnson / Kenvue
    From - To: 2021 - 2023
    Scope of Role: 24 Markets APAC
    Location: Singapore

  • Merger Acquisition / Joint Venture / NYSE Listing
    Strategy, Financial & operational Planning
    Organisational Transformation
    Global Brand Expansion
    Digital & Data Leadership
    Integrated Business Planning
    Certified Strategic Negotiator

Let’s work together

Empowering growth, illuminating success. We create and connect opportunities, guiding you towards your brightest star. Let’s chat and see what we can do for you.