Andy Churr

Board-Level Strategic Advisor

A systems shaper at the intersection of strategy, enterprise risk, geopolitics and sustainability — helping boards, executive teams, investors and governments navigate structural transitions in capital-intensive sectors.

Senior Advisor Xynteo · Europe Delivers Critical Minerals
About

Not just an advisor to systems — a shaper of them.

Over twenty years I have advised boards, executive teams, investors and governments on high-stakes decisions where business performance, sustainability imperatives, geopolitical pressures and systemic risk converge.

My work has spanned the boardrooms of FTSE100 companies, the offices of CEOs navigating transformative transactions, and the convening tables where industries and governments shape the rules of competition.

I operate independently through SPM Advisors and serve as Senior Advisor to Xynteo and the Europe Delivers Critical Minerals platform. I am an AoEC-accredited Executive Coach, based across the UK and Switzerland.

Approach

Insightful · Experienced · Trusted · Independent

Insightful
Identifying threats and opportunities others miss. Engaging every level of an organisation to uncover root causes and optimal solutions.
Experienced
Two decades advising the world's leading companies across mining, energy, financial services and industrial sectors.
Trusted
Trusted by clients with their most delicate and complex situations — navigating competing perspectives and stakeholder agendas.
Independent
Original thinking and bold advice. Working to uncover reality beneath prevailing perceptions, tailored to each client's position.
Domains

Four interconnected domains where board-level decisions get made.

01 · STRATEGY
Strategy
Corporate, industry and state-level strategy under structural uncertainty. Helping boards, executive teams, industry coalitions and governments make high-stakes capital and policy decisions where the operating environment is shifting faster than traditional planning frameworks can absorb.
02 · RISK
Enterprise Risk
Board-level governance for systemic, reputational and geopolitical exposure. Designing risk frameworks that move beyond compliance to actively inform capital allocation, strategic direction and stakeholder engagement.
03 · GEOPOLITICS
Geopolitics
Navigating the state-corporate-investor dynamics shaping access to resources, markets and capital — particularly in fragmenting trade systems, contested jurisdictions and resource-rich emerging economies.
04 · SUSTAINABILITY
Sustainability
Climate, nature, social licence and energy transition as drivers of enterprise value and systemic risk. Two decades embedding sustainability into core strategic and capital decisions — not as a separate workstream, but as a lens on competitive advantage.
Current Focus

Critical minerals: the convergence theme of our decade.

Securing the materials that underpin three of the most consequential transitions of our time — and where the four domains of my work collide.

Energy
The transition to renewables requires unprecedented volumes of copper, lithium, cobalt and rare earths.
Data & AI
Data centres and AI infrastructure are now material consumers of energy, copper and specialised metals.
Sovereignty
In a fragmenting world order, control of critical supply chains is becoming a national security imperative.

As Senior Advisor to Europe Delivers Critical Minerals, I am helping convene European business and government leaders to build the consortia and co-investment models the moment requires — putting into practice the thesis I have been developing for several years.

Published — Agefi · 2025
"The bottleneck is the capacity of mines and refineries to extract and refine the critical minerals. Urgent investments are critical… One solution is for companies to form vertical partnerships with the producers of these commodities, securing supply and underpinning the much-needed investment."
— "Securing access to critical minerals for the energy transition"
Experience

Twenty years building advisory platforms at the highest levels.

SPM Advisors · Managing Director
2015–2022 · 2025–present
Independent strategic advisor — UK & Switzerland
Board-level advisor to FTSE250 and multinational clients on sustainability-driven strategy, enterprise risk and capital allocation across the full asset lifecycle.
Xynteo · Senior Advisor
2026–present
Europe Delivers Critical Minerals Platform
Advising on systems transformation at the intersection of industry, capital markets and policy. Convening European business and government leaders on supply chain resilience and industrial strategy.
Baringa Partners · Partner
2022–2025
Sustainability Practice Lead
Built and led a 30-person sustainability strategy practice advising FTSE100 boards and investors. Doubled revenue and profit in year one.
Environmental Resources Management · Partner
2009–2015
Founding Partner, Sustainability Strategy
Established one of the first sustainability strategy practices globally. Grew the practice into the most profitable business unit at ERM.
First National Bank · Senior Strategist
2004–2008
CEO's Office — South Africa
Led turnaround of Wealth Client division. Directed market-entry analysis for international expansion. Led bank's response to the Competition Commission enquiry.
Accenture · Strategy Manager
2001–2004
Financial Services Strategy — South Africa
Advised C-level executives across M&A, market entry, segmentation, risk and human performance. Fast-track promotion within 3 years of graduate entry.
Selected Impact

Real outcomes for boards, governments and investors.

70%
Emissions reduction achieved on a cost-neutral basis through an integrated decarbonisation strategy for a major fertiliser producer.
20yr
Growth strategy aligning government and private shareholders of a Top 5 global copper mine, unlocking capital for expansion.
+15%
Above-target valuation achieved through vendor due diligence for an international mining company's South American operations.
+10%
Above-target exit valuation delivered as Interim CSO preparing a 300+ employee consultancy for acquisition.
300%
Revenue growth over three years as Global Key Account Director for a FTSE100 mining group.
↗
Led board-level redesign of a major mining project after environmental licence loss — securing First Nations support and enabling reinstatement.
Shaping the Conversation

Catalysing the institutions and ideas that move sectors forward.

Clients have included
Get in touch

Board advisory · Strategic counsel · Speaking

Based across the UK and Switzerland · Available globally

Email
andy.churr@spm-advisors.com
LinkedIn
linkedin.com/in/andy-churr
United Kingdom
+44 7780 933 741
Switzerland
+41 79 612 7557