Our backstory

Carte Blanche was founded in 2007 in response to seeing businesses competing in a race to the bottom. Strategies were shallow and spin was superseding authentic value, creating short-term gains at best. A new coat of paint to an existing proposition is cheaper and easier but doesn't deliver long-range growth. We wanted to help businesses escape the 'branding paradigm', and start focusing on developing authentic products and services that speak for themselves without having to rely on marketing noise to get noticed.

Our first client was a technology company in the healthcare sector that wanted help expanding into the UK and Australia. We went on to work with a number of tech companies in science, healthcare, mining, resources and the environment. Since then we have worked on research, strategy and innovation/R&D projects across a variety of markets including Australia, Canada, Chile, Japan, Peru, the Unites States and here at home in New Zealand. We have advised clients across a range of sectors with a focus on technical, scientific and engineering industries, and worked with global companies, national enterprises, local start-ups and government. We have seen some clients succeed with ease, others struggle to adapt and many go from tumultuous to focused. Most satisfying of all, we have seen company cultures change from the daily grind to having purpose and resolve around delivering legitimate value.

We are motivated by a desire to do meaningful work, apply our minds to solving interesting problems and the basic human drive to make a difference.

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What we do

We are a research and consulting firm that helps our clients to better develop, deliver and harvest legitimate value in order to secure lasting gains for customers, shareholders and staff.

Our experience in start-ups and commercialising innovation gives us an eye for possibilities and the ability to identify gaps. Our knack for research enables us to validate opportunities and get to the crux of what genuine value means to our clients, their customers and shareholders. Our head for strategy sees 'annual strat. planning' superseded by a sense of purpose, a focus on meaningful goals and the ability to adapt to the changing environment. Our background in authentic marketing means we focus on the core of the offer rather than relying on spending up large on spin.

How we go about this depends on your situation.

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What's in a name?

The French term Carte Blanche literally translates to, ‘white card’ or 'blank page'; it has other definitions depending on your outlook. Contrarians think it means, ‘we believe we can do whatever we want’; rational minds interpret it as, ‘trusted to act in our clients' best interests’; entrepreneurs see it as, ‘anything is possible’ and the most common understanding is 'blank cheque'. Carte Blanche is also a microbrewery in Mexico that produced its first barrel in 1893; an investigative journalism show in South Africa; the 37th James Bond novel; and, a surrealist painting by René Magritte.
What does Carte Blanche mean to us?

Carte Blanche. ˈkɑːt ˈblɑːntʃ; begin with a blank page; anything is possible; independent; trusted.

Instead of using a codified process, we take a bespoke approach. We stay out of the fray to maintain our independence; we earn trust and we don't trifle with it.

Relationship with surrealism

René Magritte painted Carte Blanche in 1965 - it challenges the concept of what’s visible and invisible. Surrealism may seem a non sequitur to our conventions of logical thinking, but it is a surprising catalyst for what we do. Strategy, innovation and surrealism all challenge the norm; they ask us to take an alternative view and dispense with traditional thinking to come up with previously neglected associations in order to solve principal problems. Surrealists changed the world through visionary leaps in thinking; we think we can learn from them.

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Who we are

Kate McRoberts
Principal - Research and Strategy

Kate has worked in research, marketing and strategic management for over two decades. Her background is in the commercial domain for companies that include House Of Travel, financial research firm Morningstar and Macpac, as well as a brief stint in public sector. Kate has conducted countless research projects nationally and abroad and advised a wide array of clients on innovation, strategy, leadership and marketing. Kate is studying an MBA, is a New Zealand Business Mentor, has a penchant for adventure and a closet career as a professional photographer.

Hughan Ross
Principal - Data Science and R&D

Hughan has over twenty years experience in the tech sector in R&D, start-ups, product direction, data science, market development and executive management. Hughan was one of the innovators behind the development of the geological modeling software Leapfrog3d and he led the growth of ARANZ Geo from a local start-up to a global enterprise in the mining industry. Hughan has a PhD in Theoretical Physics, is a keen cyclist, has the largest collection of mathematics books outside an academic library and is surprisingly well-adjusted for a physicist.

Behind the scenes

Carte Blanche has researchers, analysts and project coordinators who work in bespoke teams to suit the needs of individual clients and projects.

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We love new projects!
Let's get started.

If you're experiencing a lull, battling it out in a price war or you're not sure what your next big move is, then we're keen to hear from you. We start with an open discussion to discover how we can support you to get out of the humdrum and humming along, be it research, strategy, marketing or providing a catalyst for R&D.

let's LISTEN