The person behind the business

Adam Solley

Founder & Director, Acceler8 Commercial Ltd

Adam Solley, Founder & Director of Acceler8 Commercial Ltd
About Adam

A career built at the
commercial intersection

Adam began his career in management consulting, where he learned to diagnose complex business problems and design solutions across large organisations. But it was moving into procurement — at Brit Insurance, Equifax and then GSK — that gave him his deepest commercial education.

Procurement taught Adam how buyers really think. He holds a deep understanding of how they actually assess risk, challenge pricing, dissect contracts and decide what truly matters versus what they will concede. Most people who cross from procurement to sales lose that perspective quickly. Adam never did.

"The best commercial operators are not the ones who push hardest from one side of the table — they are the ones who understand both sides well enough to find a faster, more durable path to agreement."

When Adam joined Aptitude Software as Senior Commercial Director, he built their global commercial function from scratch — applying everything he had learned about how buyers behave to make it dramatically more effective. Ninety net-new deals. £120m in software contracts personally negotiated. Time to signature cut by 60%. Not by pushing harder, but by designing smarter processes, cleaner contracts and a commercial playbook that removed friction from every deal.

That experience is the foundation of Acceler8 Commercial. Every engagement is hands-on — Adam embeds into your team, works alongside your people, and leaves behind processes, playbooks and commercial capability that outlasts the engagement.

Career

Twenty years. Eight organisations.
One consistent thread.

A relentless focus on the moment where buyer meets seller — and making that moment happen faster, smarter and more profitably.

Capgemini
2005–2006Consulting

Associate Consultant

Consultant on a nationwide local government efficiency project, delivering cost-saving proposals across all nine English regions and a Parliamentary White Paper to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

Brit Insurance
2008–2012Insurance

Commercial Services & Procurement Manager

Exceeded savings targets four consecutive years — by 27%, 86%, 116% and 74% respectively. Led commercial programmes including a multi-year BPO/ITO outsource deal and the divestment of a motor insurance book generating £2m savings and £515k revenue.

Equifax
2012–2013Financial Data

OPEX Manager

Reporting to the UK CFO. Delivered £850k+ in savings — approximately 430% of annual target — while generating £100k of net-new revenue through blue-sky procurement initiatives.

GSK
2013–2016Pharma / Global

PMO: Performance & Strategy → Chief of Staff to CPO → Head of Procurement (ViiV)

Programme lead for a multi-year, multi-business unit $12B Working Capital initiative. Delivered global Procurement function re-org saving 25% FTE cost. Served as Chief of Staff to the R&D Procurement VP, and led global category strategy effectiveness improvement program across the org. Head of Procurement for a standalone business unit with £1Bn spend.

Aptitude Software
2017–2022Fintech SaaS

Senior Commercial Director

Established the global Commercial function from scratch. Personally negotiated 90 net-new client deals worth over £120m TCV. Reduced average time to signature by 60% via a bespoke Commercial Playbook. Programme Director for multiple SaaS product launches including full pricing model design. Accepted CFO signatory and deal escalation duties.

Mars
Apr–Nov 2023Global FMCG

Strategy & Programme Transformation Lead (Contractor)

Programme lead across multiple strategic commercial initiatives including a $10B Standard Payment Terms programme and Commercial Performance Management for a £600m three-year savings target. Also served as Chief of Staff to the VP of Indirect Commercial.

Acceler8 Commercial
Nov 2023–PresentFounder

Founder & Director

Providing transformational interim commercial and procurement leadership across B2B software and Fintech. Negotiated an Oracle ULA for a FTSE 250 client delivering multi-million dollar savings. Led sales negotiations closing approximately £15m ARR. Designing commercial models, solution price books and operational processes for clients at scale.

Education & Qualifications

Built on rigorous foundations

BSc Hons Business Management

University of Surrey

2003–2007

MCIPS

Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply

2010–2012

Advanced Personal Leadership

Henley Business School

2022
How Adam works

The approach behind the outcomes

01

Composed & decisive

Twenty years of high-stakes commercial negotiations has taught Adam that composure is a strategic asset. When deals become complex and pressure mounts, his instinct is to stay measured — reading the situation, identifying the real sticking points and cutting through the noise to accelerate towards signature. Steadiness at the table is not hesitancy; it is what gets deals closed when others lose their nerve.

02

Collaborative by instinct

Adam understands the power of the collective. Whether leading a team or contributing as a member, he actively seeks out input, challenge and creative thinking from those around him. The best commercial solutions are rarely built in isolation — and the best advice often comes from the least expected places.

03

A genuine role model

Adam takes pride in his work and believes you are only as good as your last engagement. That standard extends to the people he works with — sharing knowledge, passing on skills and helping clients and colleagues build lasting commercial capability alongside the immediate deliverable.

Work with Adam

Ready to have a
straight conversation?

No lengthy proposals, no junior teams. Just an experienced commercial operator who will tell you honestly what your business needs — and get straight to work.

Get in Touch
adam@acceler8commercial.co.uk