Frank Tsuro
Independent advisor to chief executives, chairs and boards. Founder of FranklySpeaking.
Skill is rarely the problem. Information is.
Since 2013 I have advised more than 230 C-suite and director-level executives in Africa, Europe, the Middle East and North America, most of them chief financial officers and, more recently, technology leaders. My work is about people, power and politics: who has influence, who is afraid to speak and who has something to lose.
My approach comes from aviation accident investigation. Investigators ask what a capable pilot believed to be true at the moment they acted and why it made sense to them. I ask leaders and the people around them the same questions before a decision is made, not after it fails.
I have served as a chief executive and on the international board of a global nonprofit with members in more than 140 countries. I chair the advisory board of The eHub, a hub for entrepreneurs in South Africa.
I founded FranklySpeaking, which investigates problems that keep coming back, and #PeopleMakingHistory, a journal, fellowship and archive that records what the people making Africa’s history are learning.
What clients come for is a frank conversation: someone who questions the brief instead of simply answering it and says plainly what others will not.
How I work.
Research
I read what has actually been reported: board papers, minutes and exit interviews.
Frank conversations
I talk to people at every level, one to one and in confidence. I never say who said what.
Bringing people together
I help the right people agree what happens next and see it through.
- Advising since
- 2013
- Spoken in
- More than 15 countries across Africa, Europe, the Middle East and North America
- Sectors
- Telecommunications, energy, mining, logistics, infrastructure, construction, banking and state-owned enterprises
Questions people ask.
Who is Frank Tsuro?
An independent advisor to chief executives, chairs and boards. Big decisions are often made on half the picture. He finds out the other half, in confidence, before it costs them. He also speaks to boards, leadership teams and conferences.
What does an independent advisor do?
He works beside one leader or one board on one important decision. He talks to people at every level in confidence, reads what already exists and says plainly what he finds. He gains nothing from the decision itself.
How is that different from a consultant or a coach?
A consultant usually delivers a report or a project. A coach works on the person. Frank works on the decision and the information behind it, for as long as the decision needs.
What do clients come to him for?
Frank conversations. AI answers what it is asked. Clients come for someone who questions the brief, says plainly what others will not and stands behind the advice. In short, trust and judgement.
Who does he work with?
Chief executives, managing directors, chairs, boards and the executive teams around them. Most work in telecommunications, energy, mining, logistics, infrastructure, construction, banking and state-owned enterprises.
What does he speak about?
Why bad news gets smaller on its way to the top, what aviation teaches about failure, what a board should settle before it approves AI and what it takes to lead where no one in your family has led before.
How are fees set?
Advice is priced on the value of the decision, not the hours. Talks are priced by the room and what it is for. Both are agreed before anything starts. The first call has no fee.
What does FranklySpeaking do?
FranklySpeaking, the firm Frank founded, investigates problems that keep coming back and fixes the cause, with a method adapted from aircraft accident investigation.
Where is he based?
Harare and Johannesburg. He works across Africa and internationally, in person and online.
How do I start?
Book a 30-minute call, or answer three short questions and get the right next step.
Start with a conversation.
The first conversation is on me. If I am not the right person for the problem, I will say so and, where I can, suggest someone who is.