How we started
Summit Biz Consultants began in 2013 in a rented desk inside a shared office in Edinburgh. The founder, Ross Callander, had just left a fifteen-year career in operations management at two Scottish manufacturing firms. He kept noticing the same pattern: owners knew something was wrong with their business but could not pin down exactly what, and the big consultancy firms quoted fees that only large corporations could afford.
Ross started taking on small engagements, one at a time. A bakery chain with rising ingredient costs. A logistics company whose drivers were spending 30% of their time on paperwork. A family-run hotel group that needed to restructure its debt before the bank lost patience.
Word spread. By 2016 he brought on two associates. By 2019 the team had grown to five. Today we are a team of seven, based in West Schowalterley, Scotland, and we have completed more than 230 engagements across manufacturing, hospitality, professional services, construction and technology.
What we believe
These are not slogans. They are the rules we follow when making decisions about how to run our own firm and how to advise yours.
Honesty over politeness
If your idea will not work, we say so. Clients pay us for the truth, not for reassurance. We would rather lose an engagement than let someone invest in a plan we do not believe in. That has cost us a few contracts over the years, but the ones who stayed became long-term clients.
Numbers first
Every recommendation we make is backed by data from your business, not from a textbook. We build financial models, run scenarios and show you the range of likely outcomes before you commit. If we cannot quantify the impact, we do not recommend it.
Stay until it works
A report that sits in a drawer helps nobody. We stay involved during implementation: running weekly check-ins, solving problems as they come up and adjusting the plan when reality does not match the model. Our average engagement lasts four months, not four days.
Keep it simple
We write recommendations in plain English. No jargon, no 80-page decks. Our deliverables are short documents with clear actions, owners and deadlines. If your shop-floor supervisor cannot understand the plan, we rewrite it.
The team
Seven people, each with direct experience running or managing a business before joining Summit.
Ross Callander
Founder and lead consultant
Fifteen years in operations management before starting Summit. Ross leads our manufacturing and logistics engagements and handles most of the initial diagnostics.
Eilidh Grant
Senior consultant, finance
Chartered accountant with ten years at a mid-tier audit firm. Eilidh runs our financial performance reviews and builds the forecasting models our clients rely on.
Marcus Obi
Consultant, growth strategy
Previously co-founded and sold a SaaS company. Marcus works with clients on market entry, pricing strategy and investor readiness. He joined Summit in 2020.
Claire Dunbar
Consultant, operations
Eight years managing supply chains in the food and drink sector. Claire specialises in process mapping, workflow redesign and writing SOPs that staff actually follow.
Three additional team members handle research, project coordination and administration. We also work with a small network of trusted specialists (employment law, IT systems, HR) when an engagement requires expertise outside our core areas.
Our timeline
Key moments from twelve years of building the practice.
2013
Ross Callander registers Summit Biz Consultants as a sole trader and takes on his first three clients from a shared desk in Edinburgh.
2015
Completes 25th engagement. First client referral from a bank relationship manager, which becomes a steady source of new work.
2016
Eilidh Grant and Claire Dunbar join as associates. The firm moves to a small office in Leith.
2019
Team grows to five. Summit passes 100 completed engagements and begins working with hospitality and construction clients alongside its manufacturing base.
2020
Marcus Obi joins. The firm shifts to remote delivery during lockdowns and discovers that many diagnostic tasks work well over video, reducing travel costs for clients.
2022
Relocates to West Schowalterley, Scotland. Passes 200 engagements. Client retention rate reaches 94%.
2025
Team of seven. Documented savings for clients exceed £38 million. Summit begins offering quarterly advisory retainers for clients who want ongoing support between full engagements.
Want to work with us?
We take on roughly four new engagements per quarter. If you think there is a fit, get in touch and we will set up a discovery call.
412 Luettgen Copse, West Schowalterley, Scotland, MF75 2WL, United Kingdom