Helping consumer and healthcare brands grow across Asia Pacific
Why northstr exists.
Most consumer and healthcare brands don’t fail because of bad products or weak strategy. They fail because of poor commercial execution, the wrong operating model, or teams that are not built to win in complex markets.
That’s the problem northstr was built to solve.
Founded by Keith Shortall in 2023, northstr is an Asia Pacific growth consultancy that brings genuine, hands-on commercial leadership experience - not theoretical frameworks - to help businesses grow faster, smarter and more sustainably.
Unlike traditional consultancies, we don’t hand you a report and disappear. We get in the trenches with you, work alongside your team, and stay until the job is done and the benefits have been delivered.
Our approach is outside-in and consumer-first — placing the consumer, the category and the customer at the heart of every strategy we build. Just as the North Star has guided travellers safely home for centuries, northstr exists to guide your business toward its goals — with clarity, conviction and accountability.
We solve the problems that keep your leadership team awake at night
Operating Model
“We are constantly being asked to do more with less, I only have critical levels of investment left!'“
Capability
“I am not sure we have the skillset to win in the future, how can I build the capabilities we need?”
Go to Market
“We are losing share and our GP is static, how can I accelerate top and bottom line without more funding?”
Investment Model
“How do I stop my trade spend from increasing each year, so I can increase investment in my brands?”
Portfolio
“Our portfolio complexity is killing my team and increasing my COGS, what can I do without losing sales?”
Execution
“Why do we continue to lose at the Digital and Physical shelf, how can I get my fair share of offline and online Distribution?”
Do these sound familiar - you’re in the right place
How we help your business grow
We work with businesses across six engagement models - from full end-to-end transformation through to targets support on a single commercial lever
Connected E2E Model
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Connected E2E Operating Model
Apply the northstr growth model to align every part of your commercial engine — creating a self-funding growth cycle that delivers 1.5x revenue growth and 3-4x profit growth simultaneously.
Commercial Levers
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Targeted Commercial Lever Support
Laser-focused support to rapidly advance one or two specific commercial levers in your business — such as Revenue Growth Management or Go-to-Market strategy — delivering measurable impact fast.
Strategic Advisory
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Strategic Advisory
An experienced outside-in view of your business activities, initiatives or strategy — accelerating the realisation of targets at an organisational, functional or operational level
Merger & Acquisition
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Merger & Acquisition
End-to-end support on the identification, feasibility and integration of new assets or acquisitions — drawing on direct experience with global NYSE listings, joint ventures and major business integrations.
Fractional CCO / Board Director
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Fractional CCO & Board Advisory
Experienced senior commercial leadership on a flexible basis — ideal for businesses in transition, scaling rapidly, or navigating a complex commercial challenge without the overhead of a full-time executive hire.
Not sure which engagement model fits your situation : Book a free discovery call and we’ll tell you honestly whether and how northstr can help
Mentoring & Coaching
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Leadership Mentoring & Coaching
One-on-one support for senior leaders and high-potential executives navigating career transitions, leadership challenges or business complexity — grounded in real-world commercial leadership across global organisations and diverse markets.
The northstr Growth Model
Most businesses operate in silos. Strategy sits in one room. Commercial execution happens somewhere else. Investment decisions are made in isolation. And the result is a business that works hard but grows slowly.
The northstr growth model connects all of it. It is a proven end-to-end operating system — built from 25 years of running commercial operations at scale across Asia Pacific — that aligns every part of your commercial engine, identifies where value is being left on the table, and creates a self-funding growth cycle that compounds over time.
The result: more sales, more profit, and more investment to fuel the next wave of growth.connected E2E model that connects your operating model, identifies opportunities and creates maximum value
Strategic Portfolio Management: Design an insight led, future focused portfolio. Prioritising, acquiring, aligning and distorting resources to grow consumption 1.5x faster than the market to maximise organic sales and margin growth.
Equity Building: Elevate the Mental Availability of your brands with consumers to embed your brand in the hearts and minds of consumers. Delivering consistent, sustainable Market Share Growth, building stronger Brand equity and increasing Household Penetration.
Revenue Growth Management: Create an End to End RGM & Pricing culture through data, tools and digitalized real time analytics. Accelerating Market Share, unlocking ~5% value growth through pricing and up to 10% lower costs. Unlocking investment to fuel your operating model.
Go To Market Excellence: Strategy to Shelf, an externally focused Go to Market plan, connecting your market, brand and channel priorities. Distorting your resources to accelerate O2O physical availability.
Retail Execution: A Field Sales Coverage and Execution plan that connects Brand x Customer choices and facilitates market leading execution standards across channels at optimal investment. Increasing +10% distribution, +5% in Online & Offline execution scores at lower cost.
Virtual Funding Cycle: BUsinesses that apply the northstr growth model consistently achieve
1.5x Revenue Growth
+3-4x Profit Growth
A self funding investment cycle, removing the need to ask for more investment
Case-studies : Real Results. Real Businesses. Real Impact
Here is what happens when the northstr model is applied
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![North Star]()
The Power of the Northstr Growth Model
CONSUMER HEALTH / ASIA PACIFIC : 16 QTR’S OF CONSECUTIVE GROWTH
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![Portfolio]()
Portfolio Transformation
CONSUMER GOODS / ASIA PACIFIC / +45% GROSS PROFIT VALUE
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![Equity Building]()
Equity Building: Prioritisation, investment and Brand re-building
CONSUMER HEALTH / ASIA PACIFIC / MOST RECOMMENDED DERMATOLOGY BRAND
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E2E RGM : Unlocking 5% value growth
CONSUMER HEALTH / ASIA PACIFIC / +80% INCREASE IN E2E RGM VALUE
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Go to Market: Winning in Winners
CONSUMER BRANDS / ASIA PACIFIC / MARKET LEADERSHIP WITH PRIORITY BRANDS
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Retail Execution: Resource Distortion unleashing value
CONSUMER HEALTH / ASIA PACIFIC / MAKING EXECUTION A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE
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Retail Execution: Customer Engagement - From Good to Great
CONSUMER BRANDS / ASIA PACIFIC / NO 1 IN THE ADVANTAGE TRADE SURVEY
The Experience behind northstr
When you work with northstr, you work directly with Keith Shortall
I founded northstr after 25 years running commercial operations across Asia Pacific for two of the world's largest consumer health companies — Johnson & Johnson and Colgate-Palmolive. In that time I have led regions, clusters, country’s, functions and been part of senior leadership boards. I have been responsible for up to $3.1bn in revenue across 24 markets, led large functional teams with up to 2,000 commercial professionals, and delivered some of the most significant commercial transformations in the Asia Pacific region.
I founded northstr because I kept seeing the same thing — great businesses with strong brands and ambitious leaders failing to reach their potential. Not because their strategy was wrong. But because the commercial foundations weren't there, the operating model wasn't connected, or they simply didn't have someone who'd been in the trenches before sitting alongside them.
That's what northstr delivers. Not advice. Results
Experience & Expertise
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Organisation: Colgate-Palmolive
From - To: 2000 - 2008
Scope of Role: Australia
Location: Australia
3yrs Supply Chain & Planning Experience -
Organisation: Colgate-Palmolive
From - To: 2008 - 2010
Scope of Role: Cluster
Location: Fiji -
Organisation: Colgate-Palmolive
From - To: 2010 - 2012
Scope of Role: Australia
Location: Australia -
Organisation: Colgate-Palmolive
From - To: 2013 - 2015
Scope of Role: Asia Pacific
Location: Hong Hong -
Organisation: Colgate-Palmolive
From - To: 2015 - 2018
Scope of Role: IndoChina
Location: Thailand -
Organisation: Johnson & Johnson
From - To: 2018 - 2021
Scope of Role: North Asia
Location: Singapore -
Organisation: Johnson & Johnson / Kenvue
From - To: 2021 - 2023
Scope of Role: 24 Markets APAC
Location: Singapore -
Merger Acquisition / Joint Venture / NYSE Listing
Strategy, Financial & operational Planning
Organisational Transformation
Global Brand Expansion
Digital & Data Leadership
Integrated Business Planning
Certified Strategic Negotiator
What leaders say about working with Keith
Chloe Kwok, CEO BSH Home Appliances North Asia:
"Keith is an exceptional leader with an unparalleled expertise in Commercial Strategy and Execution. He fosters a professional and authentic environment where individuals thrive and grow. It has been a privilege to work with Keith."
Vidhi Gupta, Global Director Dyson:
"Keith is a strong business leader with robust commercial acumen and an eye for driving holistic business impact. His leadership impact is long-lasting and he will be an asset for any organisation and team that he works with."
Sawan Malik, Global Executive Leader:
"What I have seen Keith demonstrate multiple times is his clear, succinct thinking and strong execution orientation. He is also a very strong leader of people and is able to get work done collaboratively even in a highly matrixed environment."
Manish Anandani, President Kenvue India :
"I have had the privilege of working with Keith for almost 15 years. Over this time, Keith has consistently demonstrated a growth mindset. Keith’s exceptional leadership skills and ability to inspire others has been a consistent enabler of exceptional results. Keith is a strong business leader with robust commercial acumen and an eye for driving holistic business impact. His leadership impact is long-lasting and he will be an asset for any organisation and team that he works with."
Cherie Beach, CFO Tetratherix (ASX : TTX)
"I had the pleasure of working with Keith at Johnson & Johnson Asia Pacific. Keith is an astute commercial leader with a growth mindset. Keith is able to proactively manage risks and identify opportunities to deliver business results. Keith is comfortable with ambiguity and empowers his teams to drive experimentation. He is an inclusive leader who has deep experience bringing out the best of diverse teams.'“
Viraj Datar, APAC Healthcare Leader
"I was fortunate to have the opportunity to work with Keith and learn from his vast knowledge of real world consumer sales, brand-building and commercial strategy. Keith’s perspective and insights into how retail channels operate and high degree of clarity in business planning is unparalleled in my view.
Keith is a fantastic leader - but more importantly he is a very strong people leader. He genuinely cares about the people he works with and prioritizes giving time to build them as successful leaders. I’d be fortunate to have the opportunity to work with Keith again“.
Lets have a conversation
No pitch. No pressure. Just a straightforward 30-minute conversation about where your business is, where you want it to go, and whether northstr can help you get there.
We work with a select number of clients at any one time to ensure every engagement gets Keith's full attention. If you're serious about growth — let's talk.
Prefer to reach out directly?
đź“© keith@northstr.com.au đź“ž +61 403 922 139 ?? linkedin.com/in/keithshortall