Enter or scale in a new market
You need a grounded view of the opportunity, customers, competitors, economics and partners — and a practical route to market.
Clarity that survives contact with reality.
Strategy, transformation and execution advisory for leaders navigating complex growth, investment and change.
Cerent combines rigorous analysis with hands-on execution — helping leadership teams determine what matters, choose a direction and turn priorities into action.
Complex problems rarely arrive as neat consulting briefs.
Cerent is most useful when an important decision or program needs greater clarity, momentum or senior attention — particularly when the answer needs to work in practice, not only on paper.
Turn strategy into execution
The direction is broadly understood, but ownership, governance, priorities or cross-functional delivery are preventing it from moving forward.
Test a business or investment case
You need to know whether an opportunity is commercially viable, what assumptions it depends on, and whether it warrants committing capital or resources.
Reset a critical program
An important initiative has become fragmented, slowed down or difficult to steer, and leadership needs to restore clarity, accountability and momentum.
From important questions to practical execution.
Clients typically need help with one of two things: deciding where to go, or making an important priority happen. Cerent connects strategy and execution — taking the work from evidence and decisions into implementation when needed.
DECIDE · GROW · INVEST
Strategy & Growth
Create a clear direction for growth, expansion and strategic priorities.
- Market entry and expansion
- Go-to-market, commercial and partnership strategy
- Market sizing, customer research and pricing
- Strategic roadmaps and business cases
Business Planning & Investment
Build an evidence-based case for investment, growth or a new business.
- Feasibility and market assessment
- Business plans and financial models
- Investment cases and commercial due diligence
- Investor materials and decision support
EXECUTE · TRANSFORM · MOBILIZE
Transformation & Execution
Turn strategic priorities into coordinated, accountable execution.
- Transformation roadmaps and program leadership
- PMO, governance, milestones and accountability
- Cross-functional execution
- Performance improvement and course correction
Organization & Change
Align structure, leadership and ways of working around what needs to change.
- Operating models and decision rights
- Leadership and stakeholder alignment
- Change governance and engagement
- Capability building and executive workshops
Selected Experience
Selected engagements led by Cerent's founder across strategy, growth, investment and transformation. Client identities are omitted where confidential.
Experience spans financial services and fintech, digital platforms, industrials and energy, healthcare, and consumer and retail, with engagements across Southeast Asia and broader APAC, Europe, MENA and North America.
A German industrial equipment manufacturer needed a disciplined three-year expansion plan across Southeast Asia. The work covered market segmentation, customer and channel analysis, logistics and trade lanes, 3PL options, investment requirements and financial forecasting. The resulting roadmap translated the regional opportunity into a practical go-to-market plan and identified a path to more than US$10M in projected Year 3 revenue.
The brief
Germany to Southeast Asia.
A disciplined three-year expansion plan across the region.
Scope of work
- Market segmentation
- Customer & channel analysis
- Logistics & trade lanes
- 3PL options
- Investment requirements
- Financial forecasting
The outcome
US$10M+
Path identified to projected Year 3 revenue
Schematic — only the Year 3 figure comes from the engagement.
A Japanese digital payments provider was evaluating entry into the Vietnam market. The work assessed market attractiveness, customer adoption and payment behavior, pricing sensitivity, competitive and ecosystem dynamics, and potential local partners. The findings informed the client's Vietnam market-entry priorities, partnership strategy and approach to customer acquisition and rollout.
The question
Japan to Vietnam.
Evaluating entry into the Vietnam market.
What was assessed
- Market attractiveness
- Customer adoption & payment behavior
- Pricing sensitivity
- Competitive & ecosystem dynamics
- Potential local partners
What the findings informed
- Findings
- Market-entry priorities
- Partnership strategy
- Customer acquisition & rollout
A major private healthcare group needed stronger execution across a portfolio of strategic initiatives spanning multiple functions and facilities. The work focused on clarifying initiative outcomes and ownership, strengthening sponsor and change-manager accountability, establishing governance and escalation mechanisms, managing cross-functional dependencies, and creating a more consistent operating rhythm with C-suite leaders and initiative teams. The result was a clearer structure for moving strategic priorities into accountable execution and resolving issues across functions and facilities.
The portfolio
Schematic.
Strategic initiatives spanning multiple functions and facilities.
What was put in place
Outcomes & ownership, Governance & escalation, Cross-functional dependencies, Operating rhythm with the C-suite.
A U.S. construction and real-estate business needed to reduce material costs while maintaining supply reliability. The work assessed Asian supplier capacity, pricing, compliance, logistics and sourcing risk, then translated the findings into supplier decisions and implementation planning. The program identified more than US$6.4M in potential material cost savings and supported supplier selection and implementation planning.
Asian supplier assessment
- Capacity
- Pricing
- Compliance
- Logistics
- Sourcing risk
Translated into supplier decisions and implementation planning.
The outcome
US$6.4M+
Potential material cost savings identified
Supported supplier selection and implementation planning.
An early-stage fintech platform needed an investor-ready business plan and a credible commercial and financial case for growth. The work combined market sizing, competitor benchmarking, revenue-model development, payment and onboarding workflows, compliance considerations, five-year financial modeling and investor materials. The resulting business plan supported fundraising readiness and provided a clearer foundation for regional expansion.
An investor-ready business plan
- Market sizing
- Competitor benchmarking
- Revenue-model development
- Payment & onboarding workflows
- Compliance considerations
- Investor materials
Five-year financial model
Year 1Year 2Year 3Year 4Year 5
Schematic — the model spans five years; no values shown.
Supported fundraising readiness and a clearer foundation for regional expansion.
A UK-headquartered energy company was evaluating the feasibility of establishing renewable-energy manufacturing capacity in the Middle East and North Africa. The work combined market assessment, location and operating considerations, investment feasibility and financial modeling. The resulting analysis helped management assess the commercial and financial case for the proposed investment and determine whether and how to proceed.
The question
United Kingdom to MENA.
Establishing renewable-energy manufacturing capacity in the region.
From analysis to decision
- Market assessment
- Location & operations
- Investment feasibility
- Financial modeling
Commercial & financial case
- Whether to proceed
- How to proceed
A large retail platform within a leading Southeast Asian group was building a new cross-channel monetization and growth program in Vietnam. The work linked commercial investment, customer engagement and channel exposure to performance outcomes, then translated the strategy into workstreams, governance, implementation priorities and senior decision materials. The program created a common execution framework across Commercial, Category, Finance, Product, Marketing, Omni-channel and Data teams.
What the work linked
- Commercial investment
- Customer engagement
- Channel exposure
- Performance outcomes
Strategy translated into
- Workstreams
- Governance
- Implementation priorities
- Senior decision materials
One common execution framework
Commercial, Category, Finance, Product, Marketing, Omni-channel, Data.
Senior-led. Built around the problem. Close to execution.
Senior-led, scalable when needed
Engagements stay close to experienced professionals. When additional market, functional or delivery expertise is needed, Cerent can mobilize a trusted network of experienced consultants and specialists across Southeast Asia and India — keeping teams lean and matched to the problem.
Built around the problem
The scope, capabilities and delivery model are shaped around what the problem requires rather than a predetermined consulting package or team structure.
Strategy through execution
Cerent can stay with the work beyond the recommendation — aligning stakeholders, establishing operating rhythm, resolving dependencies and helping leadership translate strategic intent into execution.
About Cerent
Cerent is an independent strategy, transformation and execution advisory practice based in Vietnam and working internationally. We work with leadership teams, investors and growth companies on complex decisions and programs where strategic thinking and practical execution need to remain connected.
Engagements are senior-led and deliberately flexible, with additional specialist and delivery capacity mobilized through a trusted professional network when required.
Our approach is grounded in clarity, adaptability and impact: structure what matters, adapt as evidence changes, and stay close enough to execution for the work to matter.
- Clarity Structure what matters
- Adaptability Adapt as evidence changes
- Impact Stay close to execution
Lana is a strategy and execution advisor with 9+ years of experience across consulting and operating roles. She has advised companies, investors and growth businesses on strategy, market expansion, business planning, investment decisions, transformation and complex cross-functional execution across international markets.
She previously served as Country Manager for Vietnam & Southeast Asia within ARC Group's consulting business, overseeing a substantial multi-country consulting portfolio and leading a cross-border team. Earlier roles included transformation and digital initiatives at AIA Vietnam and national leadership at AIESEC in Vietnam, where she held P&L responsibility and led operations across a nationwide network.
How we engage
Engagements are scoped around the problem, expertise required and level of support.
Focused Advisory
For a specific strategic question, decision or diagnostic where independent senior perspective can help sharpen the answer.
Project Engagement
For a defined body of work — such as strategy, market entry, feasibility, business planning, transformation or execution — with clear outcomes and scope. Where needed, this can include hands-on program leadership through implementation.
Ongoing Advisory
For leaders facing a series of evolving priorities who want flexible senior support over time, rather than support around a single question or project.
Start a conversation
If you are considering a strategic decision, market entry, investment case, transformation or execution challenge, tell us briefly what you are working through. We will come back to you with a view on whether Cerent is the right fit and what a sensible next step could look like.
Prefer LinkedIn? Connect with Lana →
Email: contact@cerentadvisory.com
Based in Vietnam. Working internationally.