Our Mission

We created The River Group for the singular purpose of helping CEOs achieve transformational change. We believe that by improving the leadership of companies across the globe, thousands of customers, constituents and employees will benefit. Companies that successfully transform show greater shareholder value and have a greater positive impact on those they serve. At River, we leverage our impact on the world through the leaders and companies we have the pleasure and honor of working with.

We fulfill our mission by working with CEOs on the three actions that have proven to be the difference between success and failure in transformational change:

  • We strengthen leadership teams by developing them into a more aligned, cohesive force in the organization.

  • We strengthen organizations by helping leaders diagnose their organizations’ effectiveness, make structural and process changes and lead efforts to acquire and integrate other companies.

  • We strengthen organizational cultures by showing leaders how to engage the organization more effectively, manage performance, and strengthen teams across the organization.

Why We Started The River Group

The River Group was founded by our clients. The origins of The River Group go back to the late 90s when Sandy Lyons and Peter Thies worked together as client and consultant.

That shared track record of success led to the formation of The River Group. We designed The River Group to help leaders transform their organizations and organizations transform their leaders. Our combined client/consultant perspective makes us a different kind of consulting firm; we combine years of experience leading change ourselves or advising others on leading change. Our track record is strong. And it is shared. We have a shared past. Shared learning. A shared DNA in how to do it well.

We lost Sandy in 2019, but his spirit continues to live on in the work we do. We miss our friend, our founder, dearly and aspire to his example every day.

What’s in a Name?

Rivers, like many companies, appear unchanging – think the Nile, Siemens, the Amazon, GE.

The fact is, they all change every day.

For rivers, the water is always in transition. For better or worse, for those that rely on it, it is never the same. Companies also change every day; revenue, profit, people, leadership, inventory, customers, competitor – all are in Transition – and, at times, Transformation.

For rivers, it’s source and flow that matter. For Companies, it’s people, aligned leadership, and design that improve success.

Whether a river or a company, the final “output” is what matters.