Back in the early days of Made in the Midlands, I had lunch with Henry Anson, then MD of The Manufacturer, he dropped a phrase I hadn’t heard before, Return on Opportunity. It stuck with me.
And as global conflicts mount and businesses grow more transactional, I’ve found myself coming back to that idea. Maybe it’s time we gave it more attention.
In board meetings and investment reviews, we tend to focus on return on investment (ROI). It’s familiar, measurable, and objective. But what if we’re missing a deeper, more consequential form of value?
Across British manufacturing today, an alternative concept is beginning to take hold: Return on Opportunity (ROO).
First coined by organisational development expert Chris Cancialosi in a Forbes article, ROO was originally described as “the value realised by capitalising on the potential inherent in people, situations, and timing”. A few years later, author Jeff Nischwitz argued for a mindset shift, from chasing ROI to embracing ROO, grounded in “relationships, trust, and authenticity”
At Made in Group, we’re building on this foundation, not as a concept, but as a strategy for industrial renewal in the UK.
No one succeeds in isolation. Supply chains are deep, and communities are real. We must hold ourselves, and those around us, accountable for creating social value, because that’s what creates opportunity. And opportunity, in turn, creates results. Not just for individuals, but for the wider sector.
Jason Pitt (right), CEO of Made in Group, with Chairman at the Backing Britain Parliament Reception, a platform where visibility, policy influence, and industrial purpose converge.
Reframing What “Return” Really Means
Manufacturing businesses are pragmatic. They invest with intent. But the most forward-thinking leaders are recognising that not all value is transactional or immediate.
When a company opens its doors for a factory tour or joins a roundtable on industrial strategy, the return may not appear as a direct contract. But something more profound happens: insights are shared, trust is built, and visibility is gained. These softer factors have strategic weight.
This is ROO in action: creating the conditions for better decisions, faster learning, and long-term success.
For leaders in manufacturing, Return on Time is often the most underappreciated metric. We don’t just measure what things cost, we feel what they consume. That’s why we’ve designed everything we do at Made in Group to be time respectful but high impact. A one-hour factory tour, a focused roundtable, or a single well-told story can save weeks of indecision or missed opportunity. ROO isn’t about doing more, it’s about getting more out of the time you already spend.
The Power of Recognition: The Great 100
To embed this thinking into the culture of UK manufacturing, we launched The Great 100, a national recognition programme celebrating individuals who are driving real change.
These aren’t only boardroom executives. They include early-career talent, engineers solving for sustainability, operations leads building supply chain resilience, and advocates shaping the national narrative. In a world obsessed with headlines, these are the people getting things done.
Recognition here is not symbolic, it’s strategic. When we amplify the right voices, we inspire others. When we raise visibility, we elevate standards. And when we build community around these efforts, we accelerate progress.
ROO and ESG: Parallel Priorities
We increasingly hear that ESG is essential to business longevity and the data supports it. McKinsey & Co. noted in a 2020 report that companies with stronger ESG profiles are more likely to outperform peers in both risk management and long-term value creation McKinsey, Nov 2020.
But ESG cannot just be a compliance exercise. In manufacturing, it becomes real when you localise supply chains, invest in training, reduce waste, and build an inclusive workforce.
At Made in Group, we support members in telling these stories, not for PR, but for impact. Through national forums, recognition platforms, and our community led media, we make industrial ESG tangible and visible.
The Role of Larger Firms: Responsibility Meets Influence
Larger manufacturers have an outsized role to play in shaping the industrial landscape. Through our Patron Programme, they step into that role, not through statements, but through actions that enable others.
Patrons help fund access for SMEs and emerging talent. They sponsor award categories and amplify regional excellence. They influence the direction of policy conversations and bring industrial leadership back into the spotlight.
This isn’t about visibility for its own sake, it’s about stewardship.
A Shift Worth Making
We don’t suggest abandoning ROI. But we do believe that an exclusive focus on quarterly metrics limits our ability to see what really drives sustainable growth.
According to PwC’s 2022 Global Operations Survey, more than 70% of industrial leaders now cite “ecosystem collaboration” and “localisation of supply” as top strategic imperatives for resilience both core tenets of ROO PwC, Oct 2022.
British manufacturing has enormous potential. To realise it, we need to invest not just in output, but in conditions that unlock opportunity, shared learning, long-term thinking, national alignment, and meaningful visibility.
This is what Return on Opportunity means. And it’s why we’re proud to champion it, not just as an idea, but as a working model for industrial progress.
By Jason Pitt, CEO, Made in Group