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Strategic Blackroom

Confidential advisory for business owners and shareholders

Some decisions cannot be discussed in the boardroom, with senior managers or within the family. You may no longer see eye to eye with a shareholder. A succession may have been put off for years, an offer for the company may have arrived out of the blue, or the first signs of trouble may be showing. Blackroom is the room where you deal with these questions, with management consultants and under a non-disclosure agreement, through to the decision.

Request a first conversationHow it works
Black and gold illustration. A confidential folder with the lines blacked out and the documents closed. The access path runs from the request to the first conversation and on to the non-disclosure agreement to be signed. At the table sit the owners, the board and trusted advisers, with no automated assistants.
Illustration · no real documents
People only
no automated chat, no AI assistant
Non-disclosure agreement
signed before we go into the details
Access after assessment
every request is reviewed before the first meeting

01 · copy the link to this sectionThe situation

Some decisions cannot be discussed in the usual places

The board of directors keeps minutes. Senior managers have a position to defend. The family has its own balance to keep. And your usual advisers often see only one side of the question.

So the most sensitive decisions are left hanging, or they are taken in a hurry, alone, when time has run out. That is when they cost the most. A rift between shareholders ends up in court. A sale is negotiated without proper preparation. A change at the top is put off year after year.

That is what Blackroom is for. It is a confidential space, away from ordinary meetings, where you put the facts on the table with management consultants and reach a considered decision, at the right pace.

Black and gold illustration. Six closed folders labelled shareholders, succession, sale, warning signs, reputation and conflict. Only the succession folder lies open on the table.

02 · copy the link to this sectionTypical situations

The questions that come to Blackroom

Six questions that cannot be tackled in the usual places.

BLK/01 Shareholders who can no longer decide Different visions of the future, overlapping roles, a shareholder who wants out. This needs tackling before the deadlock brings the company to a halt. How it works BLK/02 Handing over to the next generation Who takes the helm, with what powers, and what stays with the founder. It is best decided while there is still time to do it well. How it works BLK/03 A sale or a new investor An offer arrives without warning, a negotiation needs preparing, or a financial partner has to be brought in without losing control of the company. How it works STR/04 The first signs of trouble Banks are growing more cautious, suppliers are asking for collateral and the cash does not add up. It is better to talk about it before it becomes a crisis. Restructuring and turnaround INT/05 A question of reputation A news story, a lawsuit or a rumour that affects the company and the people who lead it. Communication and intelligence BLK/06 A conflict to stop before it reaches court With a shareholder, a former shareholder or within the family. Together with your lawyers, we look at the options that exist, from confidential negotiation to the procedures provided for by law. How it works

Five stages, from the first request to a decision under way.

The confidential process in five stages. Brief request, first conversation, non-disclosure agreement, working sessions, and through to the decision. Legal and tax checks remain with the lawyer, the accountant and the notary.

A brief request

You send your name, how to reach you and the topic in general terms. The first message contains no confidential details.

A first conversation

You talk to a management consultant, in person or by video call, so that we can work out whether Blackroom is the right place. If it is not, we say so straight away and, where we can, suggest who to turn to.

The non-disclosure agreement

Before going into the substance, we sign an agreement that sets out what stays confidential, for how long and who can take part.

Working sessions

We meet on scheduled dates at the agreed venue. We set out the facts, the options and the consequences of each choice.

Through to the decision

We stay alongside you until the decision has been taken and set in motion, together with the company’s lawyers and accountants.

The fee is set in the mandate, after the first conversation and before the sessions begin. We do not publish prices, because every question differs in timing and complexity.

BLK Confidentiality in writing Every engagement is governed by a non-disclosure agreement. Documents and notes circulate only among the people the agreement names.
BLK People only No automated chat, no AI assistants, no messages handled by a system. On this page and in every session, you talk to people.
BLK Access after assessment Every request is reviewed before the first meeting. We take on engagements where we can genuinely help, after checking that there are no conflicts of interest.
BLK The venue is agreed We can meet at the company’s premises, at a neutral venue or remotely. We decide together, based on who needs to take part and how sensitive the question is.

05 · copy the link to this sectionWith the company’s advisers

Alongside your lawyers and accountants

Blackroom does not replace the company’s lawyer, notary or accountant, and it does not give legal or tax advice. Our job is to help the decision-makers put the question in order, compare the options and prepare for difficult conversations.

When a choice has legal or tax consequences, your trusted advisers check it, and they can take part in the sessions.

  • Legal matters and contracts with the lawyer for the company or the shareholders

  • Tax and corporate matters with the accountant and, when needed, the notary

  • Valuations and expert reports with independent professionals chosen by the company

06 · copy the link to this sectionPrinciples

What we don’t do

  • We do not act for two opposing parties in the same matter.
  • We do not investigate individuals and we do not gather information by unlawful means.
  • We do not give legal, tax or notarial advice. That comes from the company’s own advisers.
  • We do not use automated systems for Blackroom conversations and documents.
  • We do not talk about our engagements. No names and no cases, not even anonymised, without written consent.
Advice that never leaves the room.

07 · copy the link to this sectionOne coordinated approach

With the other divisions

Example of a week-by-week cash flow forecast, without figures. STR Restructuring and turnaround When the question is cash or the relationship with the banks, the plan is built with people who know the legal tools for a business crisis. Example of a map showing how a news story spreads, and the response prepared. INT Communication and intelligence When a confidential decision risks becoming news, the communication is prepared in advance. Example of a critical role profile with the succession map. HR Critical roles and succession When the generational handover also affects key roles in the company, an orderly succession plan is needed. Example of a security review report, showing the issues fixed and the follow-up check after the fixes. CYB Cybersecurity When the question has a technical side, such as leaked documents or suspicious access, the security division steps in.

08 · copy the link to this sectionFrequently asked questions

Frequently asked questions about Blackroom

What is Blackroom?
Blackroom is the confidential advisory service of Strategic S.r.l. It supports business owners, shareholders and board members with sensitive decisions. These include disputes between shareholders, generational succession, company sales or the arrival of investors, the first signs of crisis and questions of reputation. You work only with people, under a non-disclosure agreement, and every request is assessed before the first meeting.
What stays confidential, and how?
Everything that comes up in the meetings and in the documents exchanged. The non-disclosure agreement sets this out in writing. It states what it covers, for how long, who can take part and how documents are kept. Before it is signed, we speak only in general terms, with no details that could identify the company or the people involved.
Can you remain anonymous when you first get in touch?
We need a name and a way to reach you so that we can get back to you. The topic can stay general, for example ‘a question between shareholders’ or ‘a generational handover’. The details, including the company name if you prefer, come after the non-disclosure agreement.
Where do the meetings take place?
Wherever is most appropriate. That may be at the company’s premises, at an agreed neutral venue or by video call. We choose together, based on who is taking part and how sensitive the question is.
How is the fee set?
It is set in the mandate, after the first conversation. It depends on the question, the number of sessions and how long the support lasts. Before we start, you receive a written proposal setting out the activities, timing and costs, so that you can decide with everything in front of you.
What if the problem is with another shareholder?
We work for whoever engages us and do not act for the opposing party at the same time. If, instead, all the shareholders want a confidential discussion among themselves, the engagement must come from all of them and the rules are written down before we start.
Do you work with our lawyers and accountants?
Yes, and that is the rule. Blackroom prepares the decisions, and the company’s advisers check their legal and tax aspects. If you wish, they can take part in the sessions.
Why is there no chat on this page?
Because the matters brought to Blackroom should not be entrusted to an automated system, not even for a first contact. Here you write only to people. The AI assistants on the rest of the site remain available for the other areas, and they introduce themselves as such.

The essential parts of this page print as a short summary of a few pages, without images or invitations to get in touch.

09 · copy the link to this sectionConfidential assessment

Request a confidential assessment

Before any meeting, we review every request. We work out whether Blackroom is the right place for it and whether we can genuinely help you. All we need is a name, a way to reach you and the topic in general terms.

How we handle your request

  1. A member of the Blackroom team reads itThere is no chat and no AI assistant on this page. The form goes to the people who run Blackroom.
  2. We check for conflicts firstIf we already work with a counterparty, we tell you so without going into any detail.
  3. We get back to youWe normally do so within two working days, to arrange the first conversation.
  4. General terms only, until the agreementYour contact details are used only to reply to you. They are never used for newsletters or anything else.

Confidential assessment

A few fields, no confidential details.

BLK
The topic, in general terms

No company name and no documents. Those come after the agreement.