Jane Jawad

Co-founder of Centaura Group and Strategic Adviser

Jane Jawad is the co-founder of Centaura Group and the strategic adviser SME owners call when they're serious about making their business genuinely saleable, scalable or acquisition-ready - not someday, but in the next three to five years.
 
She specialises in the intersection of AI, automation and deal strategy, helping owner-led and family-run businesses in the £10m–£75m range engineer meaningful EBITDA uplift and exit multiples that can improve twofold to threefold. Her clients span manufacturing, logistics, professional services and technology across the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Southeast Asia - businesses that have outgrown informal systems but haven't had access to the transformational expertise typically reserved for corporates.
 
With nearly two decades leading large-scale transformation programmes in technology, operations and customer experience, Jane made a deliberate pivot to the mid-market. Why? Because SMEs represent the majority of businesses and employment globally, yet struggle disproportionately to access capital, technology and strategic guidance at the moments that matter most - scale, succession or sale.
 
Through Centaura Group, Jane works hands-on with founders and leadership teams to map how value and risk actually flow through their organisations, identify where profit is leaking and design automation roadmaps tightly linked to financial outcomes and buyer appeal. She frequently supports clients through succession planning, buy-and-build strategies and post-acquisition integration, ensuring digital and operational improvements translate into durable enterprise value rather than isolated initiatives.
 
Jane also co-founded the SME Innovation Network, a curated peer community and learning platform that gives business owners practical playbooks, live workshops and expert clinics on AI-enabled growth
 
She is a certified AI consultant and qualified accountant, and writes on AI in business, digital transformation, valuation engineering and what it really takes to lead through change as an SME owner. Her work has been featured in industry publications and she speaks regularly on making advanced strategy accessible to the businesses that need it most.