How to write an executive summary

The one document the C-suite actually reads.

Twenty pages on how to compress your case into something a director can scan in two minutes and remember in two weeks. Includes the template I use with clients.

What's in it

• The five-part structure every executive summary needs
• The first-sentence test: how to write a hook that buys the next thirty seconds
• The "so what" pass: cutting fluff and surfacing the decision
• The board read-out version vs the inbox version
• A ready-to-edit Google Docs template

Who it's for

Anyone who has to write a one-pager that lands a budget request, a strategy shift, a deal or a recommendation. Founders, CFOs, COOs, programme leads.

Why it works

Most exec summaries fail in the first paragraph. They explain context the reader already has. The format in this guide flips that and gets the reader to the decision in the first 120 words.