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.