Episode #645: Scaling Through Change: Leadership, Diversification and Building a Stronger Manufacturing Business - with Suzie Siddall

In this episode of ScaleUp Radio, host Kevin Brent is joined by Suzie Siddall, CEO of Opus International Products, a Warwickshire-based precision engineering and manufacturing business working across automotive, aerospace, defence, industrial and medical sectors.

Suzie’s story is one of leadership through significant change.

Having moved from Managing Director to CEO following the death of the company’s founder in 2024, she has had to balance continuity with the need to reshape the business for its next stage of growth.

Today, Opus has a team of around 33 people and significant UK manufacturing capability across CNC machining, injection moulding and vacuum casting. The business has grown from its original sourcing model into a sophisticated manufacturing operation supporting customers from prototype and engineering development through to production.

But this conversation is about much more than manufacturing.

It explores what happens when a leader has to move away from being involved in the day-to-day operation and start thinking differently about strategy, governance, risk and the future of the business.

From operational leader to CEO

One of Suzie’s biggest challenges has been making the transition from Managing Director to CEO.

Rather than simply taking on more operational responsibility, she recognised that the business needed her to spend more time looking ahead.

An important part of that transition has been the creation of a formal Board of Directors, combining members of the internal leadership team with external experience and challenge.

The board now meets monthly, focusing on strategy, business trajectory and the trends behind the numbers rather than simply reviewing operational activity.

It is an interesting lesson for any growing owner-managed business: better governance is not about adding bureaucracy. Done well, it creates the space and challenge needed to make better strategic decisions.

Diversification without abandoning what works

Automotive has historically represented around 75–80% of Opus’s revenue.

That concentration has helped build the business, but it also creates risk when the automotive market becomes volatile.

Suzie and the team have therefore set a clear strategic objective: bring automotive down to around 40% of total revenue.

Crucially, the plan is not to shrink the automotive business.

Instead, Opus intends to grow its work in sectors including MedTech, defence, marine, off-highway and aerospace so that the overall business becomes larger and more diversified.

The team has approached diversification systematically, looking at where investment is expected over the next five years and identifying sectors where Opus’s existing capabilities can transfer successfully.

Its IATF 16949 automotive accreditation and experience of high-tolerance, quality-critical manufacturing provide a strong base, while further accreditation, including AS9100, forms part of opening additional opportunities.

Don't diversify just because a market looks attractive

A particularly useful lesson from Suzie is the importance of understanding what capabilities can genuinely transfer into a new sector.

Moving into a new market is not simply a sales exercise.

It requires understanding the standards, accreditations, buying processes, networks and expectations of that sector.

Opus has therefore combined market analysis with networking and sector engagement, including involvement with Make UK Defence.

That creates a useful principle for other scaling businesses: diversification works best when there is a strong overlap between an attractive market and something your business already does exceptionally well.

Helping customers cross the “valley of death”

One of the standout messages from the conversation is Suzie’s description of the gap between designing something and being able to manufacture it successfully at scale.

That is where Opus aims to become much more than a component supplier.

The business works collaboratively with customers to solve manufacturing challenges, taking projects from concept and prototype towards repeatable production.

For Suzie, those customer partnerships are an important differentiator.

Rather than simply waiting for a drawing and producing a part, the team wants to understand the problem the customer is trying to solve and contribute its engineering and manufacturing expertise.

Standout message: The strongest supplier relationships are built when you stop simply supplying what a customer asks for and start helping them solve the problem behind it.

Hiring for attitude

Suzie also talks about the people behind the business.

Opus has deliberately built a mixture of experienced team members and younger people and apprentices coming into manufacturing.

Her recruitment philosophy is straightforward: hire for attitude and willingness to learn, because technical skills can be taught.

That philosophy is supported by an open culture where employees have access to senior leaders, lessons learned are shared and people can see the connection between the work they do and the finished products created for major brands.

The use of external HR also gives employees access to an impartial source of support outside the management structure.

Leadership through difficult circumstances

Running throughout the conversation is the subject of resilience.

Suzie’s move into the CEO role came in exceptionally difficult circumstances, yet one of her priorities was maintaining stability for the team while continuing to move the company forward.

External advice, openness with employees and the willingness to bring new perspectives into the business have all played an important role.

Rather than believing that being CEO means having every answer, Suzie has deliberately surrounded herself with people who can challenge her thinking.

For scaling leaders, that may be one of the most valuable lessons from the episode.

The one key thing

Growth is not just about winning more of the same work. Sustainable scale comes from deliberately reducing concentration risk, building leadership around you and creating the space to work on where the business needs to go next.

In this episode, we discuss

• Suzie’s transition from Managing Director to CEO
• Leading a business through significant personal and organisational change
• Why Opus introduced a formal Board of Directors
• Moving from operational management towards strategic leadership
• Why external challenge can improve decision making
• Reducing dependence on a single market
• Opus’s strategy for moving from 75–80% automotive revenue towards 40%
• Identifying attractive new sectors without losing strategic focus
• Transferring manufacturing capabilities into MedTech, defence, marine and aerospace
• The importance of accreditation when entering new markets
• Building genuine partnerships with customers
• Helping clients bridge the gap between product design and production
• Hiring for attitude rather than skills alone
• Developing apprentices alongside experienced employees
• Transparency, communication and maintaining team stability
• Why resilience and outside support matter when leadership gets difficult

About Suzie Siddall

Suzie Siddall is CEO of Opus International Products, a UK precision engineering and manufacturing company based in Leamington Spa.

Opus supports customers from engineering development and prototyping through to production, with capabilities including precision CNC machining, injection moulding and vacuum casting.

The company has traditionally had a strong position within premium automotive manufacturing and is now deliberately expanding its presence across sectors including defence, medical, aerospace and industrial applications.

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The description of Opus’s current capabilities and diversification direction is also supported by the company’s current site; its May 2026 announcement specifically describes the new board as supporting governance, strategic growth and sector diversification.

Suzie can be found here:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/suzie-siddall-2436ba47/

https://www.opusproducts.com/

https://www.instagram.com/suzie_opus/

 

Resources:

How to Be Sad by Helen Russell - https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/how-to-be-sad-the-key-to-a-happier-life-helen-russell/b4ab79ef582e4fe1?ean=9780008384593&bkshp-astro=t