In this video interview (recorded for Paul Lancaster’s ‘SuperConnector Show’ podcast), Cheryl Burgess (Co-Founder & Director, Opexcell Limited) discusses her incredible career journey to date, the inspiration behind her new venture & how she’s helping businesses turn operational chaos into strategic advantage by putting people at the heart of everything.
A High-Flying, Diverse Career
Cheryl’s background is anything but typical. Starting out as a primary school teacher, she quickly shifted to follow her passion for aviation, serving for years as a fast jet weapon systems officer in the RAF which instilled in her the necessities of leadership & teamwork under pressure.
Following her time in the RAF, she moved into senior leadership roles across the telecommunications & energy-from-waste sectors. Her greatest challenge became her most defining success: leading the worst-performing telecommunications team in the UK & achieving a huge performance turnaround.
She realised there that the key to success wasn’t industry-specific knowledge but rather a universal ability to lead, manage & align people.
The Launch of Opexcell Limited
After years of corporate life, Cheryl saw an opportunity to use her accumulated expertise to directly support other organisations, especially startups, scaleups & SMEs, going through rapid change or facing complex operational challenges.
She co-founded Opexcell Limited in September 2025 with her trusted colleague, Benjamin Good, with a clear mission: to provide bespoke, people-focused solutions that achieve operational excellence.
“All of the things that I’ve learned, all of the things that I enjoy… I really wanted to use that knowledge & experience to support other businesses… putting people at the heart of everything” said Cheryl.
Leadership & Operational Philosophy
Cheryl’s approach to leadership emphasises observation, trust & psychological safety.
- Observer First: When joining a new team, she takes a step back for the first few weeks to observe, understand & honestly converse with people.
- Barrier Remover: She sees her role as eliminating roadblocks so her teams are free to do what they do best without unnecessary restrictions or micromanagement.
- Culture of Safety: A key factor in achieving operational excellence is creating an environment where employees feel respected, valued & comfortable raising problems or presenting new ideas without fear. She is clear on what she won’t tolerate: non-compliance with safety, bullying & toxic negativity.
Helping SMEs achieve operational excellence
Opexcell Limited offers a fully rounded suite of services tailored to meet the exact needs of a business or organisation, working as partners rather than traditional consultants.
- Strategic Growth Facilitation: Aligning teams, defining objectives & setting KPIs.
- Organisational Redesign & Operational Excellence: Performance audits, continuous improvement planning & change management.
- Comprehensive HR Services: Beyond policies, including employee engagement surveys, EDI training & HR software implementation.
- Project & Change Management: Supporting process implementation, new systems, or business transformation.
- Interim & Fractional Leadership: Providing short-term senior leadership (like a part-time COO or CEO) to plug leadership gaps or provide strategic consistency during rapid growth.
A Look Ahead
Based at the ‘Sparkhouse‘ (situated on the University of Lincoln’s central Brayford Campus), Opexcell Limited is focused on building its client base with aspirations to scale slowly & properly (with robust systems in place).
Looking forward, the company plans to integrate Health, Safety & Environmental services in the next 6 to 8 months to provide a fully-packaged solution.
Cheryl concluded the conversation by stressing the importance of community & networking for entrepreneurs, noting the value of being around like-minded people at business events & in managed workspaces like the Sparkhouse as well as reaching out to other local business owners & leaders who can offer valuable help, advice & words of encouragement when you need them.
Find out more about the work that Cheryl & Benjamin do at https://opexcell.co.uk
ps You can also listen to an audio version of this interview on the ‘SuperConnector Show’ which is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Audible or Spreaker via our ‘Podcasts‘ page.