How Justin Langford scaled Coeo with a PE-style playbook – without external funding

In this episode, John Howard speaks with Justin Langford, co-founder and CEO of Coeo. Over nearly two decades, Justin has grown the business from a two-person start-up into a consultancy trusted by some of the UK’s largest organisations.

Justin shares the key chapters in Coeo’s journey, from proving the model and scaling cautiously at first through to shifting gears and adopting a private-equity style playbook to accelerate growth without external funding. 

He explains how the firm has built long-term value through its talent academy, international expansion, and a culture of learning and codified delivery frameworks.

The conversation also explores Justin’s approach to data-driven leadership, including avoiding “watermelon KPIs” and applying a “Moneyball” mindset to consultancy performance. He reflects on navigating a co-founder exit, evolving his role as CEO and keeping the energy to lead after 18 years.

🎧 This episode is available to stream below or on any of your usual podcast platforms (such as Spotify and Apple Podcasts)

 

Host: John Howard, Partner at Garwood Growth

Guest: Justin Langford, Co-founder and CEO at Coeo

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