Strategy, operations and transformation advisory
Operator-led, AI-enabled transformation for complex enterprises.
Strategy, operations and implementation support for CEOs, private equity owners and government programs.
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Results, not recommendations
Selected engagements led by Melo Colon. Client names withheld.
$200M
Cost reduction on a distressed $2B pharmaceutical megaproject, with the schedule pulled in by about five months.
+40%
Productivity at a U.S. naval shipbuilder across several yards, with 1,000+ frontline and support staff trained.
$200M
Savings across a $4B portfolio of strategic capital projects at a Fortune 100 company.
$150M
Approximate annual impact for a Top 10 public university through capital planning, facilities and organization redesign.
$80M+
Cash delivered in 10 months across 15 countries for a Fortune Global 500 manufacturer.
$10B+
Asset stabilized in a CEO-level intervention on severe cost and schedule overruns.
What we do
Three practice areas, one standard: the plan has to work on the frontline, not just in the boardroom.
AI-enabled transformation
Putting AI to work on real operating problems, with the controls to deploy it responsibly.
- AI operating model and use-case priorities
- Workforce capability, simulation and assessment
- Model evaluation and responsible deployment
Operations and performance transformation
Step-change productivity and cost in complex operations, built to last after we leave.
- Frontline productivity and operating cadence
- Procurement and supply chain
- Organization design and capability building
Capital programs and megaprojects
Owner-side leadership for programs from $300M to $10B, from front-end planning through recovery.
- Turnarounds of distressed projects
- Front-end loading, contracting and procurement
- Capital portfolio optimization and governance
How we work
We work inside the operation with your team, not in a separate project room.
01
Embedded with your team
We sit with the people doing the work, from site leaders to the frontline.
02
Capability from day one
Your people learn the methods as we go, so results hold after we leave.
03
Hypothesis first, fast
We state what we think is true early, then prove or kill it with data.
04
Straight talk, measured results
Clear accountability, a baseline and a target you can audit.
Who we serve
Leaders of complex enterprises facing a high-stakes change: a turnaround, a program off track or an AI rollout that has to deliver.
- Life sciences and pharma manufacturing
- Defense, shipbuilding and maritime
- Capital-intensive industry
- Private equity and portfolio companies
- Public sector and higher education
Ways to engage
Diagnostic
A fast, fact-based read on where value is and what is blocking it.
Transformation program
Design and run the change with your team until results are in the numbers.
Interim or fractional leadership
COO or Chief Transformation Officer, part-time or full-time, for a defined period.
PE diligence and value creation
Operations diligence, the value creation plan and the first 100 days.
Founder
Melo Colon
Melo founded Melo & Co after nine years at McKinsey & Company, where he rose to Associate Partner and co-led the firm’s Capital Project Delivery service line in North America. He has led transformations and turnarounds across pharma, defense, heavy industry and the public sector. Melo’s core expertise bridges organizational strategy, transformation at scale and strategic capital topics.
Before McKinsey he served as a U.S. Army officer and Combat Veteran. He holds a BS from West Point and an MBA from the University of Miami.