About The Palio Group
Why Palio exists
The Palio Group exists to address a specific failure pattern.
Western companies operating in China rarely fail because of a lack of effort or intent. They fail because leadership decisions are made under pressure, with incomplete alignment, and with accountability that weakens once execution begins.
Palio was built to intervene earlier — before those conditions harden into outcomes that are difficult to reverse.
This is not a volume business.
It is a deliberately constrained operating model designed for situations where leadership decisions carry long-tail consequences.
How Palio is structured
Palio is not a firm in the conventional sense.
There is no delegation of core work, no junior execution layer, and no separation between advisory and accountability. Every engagement is led and delivered personally.
This structure is intentional. It ensures that the person involved in framing the decision remains responsible as its implications unfold.
Capacity is limited by design.
How Palio is structured
Palio is not a firm in the conventional sense.
There is no delegation of core work, no junior execution layer, and no separation between advisory and accountability. Every engagement is led and delivered personally.
This structure is intentional. It ensures that the person involved in framing the decision remains responsible as its implications unfold.
Capacity is limited by design.
The work Palio takes on
Palio works with CEOs and senior leadership teams on China leadership decisions where:
-
The cost of a mis-hire extends beyond short-term performance
-
Authority and trust between China and headquarters are fragile
-
The situation involves turnaround, rapid growth, or joint-venture complexity
-
Prior leadership changes have failed to resolve underlying issues
Not every situation is appropriate for this way of working.
Selectivity is part of the discipline.
Background and experience
Palio was founded by Michael Whelan, who has spent four decades working across Greater China and Asia, and nearly thirty years advising Western companies on senior leadership decisions in the region.
The focus has been consistently on mid-sized industrial and advanced manufacturing businesses, where China materially affects global performance and where leadership errors tend to surface late, after corrective options have narrowed.
The work draws on accumulated exposure to what happens after appointments are made — not just during the search itself.
Where accountability sits
Palio’s operating model is deliberately personal.
Responsibility does not sit with a brand, a process, or a rotating team.
It sits with the individual who remains involved from the earliest framing through the consequences that follow.
That is the basis on which the work is undertaken.