Corporate Advisory
Operations Consulting
Improving how businesses actually deliver — margin, working capital, and the management systems that make performance repeatable.
Corporate Advisory
Strategic counsel to boards and executives shaping the next phase of growth.
Overview
How we help.
Operational performance is where strategy meets execution — and where most of the value in a mid-market business is either created or lost. Small improvements in gross margin, working capital efficiency or throughput compound quickly. Conversely, unaddressed operational drift can destroy years of strategic progress in a matter of quarters.
Our Operations Consulting practice helps businesses improve margins, reduce working capital, and build the management systems needed to scale. We work hands-on with operations leaders and finance teams, grounded in the specific commercial realities of each client rather than in generic frameworks.
Our partners have operational backgrounds across manufacturing, distribution, services and asset-intensive industries. That experience means we can engage credibly with plant managers, supply chain leads and site-level supervisors — which is ultimately where operational change is won or lost.
Capabilities
- Margin and cost-base reviews
- Working capital optimisation (debtors, inventory, creditors)
- Process redesign and automation assessment
- Procurement and supplier rationalisation
- Supply chain network analysis
- Management reporting and performance systems
- Production planning and capacity modelling
- Operational due diligence (buy-side and sell-side)
Client Situations
When clients engage us.
Every engagement is different, but the issues that bring clients through our door tend to fall into familiar patterns.
Margins are under pressure
Input costs are rising and pricing cannot fully absorb the impact. We identify the structural and operational levers available to protect profitability.
Working capital is tying up growth
Receivables are stretching, inventory is growing and the business is cash-constrained despite being profitable. We deliver a practical plan to free up cash.
A new system implementation is underway
An ERP or operational system is being implemented and management want an independent view on process design, data readiness and change management.
Operational due diligence is required
A transaction is underway and the acquirer or lender needs an independent assessment of operational performance, scalability and integration risk.
A shareholder dispute is threatening the business
Disagreements between shareholders or directors are affecting the business itself. Independent strategic advisory can break the deadlock before it becomes destructive.
Succession planning has been deferred too long
The next generation of leadership has not been identified or prepared. Independent advisory on structure, timing and process is now urgent.
Outcomes
What you can expect.
- Quantified improvement targets with clear implementation plans
- Management reporting that surfaces performance issues early
- Sustained improvements in working capital and margin
- A stronger operational foundation for the next phase of growth
Client Success
Outcomes from recent engagements.
Indicative results from engagements within this practice area. Client details have been anonymised; outcomes reflect actual matters completed by the firm.
$180M
Enterprise Value Created
Strategic transformation
Advised the board and founders of a growth-stage technology business through a three-year transformation that tripled enterprise value ahead of a successful trade sale.
Technology company
12 months
Return to Profitability
Operational turnaround
Redesigned the operating model and commercial framework of a multi-site NDIS provider, returning the business to profitability within 12 months.
NDIS provider
6 weeks
From Brief to Investment
Growth capital raise
Led a structured capital raise for a founder-owned software business, completing a competitive process from mandate to executed investment within six weeks.
Software business
Why Corson Fiske
Experience where it counts.
Clients engage Corson Fiske because they need advice they can act on — delivered by senior practitioners who understand both the technical detail and the commercial consequences. Every engagement is led by a partner with direct experience in operational improvement, supported by a team sized to the matter rather than the billing target.
Our integrated structure means tax, legal, accounting and advisory questions are resolved within a single firm. For clients operating across Australia, Asia, New Zealand or Asia, our office network in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Singapore and Auckland provides consistent advice across jurisdictions.
How we help
A structured approach to resolving your issue.
01 — Assess
Understand the position
A confidential briefing to understand the facts, the commercial drivers and the constraints you are working within.
02 — Analyse
Options and risks
Technical and commercial analysis of the realistic options available, with a clear view of the risks and likely outcomes of each.
03 — Advise
Clear recommendation
A written recommendation you can act on — not a set of caveats. We stand behind our advice and explain our reasoning in plain English.
04 — Execute
Implementation support
Hands-on delivery of the agreed plan, with ongoing engagement through to completion.
Key Considerations
What clients need to know.
Engaging external advisors on any significant matter raises practical questions about scope, timing, cost and outcomes. We believe in being straightforward about each of these from the first conversation.
How engagements typically begin
Every engagement starts with a confidential initial conversation — usually 30 to 60 minutes — in which we listen to the situation, ask the questions needed to understand it properly, and share a view on whether and how we can help. There is no charge for this conversation and no obligation to proceed.
How we scope and price work
We prefer fixed-fee or capped-fee arrangements wherever the scope allows. Where the scope is genuinely uncertain — as in contested matters — we agree hourly rates upfront and provide regular fee updates against defined phases. We do not bill for internal discussions, file opening or routine administration.
Who you will work with
Every engagement is led by a partner with direct experience in the matter type. That partner remains your primary point of contact throughout. Specialist colleagues join the team where their expertise is required, but you will never be passed from person to person or find the partner you hired is no longer on the file.
How we handle confidentiality and privilege
All engagements are subject to strict confidentiality. Where legal advice is being delivered, it is provided through our incorporated legal practice and attracts legal professional privilege. We take document security, information handling and communications discipline seriously on every matter.
Get the right advice from Corson Fiske.
Confidential, no-obligation initial consultations with a partner who specialises in operational improvement.