Corporate Advisory
People & Organisation
Organisation design, role clarity and leadership effectiveness — because strategy is only delivered through people.
Corporate Advisory
Strategic counsel to boards and executives shaping the next phase of growth.
Overview
How we help.
The hardest part of any transformation is not the strategy, the technology or the financing. It is the organisation. Roles that do not reflect the new direction, accountabilities that overlap or fall between the cracks, leadership teams that were built for the old business rather than the new one — these are the issues that quietly undermine even the best-conceived plans.
Corson Fiske advises CEOs, owners and boards on the organisational changes needed to deliver strategy. Our approach is practical and commercially focused: we are less interested in org-chart theology than in whether the people in the business can execute what management has committed to.
We work alongside internal HR teams where they exist, and often act as the senior counsel that smaller businesses lack. Our partners have led and restructured teams directly, and bring that operating experience to every engagement.
Capabilities
- Organisation structure design and review
- Role clarity and accountability frameworks
- Spans and layers analysis
- Leadership team effectiveness reviews
- Succession planning
- Workforce planning and capability mapping
- Change and internal communications support
- Compensation and incentive framework design
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.
The business has outgrown its structure
Headcount has grown but the organisation still runs like a smaller business. Decision-making is slow, ownership is unclear, and senior people are doing work that should sit two levels down.
Leadership succession is approaching
A founder or long-tenured CEO is stepping back. We help the board plan the transition, including assessment of internal candidates and the design of the post-transition structure.
A transformation requires new capabilities
The strategy calls for capabilities the business does not currently have. We assess the gap and design the hiring, development and structural changes needed to close it.
An integration or separation is underway
An acquisition or divestment requires careful organisational design to protect value and minimise disruption.
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.
- An organisation structure aligned to the strategy and the realities of the business
- Clear role definitions with defined accountabilities and decision rights
- A leadership team with the capabilities needed to execute
- A practical implementation plan that protects business continuity
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 organisation design and people strategy, 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 organisation design and people strategy.