The founder asks
Ambition
- Can we afford the next three hires?
- Are we ready to raise, or ready to wait?
- Which market do we open first?
Strategic advisory and fractional CFO
Three seats. One business. Three different answers.
Ask a founder, a board and the finance function what matters most this year and the three lists rarely match. Alexandra Advisory begins every engagement by finding out which of those lists the numbers actually support.
The room, before the diagnostic
The questions below are illustrative. The five outputs underneath are Alexandra Advisory's own published Discovery and Diagnostic.
The board asks
Governance
- What does the downside case look like?
- Is the reporting strong enough to govern on?
- Where does key person risk sit?
The finance seat asks
Evidence
- How long is the runway, honestly?
- Which customers actually make money?
- What breaks if payment terms slip?
What the diagnostic returns
One brief, agreed before any work is scoped.
- Clarity on priorities and success measures from the outset
- Early identification of risks, dependencies and opportunities
- A true view of leadership alignment and organisational readiness
- A grounded understanding of your business context and market environment
- A clear brief defining the right scope, pace and approach for the engagement
In Alexandra Advisory's own words: "By the end, you'll know our direction, path, and mutual needs for results, be it full strategy, targeted intervention, or advisory support."
Three service lines
Distinct, complementary, and led by someone who has done it before.
Alexandra Advisory works with organisations turning over roughly €2M to €50M, usually at a point of scale, transition or reinvention. Every engagement is led by a senior advisor rather than handed to a process.
Strategic Advisory
- Strategy development, advanced and core pathways
- SME growth acceleration through the Strategic Growth Navigator
- Part-time Chief Strategy Officer at board or leadership level
- Execution and governance support
For rethinking direction, entering new markets, or facing a critical decision point.
Fractional CFO
- Strategic finance oversight and board-level reporting
- Forecasting, budgeting and scenario planning
- Cash flow and working capital management
- Investment readiness and M&A preparation
- Finance team structure, mentoring and governance
Works alongside your existing finance function or outsourced partners, not instead of them.
Business Transformation
- Independent business reviews and financial diagnostics
- Restructuring plans, turnaround strategies and options analysis
- Short-term liquidity and cash management
- Creditor, bank and investor communications
- Interim finance leadership during transitions or crises
Discretion and hands-on execution when the period is high pressure and the outcome is uncertain.
How the work is run
Proven frameworks, applied by people who will say the unwelcome thing.
Six principles govern every engagement. Two of them are built on tools Alexandra Advisory owns outright.
Partnership at the core
Listening with intent, challenging constructively, co-creating. You will always have a senior advisor in the room, not just a process.
Tailored thinking, structured delivery
No two businesses are the same, but clarity needs structure. Proven frameworks combined with practical judgement.
Focused on outcomes
Clarity for the board, investor readiness, sharper capital allocation, execution alignment. Meaningful results rather than activity.
Independent and principled
Advice grounded in integrity, discretion and commercial realism. Clients trust us to speak plainly when decisions are time critical.
Technology enabled, human led
Faster and deeper diagnostics, without replacing the judgement and partnership the firm is known for.
Long term and responsible
A long-term view of strategy, sustainability and relationships, with a commitment to net zero carried into client work.
Strategic Growth Navigator
Alexandra Advisory's own framework for sustainable growth, applied on SME growth acceleration engagements and wherever a business needs structure around an ambition it has not yet costed.
Athena
The firm's internal insight and automation platform. It enhances diagnostics, reveals opportunity patterns and supports strategic alignment, so the human judgement starts from a better picture.
Who is in the room
We've done it before when it counted most.
Two senior advisors, named, with the engagements led personally rather than delegated down.
Ronan Quinn
Strategic Advisor and Fractional CFO
A Fellow Chartered Accountant with over 20 years' senior experience, holding C-suite and board-level roles across multinational and SME organisations. Sector background spans real estate, consumer products, renewables, logistics, pharmaceuticals, IT manufacturing, aircraft leasing and professional services.
His style is data driven, values led and outcome focused, and he is recognised for building trusted relationships and mentoring high-performing teams.
- Fellow of Chartered Accountants Ireland
- MSc Strategy and Innovation, NUIM
- Professional Diploma in Digital Transformation Management, UCD
- Certificate in Sustainability Strategy, Risk and Reporting, Chartered Accountants Ireland
- Certificate in M&A Success Strategies, INSEAD
- Diploma in IFRSs, Chartered Accountants Ireland
- Bachelor of Business Studies (Hons), TUD
Alison Cummins
Commercial Strategy and Growth
A track record in helping businesses access funding, boost productivity, expand profitably into new markets and unlock commercial opportunities. Her client base has included a multinational foodservice company operating in 80 countries and the world's largest contract catering group.
A recognised advisor to Enterprise Ireland, InterTradeIreland, Local Enterprise Offices and Bord Bia, she also creates and facilitates programmes and lectures on TU Dublin's Level 9 Business Master's programme.
- MSc (Hons) Food Business and Technology, TUD
- B.Eng (Hons) Processing Technologies, TUD
- BSc (Hons) Food Science and Technology, TUD
- Certificate in Customs Clearance, SETU
Integrity. Outcomes. Impact.
If you are preparing for growth, facing a pivotal decision, or working through complexity, the first step is a conversation and a structured diagnostic. Nothing is scoped until the brief is agreed.