Frequently Asked Questions 

Corporate Synergy Services is an Australian chartered accounting firm providing practitioner-led CFO advisory support and financial and performance management services.Our advice draws on executive and finance leadership experience across government services, multinational and private companies. We have managed business services, finance and corporate functions; driven performance improvement and enabled change in diverse operating environments.Managing Partner Adam Summons led finance for the largest law enforcement (NSW Police Force), emergency management (Fire & Rescue NSW) and housing services (Housing NSW) in Australia – with budgets up to $5 billion, assets up to $30 billion and workforces exceeding 20,000 employees. His multinational experience spans Australia, Asia Pacific and Europe – including senior management roles with Fortune 500, FTSE 100, Euronext 100 and ASX 200 operations through periods of significant growth and change.Our consultants are professionally qualified and have extensive executive or senior management experience in the public sector, private sector or both.Because we have been accountable for financial and performance management functions and change initiatives across a broad range of industries and sectors, we understand what makes recommendations work in practice. The result is pragmatic advice that identifies opportunities and prioritises improvements your organisation can implement, measure and sustain.

Corporate Synergy Services operates as a Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand Public Practice and is prequalified under the NSW Government Performance and Management Services Scheme for management consulting and advisory services.Managing Partner Adam Summons is a dual Fellow of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (FCA) and CPA Australia (FCPA), a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD) and holds a Bachelor of Economics (BEc) from Macquarie University.

Corporate Synergy Services works across public, not-for-profit and private sectors.Our clients include government agencies, Australian and regional multinational operations, privately owned companies and growing businesses, member-based not-for-profit organisations and charities.

Analysis tells you what is happening. Experience tells you why and what to do about it. Corporate Synergy Services brings both, combining sound analysis with executive and senior management experience across government, multinational and private company environments.We have worked on the client side: managing finance, business services and corporate functions, reporting to boards, executive teams and government, commissioning reviews, implementing change and being accountable for the outcomes.We know what effective financial and performance management looks like in practice, and the pressures that can undermine it – competing priorities, unclear accountabilities, limited consultation and buy-in, constrained resources, capability gaps, reporting deadlines and imperfect systems.That experience means we focus first on the questions that determine whether change will work:What is actually causing the issue?What needs to happen first?Who needs to own the change?What resources, capability and governance are required?What is achievable within the organisation's current environment? This enables us to distinguish symptoms from root causes and prioritise recommendations that can be implemented and sustained – not simply identified.

CFO advisory services give organisations access to experienced finance leadership without the commitment and cost of a full-time appointment.Corporate Synergy Services supports CEOs, boards, owners and executive teams with financial strategy, planning and sustainability; margin improvement and working capital management; budgeting, forecasting and reporting; governance; business cases and investment appraisal; and business process and finance function improvement.

An independent financial and performance review provides an objective assessment of an organisation’s financial and performance management function or specific activity. This may include performance, governance, structure, resources, planning, processes, systems, data and reporting.It gives leaders, boards, audit and risk committees, funding bodies and other stakeholders an evidence-based view of the current position. The review identifies key issues and risks, examines their underlying causes and recommends the actions most likely to improve performance.The scope can be tightly focused on a defined issue or extend across the organisation’s broader financial and performance management environment.

A desktop review is a targeted, high-level assessment using available documents, data, reports and focused discussions with key people. It is suited to situations where leaders need early insight into a defined issue, an independent perspective or a set of priority actions.A comprehensive assessment involves deeper evidence gathering, stakeholder consultation and interviews, analysis of processes, data and information flows, validation of findings and a more detailed implementation roadmap. It is more appropriate where issues are complex, cross-functional or likely to require significant change.We help determine the appropriate level of review so that the work is proportionate to the decision required, the risks involved and the outcome sought.In both cases, our approach is objective and tailored to your organisation's scale, context and objectives. Our structured methodology assesses the current state, defines the desired future state based on contemporary better practice, identifies gaps and develops a realistic roadmap with clear management accountabilities to address them.

Yes. As executives and senior managers, our consultants have planned, managed and delivered finance transformation, turnarounds, restructures, integrations, business process improvement, system implementations and broader organisational change – with accountability for results.We understand why change can stall – competing priorities, unclear ownership, insufficient capacity, weak governance, poorly defined benefits, inadequate communication, limited buy-in or lack of practical follow-through.For this reason, our work does not end with a list of recommendations. Where required, we provide ongoing support to help deliver the roadmap, governance, capability and discipline needed to make improvements last.

Yes. Our consultants have built and led finance and business management teams in Australia and internationally.A strong finance function needs more than technical skills. It also needs:a clear structure and well-defined roleseffective leadership and teamworkfit-for-purpose systems and processesclose collaboration with operational leaders and stakeholdersongoing capability development, retention and succession planningan engaged culture that supports sound decision-making and continuous improvement We use this experience to advise on finance function design, capability, team performance and ways of working.

Finance Fundamentals is a free, self-paced finance training program for executives, managers and frontline leaders from non-finance backgrounds, designed to build financial fluency and confidence.Developed by the Corporate Synergy Services CFO advisory team, the program draws on our experience supporting leaders at every level and is shaped by the challenges they face.Topics include interpreting financial and management reports, navigating planning and budget processes, forecasting, appraising business cases, managing working capital, and strengthening financial governance and sustainability.No prior finance knowledge is assumed. The program begins with key finance and accounting concepts, explained through worked examples, before moving on to practical application.Four online editions are available, each tailored to its sector's operating context and grounded in relevant Australian frameworks:Finance training for public sector executives and managersFinance training for not-for-profit executives and managersFinance training for multinational subsidiary executives and managersFinance training for private company executives and managers

We do not provide tax, audit or assurance services. This deliberate separation ensures that our advisory and consulting engagements remain independent and free from conflicts of interest.

Fees depend on the scope, duration and type of engagement. Corporate Synergy Services offers flexible pricing to suit different needs:Fixed fees for engagements with a defined scope and deliverablesDaily rates for short-term advice and embedded supportRetainers for ongoing CFO advisory support We price each engagement to be proportionate, transparent and competitive. After a complimentary initial discussion, we will provide a clear proposal before any work begins.

All engagements are conducted confidentially and in accordance with our professional obligations as a Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand Public Practice.We understand the sensitivity of financial, commercial, workforce, governance and organisational information. At the outset of an engagement, we agree appropriate confidentiality, information-handling, access and reporting arrangements to suit the organisation and assignment.