Failing to plan is planning to fail ― Alan Lakein
Succession Planning
We provide succession planning options for privately owned companies and help owners take control of their legacy.
Profitable Growth
By improving operations, finance, and managing change, we help reset the course for growth and profitability.
Mergers & Acquisitions
With our multi-disciplinary expertise, we help owners maximize the value of their businesses and help realize their long-term goals.
Interim CFO
We provide high-calibre executive judgment and guidance at times of crisis. With 20+ years of wide-ranging experience we can analyze, plan and fast track a strong financial foundation for your business.
A Breath of fresh air
As O2 Advisory partners, we are seasoned industry veterans and have exemplary records of accomplishment; our insights are honed in many industries and are not just limited to the world of consultancy. We have represented both buyers and sellers in merger and acquisition deals. With our depth of knowledge and experience in branding and marketing, we are experts at unleashing the full potential of your brand and your business. As advisors, we work alongside your operations and finance teams, and are easy to work with; we also bring a great deal of empathy into your equation.
Our capabilities
We are expert advisors with a passion for helping small to midsized private and public enterprises. We bring fresh ideas and perspectives on your most critical issues, uncertainties, and opportunities… and a way forward. Critically, we are advisors with a wealth of insights, having worked in major global markets and in Canada. We are independent and offer a neutral perspective and objectivity for solving your immediate concerns and capturing opportunities. Creativity and originality are cornerstones of our methods and solutions – and we are candid in our approach.
Pradeep Shakespeare
Pradeep Shakespeare is a founding principal of O2 Advisory Inc., a Toronto, Ontario based firm specializing in strategic advisory for entrepreneurs and small-to-medium businesses (SMEs).
Pradeep Shakespeare is a founding principal of O2 Advisory Inc., a Toronto, Ontario based firm specializing in strategic advisory for entrepreneurs and small-to-medium businesses (SMEs). Pradeep is also the President of Solutionsthink Consultants Inc., a management consultancy, which he founded in 2003.
He has more than 20 years of experience helping organizations achieve strategic, operational and regulatory mandates in Canadian and U.S. public and private companies. Pradeep has worked in a broad set of industries including automotive, financial services, telecommunications, cyber-security, home comfort, retail, forest products, aerospace, and mining.
Pradeep has significant experience in achieving transformational goals in diverse areas such as IFRS adoption, finance function effectiveness, introducing mission-critical ERP and specialty software, and EBITDA improvement through process re-engineering. Pradeep helps management with business valuations and carve-out reporting, and post-merger integration services.
Prior to forming Solutionsthink in 2003, Pradeep held senior management positions in Canadian retail public companies, where he led finance, corporate treasury, strategy formulation, high-profile technology projects, and supply chain initiatives.
Pradeep is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CMA), Chartered Management Accountant (ACMA), and a Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA). Pradeep holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the Haskayne School of Business, University of Calgary, Alberta.
Johann R. Xavier
Johann Xavier is a founding principal of O2 Advisory Inc., a Toronto, Ontario based firm specializing in strategic advisory for entrepreneurs and small-to-medium businesses (SMEs).
Johann Xavier is a founding principal of O2 Advisory Inc., a Toronto, Ontario based firm specializing in strategic advisory for entrepreneurs and small-to-medium businesses (SMEs).
Previously, Johann was the Chief Financial Officer of Saatchi & Saatchi in Asia Pacific and Greater China, Europe, Middle East & Africa and was the Chief Operating Officer of Saatchi & Saatchi Canada. He has more than 25 years of experience navigating the complexities of finance and operations and charting the best routes to sustainable profitability. He has influenced change in various economic cycles, balancing short and long-term objectives.
Johann has helped acquire, divest, restructure and grow businesses of various sizes and has a solid understanding of a broad spectrum of industries. He has closed numerous M&A transactions in established and emerging markets. Johann has developed both a passion and an expertise in guiding companies and their management through transactions prior to, during and after the event has closed.
Johann has worked in five continents and is an experienced cross-cultural leader. His ability to work with different groups and cultures is one of his strongest capabilities, as is his passion for greater diversity in leadership in the workplace.
Johann has been a guest speaker for The Economist – 2014 CFO Summit in London, UK, and in 2016, a speaker at The Fisher College for Business, Ohio State University, USA, on “Managing Multicultural Teams”. The Wall Street Journal, The Economist and the Entrepreneur magazine have covered his opinions on this subject.
Johann holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the Judge Business School, Cambridge University, UK.