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Two former professional services leaders have launched Opal Advisory, a UK‑based strategy and management consultancy, focusing on strategy, M&A integration, transformation, performance improvement and leadership support.
The fledgling firm, established by Natalie Griffin and Richard Stewart, said it will focus especially on organisations where partnership structures, regulatory requirements and intricate stakeholder dynamics make delivery more difficult.
It added that it plans “to give leadership teams the independent challenge and strategic clarity required to make high‑stakes decisions with confidence – and unlock sustainable performance gains when it matters most”.
The company said professional service firms are managing the most challenging working environment in the last 10 years, as tightening margins require more agile and assertive decision-making.
However, the nascent organisation said too many groups are held back by outdated workflows that slow down and diminish decisive action.
Opal Advisory also said it is responding to the professional services sector’s growing complexity, where growth, transformation and ownership moves are becoming largely intertwined.
It added that AI is quickly evolving from “experimentation to expectation”, demanding firms decide where it gets them ahead and where flawed integration risks weakening margins and trust.
The two founders bring decades of leadership experience across UK professional service firms, both having overseen large-scale mergers, transformations, performance comebacks and changes in governance.
Opal Advisory said their expertise informs its philosophy on strategy, execution and leadership advice.
Griffin said: “We founded Opal Advisory to be the partners our clients instinctively turn to at pivotal moments. We don’t just produce slide decks – we stand alongside leadership teams, cut through complexity and help them deliver change and enhanced performance that lasts far beyond the end of our engagements.”
Stewart added: “Professional Services firms are facing consolidation, shifting client expectations and increasing commercial pressures. Our role is to bring strategic clarity, commercial discipline and the kind of pragmatic, board-level experience that gives leaders confidence from decision-making to delivery.”
