Alexander Alexander

Alexander Alexander

Director of Corporate Finance

Duffy outlines the importance of understanding success and failure holistically, and why keeping up business momentum is crucial...

Alexander Duffy, Director of Corporate Finance at Menzies joined the team in 2018. Prior to his appointment, he held managerial roles at RBS and RSM UK, founded Gold Lion Consulting, and was an Associate Director at Waypoint Partners. 

“I was drawn to Menzies because it really believes in the mantra of Brighter Thinking - improving outcomes and helping SMEs to succeed, regardless of the challenges they are facing.” 

With a broad range of banking and finance already under his belt prior to his arrival, Duffy considers that he brings a relatively fresh approach to his role. 

“I have a range of finance experience in both the ‘growth curve’ and the ‘decline curve’. At the very beginning, a company is looking for seed funding and then Series A and B rounds to grow. At the peak of the company's growth, when they get crowded with market competition, if they don't do anything to perpetuate that growth, they begin to decline.” 

The results of this failure to maintain momentum can be disastrous, ranging from declining sales, internal restructuring, corporate recovery, or even insolvency. Duffy knows the fundamentals at each end of a business’ potential trajectory or ‘bell curve’ and can provide the advice necessary to retain a stable position.

“Keeping the momentum going, even during tough times, is paramount. However, it’s a mistake to keep operating like nothing has changed. In the past, tech-led companies have struggled to compete with those in other high-profile sectors, such as property, retail or travel. But the pandemic has reversed this relationship as physical spaces lost value while digital markets such as DaaS (Data as a Service), video streaming services and ecommerce platforms saw market demand soar. 

“Digital tech businesses aren’t constrained by the physical - an attribute which has become all the more advantageous during the pandemic and in the immediate aftermath of Brexit. These businesses tend not to be exposed to the borders or tariffs of physical trade; software-as-a-service (SaaS) doesn't operate within borders per se, so integrating with these relatively Covid and ‘Brexit-proof’ industries is essential.” 

Read the full article HERE 

Share

Featured Interviews

Featured

Sam Adams

Executive Director, Private to Public Strategy, Morgan Stanley at Work

As the Executive Director, Private to Public Strategy, for Morgan Stanley at Work, Sam Adams is passionate about managing IPO and private equity paths f

Read More

Wojciech Lacz

Chief Information Officer at AccorInvest

Spearheaded by Group Chief Information Officer Wojciech Lacz, a digital transformation has taken place at AccorInvest, and the entire company is in on it

Read More
“The digitisation of the company is core to it taking care of its people.”
Wojciech Lacz
Chief Information Officer at AccorInvest

Scott Sanborn

CEO of LendingClub

LendingClub is disrupting the customer experience through its innovative digital marketplace bank, says CEO, Scott Sanborn

Read More

Steven Meek

CIO of Pepper Money

Pepper Money's rise over the last 22 years is underpinned by its partnership with low-code platform Appian, plus its adoption of automation technologies

Read More

Varun Krishnan

Managing Director for FinTech

Vodafone’s Varun Krishnan reflects on his time at the company and shares his excitement to be part of the company’s journey in the FinTech space

Read More

Sam Adams

Executive Director, Private to Public Strategy, Morgan Stanley at Work

As the Executive Director, Private to Public Strategy, for Morgan Stanley at Work, Sam Adams is passionate about managing IPO and private equity paths f

Read More