Based in Te Waipounamu South Island, O’Connor Partners is a boutique advisory firm that supports senior leadership teams and boards with their strategic commercial and investment decisions. The firm was formed to provide rigorous, robust commercial advice, tailored to the unique needs of clients’ situations. 

Our friendly and professional team draws on local, national, and international experience to provide clients with a range of corporate advisory services. We combine the high quality standards expected of professionals in the finance industry with an understanding of what is socially important to our communities. 

We particularly thrive in complex situations where behavioural incentives, risk, and uncertainty mix with objectives that balance financial and non-financial factors.

Directors

Mike O’Connor

Mike has spent nearly 40 years in New Zealand's financial markets, holding senior roles with both principal investors and professional advisory firms.

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Mike has a talent for combining hard-won market experience with deep domain knowledge of financial and behavioural economics to solve commercial problems, particularly for organisations that have no easy access to new equity funding.

Qualifications/certifications

  • BSc Economics & Statistics, Otago University / Edinburgh University
  • BA Economics and Human Geography, University of Auckland
  • Graduate Diploma in Accounting (with Finance), Victoria University of Wellington
  • Certified member, Institute of Finance Professionals New Zealand

‍Special interests

‍Adapting the best technical toolsets and frameworks to solve commercial problems in unorthodox contexts.

Dace Caldwell

Dace has over 15 years of experience in consulting and in-house corporate strategy roles having been based in Christchurch, Auckland, and Germany.

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Dace’s strength is blending technical skills in economics, investment, risk, and strategy to address challenges where commercial factors are important, but success is ultimately defined by more than just financial outcomes.

Qualifications/certifications

  • MBA, WHU Otto Beisheim School of Management (Germany)
  • CFA Charter holder, Chartered Financial Analyst Institute
  • PRM Qualified, Professional Risk Manager International Association
  • Certified member, Institute of Finance Professionals New Zealand
  • BA Economics, University of Canterbury
  • BCom Finance & Accounting, University of Canterbury

‍Special interests

Value creation strategy and decision-making for organisations with both commercial and non-commercial objectives.

Jacob Fone

Jacob has over a decade of experience in public practice and in-house roles, having worked throughout Te Waipounamu and in Edinburgh.

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Jacob gets things done—efficiently, effectively, and without drama. Jacob uses his knowledge of finance and accounting with his data analysis and visualisation skills to unearth insights for practical decision-making. He uses his eye for detail and systematic thinking to create structure from complexity.

Qualifications/certifications

  • Chartered Accountant (CA), Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand
  • Certified member, Institute of Finance Professionals New Zealand
  • BCom Accounting, University of Canterbury

‍Special interests

Crafting insights that spark ‘ah-ha’ moments and using them to develop decision-frameworks that empower choices.

Fulton Hogan
Wakatu Incorporation

Our clients

CONTACT US

Contact us

Get in touch or contact one of the O’Connor Partners team directly.

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+64 (21) 983 932
4/16 Loftus Street, Papanui, Ōtautahi Christchurch
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