Strategic finance services for clearer numbers, stronger cashflow and better decisions.
Leask Advisory Solutions helps owner-managed, international and growth businesses move beyond historic accounts and into better financial decision-making.
Led by Julia Leask FCMA, CGMA, Leask provides senior strategic finance support when your business needs more clarity, more control and more commercial judgement, but does not necessarily need a full-time Finance Director.
The right support depends on what your business is facing: growth, cashflow pressure, UK operations, investor scrutiny, succession, exit, reporting gaps or business value.
You may have the accounts. But do you have the insight to act?
Leask supports businesses when financial information needs to become more useful, more forward-looking and more connected to the decisions being made.
Cashflow feels unclear
Profit, sales and cash are not telling the same story.
You need to understand timing, margins, working capital and where cash is being trapped.
The business has become more complex
Growth, people, systems, reporting or operations have moved beyond informal control.
Finance needs to support better decisions, not just record what happened.
External scrutiny is increasing
Investors, buyers, banks, boards or parent companies need clearer numbers.
Weak financial visibility can affect confidence, funding, valuation or governance.
The owner is too central
Too many decisions, relationships and responsibilities still depend on one person.
The business becomes harder to grow, sell, fund, hand over or step back from.
Strategic finance services built around the decision point your business is facing.
Leask does not begin with a generic package.
Julia works with business owners, boards and leadership teams to understand what is happening in the business, where the financial pressure is coming from and what kind of support will make the biggest difference.
Fractional CFO & Strategic Finance Partner
Get senior finance leadership around decisions affecting cashflow, growth, investment, governance and long-term value, without needing a full-time Finance Director.
Business Value Review
Understand what is strengthening or weakening the value of your business before growth, investment, succession or exit.
Cashflow & Profitability Improvement
Find out why profit is not turning into usable cash and what needs to change across pricing, margins, working capital and decision-making.
Investment Readiness
Prepare the forecasts, reporting, controls and finance story investors need before they commit capital.
Exit & Succession Readiness
Reduce owner dependence and strengthen the financial foundations buyers, successors or management teams need to trust.
International Finance Support
Give overseas leadership clearer visibility, reporting and control over UK operations.
UK Director & Company Secretary Support
Provide trusted UK governance, representation and practical financial oversight for international businesses.
Governance, Reporting & Board Support
Turn reporting into board-level insight that supports better decisions, clearer accountability and stronger control.
Finance Systems, Reporting & Controls
Build the systems, processes and reporting foundations that make better financial decisions possible.
Not sure which service fits? Start with the situation.
The service you need depends less on a label and more on what is happening inside the business.
You need senior finance leadership but not a full-time FD
Most relevant services: Fractional CFO & Strategic Finance Partner; Governance, Reporting & Board Support
Gives you senior financial judgement, challenge and better decision support without a permanent hire.
You are profitable but cash still feels tight
Most relevant services: Cashflow & Profitability Improvement; Finance Systems, Reporting & Controls
Helps identify where cash is being delayed, trapped or misunderstood.
You want to understand or improve business value
Most relevant services: Business Value Review; Exit & Succession Readiness
Helps identify what is strengthening or weakening value before a major decision point.
You are preparing for funding or investor conversations
Most relevant services: Investment Readiness; Fractional CFO; Governance, Reporting & Board Support
Builds the forecasts, reporting and finance story investors need to trust.
You are planning to sell, step back or hand over
Most relevant services: Exit & Succession Readiness; Business Value Review; Finance Systems, Reporting & Controls
Reduces owner dependence and strengthens the foundations others need to trust.
You operate in the UK from overseas
Most relevant services: International Finance Support; UK Director & Company Secretary Support; Governance, Reporting & Board Support
Gives overseas leadership clearer visibility and trusted UK financial oversight.
Your reporting, systems or controls are holding you back
Most relevant services: Finance Systems, Reporting & Controls; Governance, Reporting & Board Support
Creates better financial visibility, stronger processes and more reliable management information.
This is not bookkeeping. It is not year-end accounts. It is the senior finance layer above them.
Leask does not replace your accountant, bookkeeper, payroll provider or finance team.
Leask adds the strategic finance support that helps leadership understand what the numbers mean, where the risks are, what decisions need to be made and what needs to change.
The aim is not more finance noise.
The aim is better financial clarity, stronger commercial control and more confident decisions.
Compliance Finance
Produces accounts; looks backwards; keeps records accurate; handles filing deadlines; reports what happened.
Strategic Finance Support
Interprets what the numbers mean; helps plan what happens next; connects finance to decisions; helps manage cashflow, risk and value; challenges what needs to change.
Strategic finance support in real business situations.
Leask’s services are grounded in practical business outcomes, not abstract advice.
Neurofenix — investment and international growth
Services demonstrated: Fractional CFO / Investment Readiness / Governance & Reporting / International Finance
Julia helped build and lead the UK, US and group finance function, supporting Series A due diligence, board reporting, investor scrutiny and a £5.5m investment.
Njord Survey — Swedish-owned UK operations
Services demonstrated: International Finance / UK Director & Company Secretary / Governance & Reporting
Julia supports a Swedish-owned marine survey business with UK financial visibility, forecasting, budgeting, cashflow, governance and practical operational support.
Stop Digging / Sluta Gräv — disruption, recovery and control
Services demonstrated: International Finance / Cashflow & Profitability / Systems, Reporting & Controls
Julia helped rebuild UK financial reporting, back-office control, banking, HMRC coordination and practical UK finance oversight.
Trusted when finance needs to support bigger decisions.
“Julia was acting CFO for the company… she handled the reporting to the board and to the C-suite for the entire company.”
Rachel Fuller
Head of Diversified and International, Escalon Services
Fractional CFO, board reporting and investment readiness
“She combines strategic financial expertise with a practical hands-on approach.”
Martin Wikmar
CEO, Njord Survey
International finance, UK operations and practical governance
“Julia comes along and makes sense of the numbers for the management board.”
Jane Capel
Managing Director, Think Smart Accounts
Strategic interpretation, management insight and partner trust
Start by understanding where the pressure is coming from.
A practical assessment can help identify whether your business needs support with cashflow, value, investment readiness, UK operations, exit preparation or owner dependence.
Business Value Assessment
What may be strengthening or limiting the value of your business.
Relevant service area: Business Value Review / Exit & Succession Readiness
Investment Readiness Assessment
Whether your forecasts, reporting, controls and finance story are ready for investor scrutiny.
Relevant service area: Investment Readiness / Fractional CFO
UK Expansion Finance Readiness Assessment
Whether your UK finance, governance and reporting foundations are strong enough.
Relevant service area: International Finance / UK Director & Company Secretary Support
Cashflow Clarity Assessment
Where cash may be delayed, trapped or misunderstood.
Relevant service area: Cashflow & Profitability Improvement
Exit Readiness Assessment
Whether the business is too dependent on the owner, weak systems or unclear reporting.
Relevant service area: Exit & Succession Readiness / Business Value Review
Practical resources before you decide what support you need.
These resources are designed to help business owners and leadership teams understand what needs attention before the pressure point becomes urgent.
Cashflow Improvement Tool
Understand why profit may not be turning into usable cash.
7 Steps to Raising Capital
Prepare the numbers, forecasts and commercial story needed for investment conversations.
UK Expansion Finance Readiness Guide
Understand the finance, reporting and governance foundations needed for UK operations.
Exit Readiness Checklist
Spot owner-dependence, reporting or control issues before exit becomes urgent.
Business Value Guide
Identify the areas that may be strengthening or limiting business value.
Board Reporting Guide
Build clearer financial reporting for leadership, investors, parent companies or boards.
Leask adds the strategic layer above compliance and day-to-day finance.
Many businesses already have an accountant, bookkeeper, payroll provider, tax adviser or internal finance team.
That does not always mean they have senior strategic finance leadership.
Leask works alongside existing finance providers and professional advisers to help business owners, boards and leadership teams interpret the numbers, understand the risks and make better decisions.
Accountant
Commercial interpretation, strategic finance leadership and decision support.
Bookkeeper
Higher-level insight, reporting structure and financial control.
Outsourced finance team
Senior CFO-level oversight, board reporting and commercial challenge.
Internal finance team
Leadership support, structure, challenge and board-level insight.
Need more than historic accounts?
If your business needs clearer numbers, stronger cashflow, better reporting, investment readiness, exit preparation or trusted UK finance support, Leask can help you understand what is really happening and what needs to happen next.
The first step is a practical conversation about where the pressure is coming from and what kind of strategic finance support would make the biggest difference.