Simone Girardeau
Verified Expert in Finance
Management Consulting Expert
Nelson, BC, Canada
Toptal member since June 15, 2023
Simone has 10+ years of expertise in strategy consulting, private equity, venture capital (VC) backed businesses, and entrepreneurship. As a freelance, she has vast experience in strategic projects for VC and private equity (PE) backed companies, fundraising, and supporting earlier-stage businesses. A strategic problem solver, she enjoys providing structure to solve complex challenges. Simone quickly grasps the broader perspective, understands practical limitations, and executes for impact.
Career Highlights
Education Highlights
Case Studies
Expertise
- Board Presentations
- In-depth Interviews
- Market Entry
- Private Equity
- Project Management
- Strategy
- Team Building
- Value Proposition
Work Experience
Independent Consultant
Freelance Clients
- Led a 9-month US market entry project for an Octopus-backed B2B marketing technology platform, from primary research and market assessment to developing the detailed market entry plan, accounting for over 50% of revenue in the 5-year plan.
- Developed the strategy and supported the £10 million series A fundraising for a disruptive B2B and B2C subscription media company.
- Worked in a chief-of-staff capacity for a Livingbridge-backed telco business to support and coach the executive team in strategy development and implementation and improve the board reporting and communication.
- Conducted over 50 in-depth interviews with industry experts, B2B software customers, and competitors to uncover hypothesis-driven insights beyond surface-level understanding, ensuring a thorough exploration of the subject matter.
- Supported small-size companies, such as a beauty franchise of four clinics, a global podcast producer, and a seed-stage metaverse company with shorter strategic reviews and assessment of funding options.
Investment Manager
Livingbridge
- Collaborated with management teams of investee companies in healthcare, B2C and B2B tech, professional services, and telco to define and deliver a value strategy, including customer segmentation, new market entries, product development, and M&A.
- Managed liquidity and expected returns across an investment cycle, including follow-on investments, M&A, and preparing businesses for an exit. Sat on the boards of seven portfolio companies at different stages of the investment cycle.
- Participated with exits and investments as part of an M&A strategy, directing market mapping, building M&A models, and analyzing return scenarios to manage due diligence (DD) streams and advisors during the exit.
- Created Livingbridge Academy to deliver more consistent and higher quality training for new joiners and a better onboarding experience. Developed a 24-month curriculum and content from partners across the firm to systematize best practices.
Consultant
BCG
- Acquired diverse experience working across media, healthcare, including NHS and pharma, and consumer goods. Ranked top quartile consistently in performance reviews and received early promotions at each level.
- Managed the marketing section of a major cost-saving procurement project for an industrial goods company, achieving savings of over £3 million across seven areas.
- Created a target operating model for the digital transformation of a large media company. Led project management across more than 30 team members.
- Developed an international growth strategy for a European food company, including initiating and supporting a strategy pivot for the Indian market.
- Delivered an advertising strategy review for a key British TV channel, including a 5-year TV and digital advertising plan.
Education
Bachelor's Degree in Economics and Management
University of Oxford - Oxford, United Kingdom
Skills
Finance
Value Creation, M&A Modeling, Private Equity, Fundraising, Due Diligence, Valuation, Forecasting, Revenue & Expense Projections, Financial Modeling, Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A)
Output Software
Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Word, Google Sheets, Google Docs, Microsoft PowerPoint, Google Slides, Microsoft Outlook
Industry Expertise
Healthcare
Other
Gmail, Strategy, Presentations, Board Presentations, Project Management Office (PMO), Investment Cases, Board Reporting, Board Development, Growth Strategy, Value Proposition, In-depth Interviews, Business Strategy, Growth, Cap Tables, Finance, Data Analytics, Financial Analysis, Market Entry, PMI, Project Management, Team Building, People Development, Exit Planning, M&A Strategy, Leveraged Buyout (LBO), Hiring, Training & Training Content Development, Go-to-market Strategy, Monday.com, Asana, Economics, Marketing, Recruitment, Product Strategy, Customer Segmentation, Financials, Market Research & Analysis, Partnerships
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