Alex MacAndrew
Verified Expert in Management Consulting
Management Consulting Expert
London, United Kingdom
Toptal member since August 12, 2020
Alex launched his advisory practice after 12 years of capital markets experience. He began his career at UBS and later spent seven years leading high growth startups. At Validus, Alex served as a financial consultant for private equity and debt managers, overseeing $80 billion in hedging trade execution. At Covestor, Alex was involved in the company sale to Interactive Brokers. Alex is passionate about assisting businesses by building financial models, creating pitch decks, and enhancing growth.
Career Highlights
Education Highlights
Certification Highlights
Case Studies
Financial Model, DCF Valuation and Sensitivity Analysis
Cash Flow Modeling, Liquidity, and Risk Analysis
Industry Expertise
- Accounting Services
- Finance
- Venture Capital & Private Equity
- Financial Modeling
- Fintech
- Startups
- Capital Markets
- Financial Markets
Other Expertise
- Equity Valuation
- Financial Modeling
- Fundraising
- Private Capital Markets
- Startups
Work Experience
Finance Consultant
Selwyn Group
- Created a financial model, researched market size, validated the pricing strategy, and constructed a pitch deck for the CEO of a fintech startup in preparation for a venture capital fundraising.
- Modeled a forecast of sales expansion and advised on unit economic optimization (customer acquisition costs & lifetime value) to ensure the delivery of attractive profit margins for a SaaS CEO who had recently closed $1 million in Series A financing.
- Forecasted the cash flow and modeled the impact of alternative hedging strategies for a UK-based media business. Working with the CFO, this project involved adapting her existing financial model to enable simulation analysis.
- Founded a fintech startup (Hedge Eagle) to help CFOs forecast cash flow and manage liquidity risk. Prepared a financial forecast model, pitch deck, and business plan in preparation for fundraising.
Partner | Head of Advisory
Validus Risk Management
- Delivered financial consulting services to private equity managers and portfolio company CFOs including financial modeling, cash flow optimization, and financial risk management advice.
- Conducted financial analysis, cash flow forecasting, and IRR calculations on M&A transactions including the £500 million LBO of a UK-based leisure business.
- Designed a fund-level financial model for a €9-billion private European debt fund. This enhanced portfolio deployment via direct lending to corporates.
- Built a team of 20 consultants to drive high standards, while delivering more than 65% revenue growth per annum. Responsible for all cost line items associated with service delivery.
- Restructured the trading desk and oversaw the efficient execution of more than $80 billion per year in derivative transactions, representing a year-over-year 150%, between clients and top tier investment banks.
Investment Director
Covestor
- Prepared financial projections and company pitch deck slides for VC investors. Attended roadshow meetings alongside the CEO during the company's sale process that resulted in an acquisition by Interactive Brokers.
- Supported platform AUM growth of 300% by creating tools and analytics to measure the risk-return profile of outperforming equity managers and guiding clients to superior investment alternatives.
- Launched three new investment products on the platform, including multi-asset portfolios, equity derivatives, and smart beta portfolios by implementing portfolio construction and trading.
Analyst
Dimensional Fund Advisors
- Modeled target company financials as part of a broader investment process. For example, calculated the book value of Greek banks during 2010, which resulted in reducing exposure by tens of millions and avoiding losses when CDS spiked in early 2011.
- Delivered improvements to the cash forecasting model used to manage equity investment funds, enabling leaner cash management, increased yield, and reduced cash drag to less than 0.25% of fund size.
- Analyzed business fundamentals of fund holdings and advised senior portfolio managers on position rebalancing for a portfolio that managed $250+ billion across global equity markets.
Analyst
UBS Investment Bank
- Developed discounted cash flow valuation models, conducted comparable transaction analysis, and ran scenario analysis on publicly listed equities to create "buy and sell" recommendations for publicly-traded stocks.
- Met with 200+ corporate banking clients in the FTSE 350 to discuss their financial results, corporate strategy, and investment case.
- Earned commercial success and positive client feedback from a global client base of institutional and hedge fund clients.
- Completed graduate training program and internship on the largest equity trading floor in EMEA.
Education
Bachelor's Degree in Finance, Accounting, and Management
University of Nottingham - Nottingham, United Kingdom
Certifications
Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA)
CAIA Association
Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA)
CFA Institute
Skills
Finance
Equity Valuation, Risk Models, Financial Modeling, Financial Accounting, Debt, Private Equity, Derivative Pricing, Accounting, Valuation, Pricing Strategy, Fundraising, Cash Flow Modeling
Industry Expertise
Financial Markets, Capital Markets, Technology, Venture Capital
Output Software
Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint
Data & Analysis Software
Bloomberg, SQL, R
Other
Alternative Investments, Financials, Financial Analysis, Equity Investment, Startups, Risk Management, Finance, Pitch Decks, Economics, Derivatives, Portfolio Management, Business Strategy, Market Research & Analysis, Data Science, Treasury, Private Capital Markets, IRR, Investment Banking, Sensitivity Analysis, Fintech, Sales Growth, SaaS, Unit Economics, Visual Basic for Applications (VBA), Python, Market Sizing
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