Digital & Finance Transformation Advisory

We make Digital
Transformation
actually stick.

Senior advisory expertise at the intersection of Finance, AI, and Digital Transformation. Strategy through execution — with measurable outcomes that outlast the engagement.

Start a Conversation → Our Services
$20M+
Annual savings delivered
$5B
M&A integration led
25+
Years of practice
⚡
AI-Enabled Finance & GenAI
Intelligent automation and GenAI applied to close cycles, FP&A, and reporting — built to scale, not to experiment.
↗ GenAI · RPA · Analytics
🔄
Finance Transformation
End-to-end operating model redesign — process, technology, and organizational change that delivers and holds.
↗ ERP · Shared Services · GBS
⚙️
ERP Strategy & Optimization
Platform selection through implementation oversight, recovery, and post-go-live performance improvement.
↗ SAP · Oracle Cloud · NetSuite
Organizations Served
Coca-Cola
AT&T
Warner Media
Cox Enterprises
Walmart
Albertsons
McKesson
Merck
GSK
Eli Lilly
Caterpillar
Adecco
Worthington Steel
Coca-Cola
AT&T
Warner Media
Cox Enterprises
Walmart
Albertsons
McKesson
Merck
GSK
Eli Lilly
Caterpillar
Adecco
Worthington Steel
Founder & Principal
Ian M. Cooper
Atlanta, Georgia  ·  Serving clients nationwide
25+ yrs
Transformation practice
$20M+
Annual savings delivered
$10M+
Practice revenue built
$5B
M&A integration led
BDO USADeloitteErnst & YoungCapgeminiNorth HighlandMorganFranklin
About

Built by a practitioner.
Designed to deliver.

Catalyst Advisory Partners is a senior advisory firm specializing in Digital and Finance Transformation. We partner with CFOs, Finance leaders, and executive teams to design and deliver transformations that produce real, lasting results — combining people, process, technology, and AI in programs built for execution, not just strategy.

Founded by Ian M. Cooper, the firm draws on 25+ years of front-line transformation leadership across Big 4 consulting, global advisory, and national practice building — with a proven track record spanning Fortune 500 enterprises, PE-backed companies, and complex global organizations.

We engage primarily on a project basis, bringing senior expertise directly to your most complex transformation challenges. Fractional CFO and Transformation Advisor arrangements are also available for organizations seeking ongoing strategic leadership.

PMP® CertifiedProsci® Change ManagementSAP FI/CO CertifiedHarvard Leadership EssentialsWashington University MBA
What We Do

Our Services

Core focus areas highlighted. Full-spectrum advisory across Finance & Digital Transformation.
Core Focus
01
⚡
AI-Enabled Finance & GenAI Transformation
Deploying large language models, intelligent automation, and next-generation analytics to unlock Finance performance — built on solid data foundations, not technology experiments.
  • GenAI strategy and roadmap development
  • Intelligent automation & RPA integration
  • AI-assisted FP&A and financial reporting
  • Finance data governance and architecture
Core Focus
02
🔄
Finance Transformation
Comprehensive redesign of Finance operating models — from process and organizational structure through technology and change management — for sustainable, measurable improvement.
  • Finance operating model design
  • Process standardization & optimization
  • Close cycle acceleration
  • Finance organizational design & change
Core Focus
03
🏗️
Shared Services & Global Business Services
Design and implementation of Shared Services and GBS organizations that improve Finance efficiency, standardize service delivery, and scale intelligently across geographies and functions.
  • Shared Services strategy & design
  • GBS operating model development
  • Service delivery optimization
  • Transition planning & change management
Core Focus
04
⚙️
ERP Strategy & Optimization
Strategic guidance across the full ERP lifecycle — from platform selection and implementation through optimization and recovery — for SAP, Oracle Cloud, NetSuite, and beyond.
  • ERP strategy & platform selection
  • Implementation oversight & rescue
  • Post-go-live optimization
  • ERP health & readiness assessments
Additional Service
05
🎯
CFO Advisory & FP&A
Strategic counsel for Finance leaders navigating transformation, performance improvement, and organizational change. Available on a project or fractional advisory basis.
Additional Service
06
🔀
M&A Integration
Finance and operational integration for mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures — from Day 1 readiness through full integration, delivered on time and on budget.
How we engage: Catalyst Advisory Partners works primarily on a project basis, bringing senior principal-level expertise to your most complex transformation challenges. Fractional CFO and Transformation Advisor arrangements are available for ongoing strategic leadership needs.
Discuss Your Project →
Impact

Transformation that delivers measurable results.

Every engagement is designed for lasting business impact — not just project completion. Our track record spans Fortune 500 enterprises, PE-backed companies, and global organizations across industries.

$20M+
Annual savings delivered for a global Fortune 1000 through support services transformation
$5B
M&A integration led on time and on budget — establishing a new delivery model
8→3
Days to close cycle reduction achieved in six months for a major global client
30%
Budget cycle time reduction while improving strategic alignment and business impact
Fortune 1000 · Global Operations
$20M+ Annual Savings Through Support Services Transformation
End-to-end redesign of Finance and operations support model for a global Fortune 1000 organization, combining process standardization, shared services design, and technology integration.
→ $20M+ in recurring annual savings delivered
M&A Integration · Enterprise
$5B M&A Integration Delivered On Time and On Budget
Full Finance and operational integration leadership for a major acquisition, including systems consolidation, organizational design, and establishment of a new integration delivery model.
→ On time, on budget. New delivery model adopted enterprise-wide
Financial Close · Global Manufacturer
Financial Close Reduced from 8 Days to Under 3
Comprehensive close cycle transformation including process redesign, technology optimization, and organizational change — achieving a 63% cycle reduction in six months.
→ 63% close cycle reduction in under 6 months
How We Work

A practical approach built for lasting results.

We don't hand off a strategy deck and disappear. Our model is built around staying in the work — from diagnosis through delivery and sustainment.

01
Diagnose & Prioritize
Rapid, fact-based assessment identifying the highest-value opportunities, root causes, and transformation priorities before any work begins.
02
Design & Roadmap
Practical transformation roadmap with sequenced initiatives, clear business cases, and measurable outcomes — designed for your organization's capacity and pace.
03
Deliver & Execute
Hands-on delivery leadership — embedding with your team, managing the program, and driving adoption across people, process, and technology workstreams.
04
Sustain & Scale
Building the internal capabilities, governance, and operating model that keeps transformation delivering — long after the engagement ends.
Strategy without execution is just planning
We stay in the engagement through delivery. Every roadmap is built to be implemented, not shelved.
Technology enables — people sustain
GenAI and ERP platforms are only as good as the organizations built to use them. Change management is the work.
Outcomes over outputs
We measure success by business results — savings delivered, cycle times reduced, decisions improved.
Senior expertise throughout
You work with the principal, not a project team. Senior advisory engagement from kickoff through sustainment.
"The organizations that win at transformation aren't the ones with the best strategy. They're the ones who did the hard work of making it real."
— Ian M. Cooper, Founder & Principal
Industries

Deep expertise across sectors.

Finance and Digital Transformation experience across the industries where complexity and scale demand the most.

💊
Life Sciences & Healthcare
Merck, GSK, Eli Lilly, McKesson — Finance transformation in regulated, complex environments.
📡
Telecom & Media
AT&T, Warner Media, Cox Enterprises — large-scale Finance and operational transformation.
🛒
Retail & Consumer
Walmart, Albertsons, Coca-Cola — high-volume Finance operations and global business services.
⚙️
Industrial & Manufacturing
Caterpillar, Worthington Steel — Finance modernization and ERP transformation at scale.
👥
Professional Services
Adecco, LHH — Finance transformation and analytics with enterprise-scale impact.
🍔
Restaurant & QSR
Global QSR brands — Finance standardization, GBS design, and performance management.
💼
Private Equity
PE-backed portfolios — rapid Finance transformation, EBITDA improvement, and M&A integration.
🏦
Financial Services
Banking, insurance, and fintech — Finance operating model modernization and AI-enabled Finance.
Insights

Perspectives on transformation.

Practical thinking on Finance transformation, GenAI, and the future of the CFO function.

GenAI · Finance
Why Most Finance Teams Aren't Ready for GenAI — and What to Do About It
After 25 years of Finance Transformation work, the pattern is clear: teams fail at GenAI adoption not because of the technology — but because of three foundational gaps that AI can't fix on its own: ungoverned data, undocumented processes, and a Finance culture built for control, not speed.
Ian M. Cooper · May 2026
Read More →
Transformation Leadership
Five Signs Your Finance Transformation Is Already Off Track
Most Finance transformations don't fail at go-live. They fail quietly, months earlier — when steering committees go dark, when business unit leads stop attending, when the language shifts from outcomes to activities. Here are the five warning signs to watch, and how to course-correct before it's too late.
Ian M. Cooper · May 2026
Read More →
CFO Agenda · 2026
The CFO Role Just Became the Most Complex Executive Job in the Company
CFOs in 2026 are simultaneously expected to run the Finance function, own the enterprise AI strategy, lead real-time cost transformation, partner with the CTO on data architecture, and communicate uncertainty to the board. The Finance leaders navigating it well share one trait: they rebuilt for speed first.
Ian M. Cooper · April 2026
Read More →
Leadership

Principal-led.
Practitioner-delivered.

At Catalyst Advisory Partners, you engage directly with the senior principal — not a team of junior consultants. Every engagement is led and delivered at the level your organization deserves.

🏗️
Practice Builder
Built two national consulting practices from inception — including BDO's National Finance Transformation practice, growing it from zero to $10M+ in annual revenue.
🌐
Global Delivery Experience
Led engagements across North America, Europe, and Asia — including a $5B M&A integration and multiple global shared services transformations.
🤖
AI-Forward Leadership
Actively integrating GenAI and intelligent automation into Finance transformation programs — applying next-generation capabilities to real-world adoption challenges.
IC
Ian M. Cooper
Founder & Principal · Atlanta, Georgia
Senior consulting executive with 25+ years helping Finance and Operations leaders achieve transformations that actually deliver. Known for a practical, balanced approach that produces consistent quality outcomes — combining people, process, technology, and AI across diverse industries and organizational scales.

M.B.A., Washington University (Olin). B.S. Business Administration & B.A. Economics, University of Missouri (Pierre Laclede Honors College).
BDO USA — PrincipalDeloitte ConsultingErnst & YoungCapgeminiNorth HighlandMorganFranklinPMP®Prosci®SAP FI/CO
Get In Touch

Let's start a conversation.

Whether you're navigating a Finance Transformation, evaluating what GenAI can do for your Finance function, or looking for senior advisory expertise on a complex program — we'd welcome the conversation.

How we typically engage
Most engagements begin with a focused discovery conversation — no sales process, no pitch deck. We discuss your situation, assess fit, and outline a practical path forward. Engagements are primarily project-based, with fractional CFO and Transformation Advisor arrangements available for ongoing needs.
📧
info@digcatalyst.com
📞
(404) 692-2243
📍
Atlanta, Georgia — Serving clients nationwide
in
linkedin.com/in/ianmcooper
Send a message