Internal Audit Advisory
Strengthening and building the processes the board relies on.
We help organizations build, strengthen and supplement internal audit capability, from risk-based audits to remediation support.
Independent Risk and Governance Advisory
Independent advisory on the decisions Senior Business Leadership cannot afford to get wrong.
For owners, shareholders, boards of directors, CEOs, and executive leadership teams.
Polaris Advisory works with boards, audit committees and executive teams of private and public companies on internal audit, internal controls, enterprise risk, financial performance and governance. We are most often called in during periods of change: declining performance, a turnaround situation, new ownership, a path to listing, or leadership transition.
Start a ConversationLed by an experienced business and finance professional (CPA, CA & CIA) who is also serving as an Independent Director and Audit Committee Chair of a NASDAQ-listed specialty retailer (NASDAQ: PLCE), with senior roles at DP World, Bell Canada, Stericycle, Canopy Growth and EY.
What We Do
Five connected disciplines
Internal Controls and SOX/ICFR
Internal controls readiness, remediation and rationalization.
We design and repair control environments that improve reporting, compliance and operational effectiveness without burdening the business.
Enterprise Risk and Governance
Risk management practices that protect the organization and inform real decisions.
We help integrate risk into governance, strategy, reporting and capital decisions.
Board and Audit-Committee Advisory
Independent counsel to board chairs, committees and directors.
We strengthen committee effectiveness and provide a discreet sounding board for difficult judgment calls and heightened scrutiny.
Financial Performance and Decision Support
Budgets, cash flow and the financial case behind major business decisions.
We help sharpen budgets, protect cash, rationalize costs and evaluate the financial impact of major decisions.
Where Engagements Begin
Situations where we can help you:
Underperformance and turnaround
The business is falling short. Declining sales and revenue, rising costs, an inflexible SG&A base and poor execution. The board needs an improvement plan and a credible recovery path.
Numbers leadership cannot rely on
Control weaknesses, SOX or ICFR gaps and findings, or reporting the board no longer fully trusts.
Oversight that needs strengthening
A board or audit committee seeking a stronger independent view of financial reporting, risk and internal audit.
Change outpacing governance
The organization is scaling or transforming faster than its controls, and change programs lack discipline and accountability.
An owner, majority shareholder or CEO who needs a sounding board
A founder, chief executive or investor who wants experienced, independent judgment to size up and solve problems.
Cash and budgets under pressure
Cash flow is tight, budgets are missed, and leadership needs a clearer view of what the business can afford and where the money is going.
A milestone approaching
An acquisition, an integration, or preparations for an eventual listing that the control environment is not yet ready for.
CEO & Founder
Operator · Advisor · Director
Hussan Arshad
Two decades of senior finance, risk and governance roles in international markets. Hussan is serving as an Independent Director and Audit Committee Chair of a NASDAQ-listed specialty retailer with over USD 1 billion in revenue, and his career spans DP World, Bell Canada, Stericycle, Canopy Growth and EY. His work combines technical discipline with a leader's understanding of how decisions actually get made in the boardroom and executed on the ground.
Hussan is an ACA (ICAEW-UK), CPA (CPAO-Canada) and CIA (IIA-USA), and is a member in good standing of all these institutions and of the GCC Board Directors Institute (BDI).
About Polaris and its founderStart Here
Engage in a free conversation to discuss how we can help you.
A short, confidential conversation is usually the fastest way to know whether Polaris Advisory is the right fit for solutions to your business issues.
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