Home Page

Welcome to Pinnacle Partnering

Pinnacle Partnering was established in 2011 by Chartered Accountant, Michael Whelehan. Before founding the business, Michael held a number of senior finance positions with blue-chip organisations in Ireland and the UK, including as Head of Internal Audit with a major International Convenience Foods Group.

Pinnacle Partnering is a niche business operating specifically in the fields of corporate governance best-practice, financial internal controls, internal audit and cost-saving identification. It is designed for organisations that wish to embed a culture of  'transparency, control and accountability' and need the tools and implementation experience to achieve it.

The not-for-profit / charity sector in particular is currently experiencing a sea change in its monitoring, regulation and recommended best-practice landscape. The recent activation of Part 4 of the Charties Act 2009 in September 2016 and the publication of a specific Governance Code for the sector in late October 2016 has considerably increased the requirement for accountability and transparency across the sector. This has placed significantly more responsibility on Boards, Trustees and CEOs to implement a much more structured governance and financial control environment. This can be a time-consuming and costly undertaking; however, with the right 'partner', the process of becoming compliant can be smooth, efficient and cost-effective.

If you really want a governance and financial control environment that is best in class, we will assist you in implementing the recommendations of the most widely accepted guidance in these areas.      

Pinnacle Partnering provides a tailored, cost-effective, value-added service designed to provide senior management with peace of mind in relation to the implementation of 'best in class' governance and financial internal control processes.

Core service offering:

  • Corporate Governance best-pratice advice and implementation (e.g. UK Corporate Governance Code, Governance Code for Community, Voluntary and Charitable Organisations)
  • Finance department ‘Health Checks’ (a critical assessment of the strength of the key and fundamental financial controls)
  • Internal Audit Services (risk register development, financial controls testing, reporting weaknesses and providing practical solutions)
  • 'Trouble-shooting' and specific problem-area finance project assignments
  • Design and Implementation of key codes, policies and procedures (e.g. Code of Business Conduct, Employee Expenses, Procurement, Capital Expenditure, Anti-Fraud)
  • Documentation & re-engineering of Financial Processes (e.g. Purchase to Pay, Sales order to Cash, Payroll & HR)
  • Cost saving and process improvement initiatives

Key principles underpinning the service:

  • An overriding desire to exceed expectations and offer real value for money
  • Intimately understanding your business, culture and processes
  • Identifying practical and robust solutions to control weaknesses and operational inefficiencies
  • Reporting findings in a timely, concise and informative manner  
  • Following up and reviewing the implementation of recommendations to ensure objectives are met    

If you feel you may have a requirement for one of the core specialisms above, Pinnacle Partnering will address your needs in the most professional and cost-effective manner possible.