CFO leadership for private equity and owner-led businesses
Andrew P. McAllister MBA
I bring people, finance, operations, technology and capital together to build stronger businesses. As a hands-on CFO, I build teams, work directly in the operation and stay involved through implementation. I choose technology around the needs of the people doing the work.
My focus is the CFO seat in a private equity portfolio company or owner-led business where financial leadership needs to translate into practical operating change.
I am most useful when the problem crosses departments: rebuilding administration, refinancing assets, improving pricing, replacing manual workflows or getting a new operation working safely. I take responsibility and bring the right people together.
Maritime, transportation, logistics, infrastructure, industrial services, field-service operations, real assets, and other asset-intensive businesses.
Company builds, ownership transitions, operating improvement, cash availability, pricing and business systems. Maritime is a strong fit; the CFO role also lets me apply that experience across industries.
The numbers matter alongside the work, the people and the circumstances behind them.
Coordinated the fleet appraisal at Rose Cay Maritime following vessel reactivation and capital improvements, establishing approximately $420M in fair market value.
Founding CFO on a small startup team, personally building finance, administration and technical management for an 18-vessel business with 115+ mariners and about 20 shoreside staff.
Partnered with McAllister’s CFO on a $115M fleet revolver with a $20M accordion. Reduced principal payments and lower interest released cash and improved investment flexibility.
Rebuilt billing for about 2,400 monthly invoices. Billing staffing moved from eight to two through process improvements, performance management and attrition. The Dynamics conversion followed later.
Examples of taking responsibility, building teams and carrying a solution into daily operations.
18 vessels / 12 active / six cold stacked
I personally ran the day-to-day buildout on a small startup team, taking responsibility for emerging departments until managers were hired. I led budgets, statements, audits, treasury, lenders and covenants, presenting the 13-week cash forecast weekly and joining quarterly board meetings.
One week on site each month for six months
I drove complex vessel work including ballast-water treatment installation. Across the business I negotiated four shipyard contracts totaling over $40M, including two over $12M each, and more than 50 vendor relationships.
$8M+ annual cash availability
I worked with McAllister’s CFO on bank negotiations, ownership confidence, syndication and hedges matched to revolver exposure. Removing scheduled principal amortization and reducing interest created room to invest in the business.
NetSuite / HELM / vessel connectivity
NetSuite had been selected before I arrived. I deferred conversion until operating procedures stabilized, while deploying the full HELM suite as vessels moved under in-house management. I also filled gaps in vessel computers, software and communications to support safe operations.
Customer meetings / operating reviews / audit leadership
I worked with commercial leadership on relationships with major global oil and gas companies. I led the groups that built the Safety Management System and passed audits, served as executive representative for the ISO 9001 audit, and supported U.S. Coast Guard and American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) approvals to meet demanding maritime safety and vessel standards.
Ticketing / reporting / restaurant operations
I led the transformation and built the team that replaced manual cash and paper ticketing with online ticketing, scanning, point-of-sale systems and integrated reporting. With managers and vendors, I redesigned restaurant layouts, service workflows and pricing.
My approach to AI follows the same discipline as any business change: understand the goal, map the process, involve the people doing the work and establish accountability. My current AI learning includes Anthropic coursework and practical exploration.
Talk with the teams, trace the information and understand where decisions stall. Fix unclear responsibilities and broken processes before automating them.
Use a bounded pilot, reliable information and human review. Measure whether the change improves the work, then build the team’s ability to sustain it.
A working framework for evaluating AI and other tools, informed by operating experience. I use this framework to connect technology choices to operating priorities.
Budgets, statements, audits, treasury, covenants and owner reporting make operating decisions possible. Technology should strengthen that foundation.
Core capabilities developed through company building, operating improvement and financial services.
Rose Cay Capital
Review investment memoranda, company information and return models for debt and equity opportunities, bringing maritime expertise and a private-company CFO’s perspective.
Rose Cay Maritime
Personally built financial, administrative and technical-management capabilities on a small startup team. The business generated $60M+ revenue in its first 12 months of service.
McAllister Towing and Transportation
Led IT and finance administration directly and drove improvements through department heads and local managers in a family-owned business with 750+ employees, approximately $300M in assets and 15 U.S. locations. Negotiated the SHIPMAN agreement for LNG bunkering operations in Jacksonville.
Merrill Lynch
Worked on vendor and product tracking automation for the technology infrastructure organization.
Morgan Stanley
Designed and executed distribution of a $50M NASD regulatory payment to more than 70,000 clients.
Prudential Securities
Ran the launch customer-service desk for the first broker-dealer platform offering online balances, transactions and positions, then was selected to manage the full technology development team. Held progressive roles across product development, operations and technology.
Executive MBA sponsored by Prudential Securities. Connecticut College varsity soccer. Active TWIC; previous Series 7 and 63 registrations, no longer active.
Open to the right mandate
I am interested in CFO opportunities with private equity portfolio companies and owner-led businesses that need rebuilding, growth or operating change. Based in Brooklyn and open to relocation.
