S I M P S O N
Advisors
Our Mission
At Simpson Advisors, we support leaders in higher education to address today’s challenges through strategic, forward-thinking financial solutions — empowering institutions with the insight, tools, and strategies to thrive in the years ahead.
Empowering Leaders
Strengthening Institutions
Enabling Sustainable Success
Our Work
At Simpson Advisors, we partner with higher education institutions to strengthen financial performance and long-term sustainability. We help leaders and their teams connect institutional mission and strategy with the financial frameworks that enable success.
Through our proven approach — Financial Strategy Mapping — we identify the drivers of financial sustainability and align them with the systems, processes, and priorities that matter most. This enables finance and business leadership to move beyond operational management and become strategic partners in achieving institutional goals.
We design comprehensive financial strategies that set clear principles, goals, and objectives. These strategies link short- and long-term needs with financial capacity, supporting effective investment in people, infrastructure, and technology.
Our focus is helping institutions transform their financial management practices to be more strategic, agile, and aligned with their mission — enabling sustained success in a changing higher education environment.
“Andrew brings a wealth of strategic and operational management experience from his national and international career in the university sector."
Building Financial Resilience
Curious how institutions can strengthen financial performance while staying true to their mission? In this podcast, I take part in a round table where I share my work with Rutgers University and discuss how culture, strategy, and leadership came together to drive meaningful results.
Listen to 'Building Financial Resilience Through Culture and Strategy: A Higher Education Case Study' at the YouTube link to the right or at the links below.
About Me
Andrew Simpson
Executive Leader and Advisor
I am an executive leader and advisor with over 30 years of experience in the senior leadership of universities, research organisations, and technology institutes across New Zealand, Canada, the United States, and the Pacific.
At Simpson Advisors, I engage with higher education leaders in the important conversations about success and long-term financial sustainability. I work alongside leadership teams to review and develop institutional strategies that strengthen performance and enable transformation.
My expertise spans strategic finance, including economic modelling, resource allocation, budgeting and capital planning, enterprise systems and technology, and organisational design. A key focus is aligning an institution’s mission, culture, and priorities with the financial and operational structures that enable them.
Throughout my career, I have led successful transformations in financial management, treasury, property development, IT systems, and broader business operations. I am committed to driving positive impact and measurable improvement through innovation, collaboration, and disciplined strategy.
My goal is to provide leading, relevant, and sustainable solutions that help higher education and research organisations meet today’s challenges and thrive into the future — serving students, faculty, researchers, professional staff, governance boards, and their wider communities.
“Andrew Simpson’s focused strategic experience and long history of success managing financial and operational decisions in the higher education sector is extremely rare.”
What is Strategic Finance?
Strategic Finance is a proactive, forward-looking approach to building financial capacity. It integrates all aspects of financial management into a cohesive framework of principles, goals, and targets designed to support an institution’s mission. This approach prioritises long-term, multi-generational success, ensuring that financial outcomes are central to achieving institutional objectives rather than a byproduct of other priorities.
At many institutions, finance is treated reactively, with leaders focused on immediate operational challenges. Strategic Finance shifts this perspective, positioning financial outcomes alongside other strategic considerations and linking every operational and strategic decision to long-term sustainability.
The benefits of higher education to society, communities, and the world hinge on institutions achieving sustainable financial outcomes. This requires strong financial results, effective cash flow and liquidity, and a strategic approach to capital structure and treasury operations. It involves aligning strategic capital investments with budget affordability, maintaining facilities and technology, addressing deferred maintenance proactively, and ensuring resources are deployed efficiently to support teaching, learning, research, and student success.
By taking this comprehensive approach, Strategic Finance enables institutions to strengthen their mission, safeguard their future, and deliver lasting impact.
Collaborate and Consult
Strategic Finance is about turning insight into action. At Simpson Advisors, we help leaders align financial outcomes with their institution’s mission and strategy.
We’d love to hear from you — whether you’re curious about our approach or want to discuss your institution’s priorities.
Email us at: simpsonadvisors@outlook.com or use the form below.
