AZ NGA

What AZ NGA does

AZ NGA (legal entity AZ Next Generation Advisory Pty Ltd, ACN 167 960 018) is an Australian professional services investment and partnership platform founded in 2014 and headquartered in Sydney. The company builds, owns and scales a network of financial advisory and accounting firms across Australia, providing partner firms with growth capital, succession solutions, governance frameworks, and shared back-office services (HR, paraplanning, technology, M&A execution). As of August 2024 the network comprised 34 partner firms collectively managing approximately A$15.1 billion in assets under advice, with national geographic coverage across New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Tasmania, Western Australia and South Australia.

The underlying technology is not a proprietary platform; AZ NGA operates a holding/investment model rather than a software product. Core capabilities consist of a dedicated M&A team and structured deal processes (158+ transactions completed since inception), shared services delivered through wholly-owned subsidiaries such as Catalina Consultants (HR consulting) and Vital Business Partners (paraplanning and back-office), and governance frameworks including quarterly board meetings and KPI tracking. Recent senior appointments — including a CTO, Head of Product, and Head of Business Improvement in June 2026 — signal investment in shared advice systems, data analytics and process standardisation, but no proprietary technology platform is disclosed.

AZ NGA generates revenue primarily through equity returns from its stakes in partner firms, supplemented by transaction/M&A fees from structuring and executing partnerships, and the long-term capital appreciation of an aggregated platform. Deal structures are flexible — minority stakes, majority ownership, mergers, or outright acquisitions — and pricing is negotiated individually rather than publicly disclosed. The company is private, backed by Oaktree Capital Management (which invested A$240 million in December 2024 to become the largest shareholder) and Azimut Group (the original investor, whose CEO Massimo Guiati serves as AZ NGA Chairman). Its go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven, relying on direct executive engagement with advisory and accounting firm principals, referrals from existing partner firms, and CEO-led industry thought leadership.

Name

AZ NGA

Legal name

AZ Next Generation Advisory Pty Ltd ACN 167 960 018

Website

https://aznga.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

AZ NGA is an Australian professional services investment platform founded in 2014 that builds, owns and scales a network of financial advisory and accounting firms, providing partner firms with growth capital, succession solutions, governance, and shared services. Its 34+ partner firms collectively manage A$15.1 billion in assets under advice nationally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Financial Advisory Network and Professional Services Investment

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), All Other Financial Investment Activities (52399)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Finance Services (6199)

akta.pro primary industry

Managed Account / SMA Multi-Manager Platforms (FSANAGAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Strategic Partnerships, Alliances & JVs Advisory (BPAHADAI)

Keywords

• Professional services network
• Financial advisory investment
• Accounting firm partnerships
• Succession planning solutions
• M&A advisory services

Headquarters

HQ city

Sydney

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Equity Investment Returns: AZ NGA generates returns through equity stakes in partner advisory and accounting firms. As a significant shareholder in multiple businesses, AZ NGA benefits from organic growth and increased valuations of portfolio companies. The firm aims to build businesses of significant capital value.
2. Transaction/M&A Fees: AZ NGA earns fees from structuring and executing mergers, acquisitions, and partnership transactions. The company completed 158+ transactions since inception and is actively pursuing M&A to build scale. Each deal contributes transaction revenue and builds the network.
3. Capital Gains from Investment Exit: With backing from Oaktree Capital ($240M investment) and Azimut, AZ NGA is building a large platform with potential for future exit or IPO. The company aims to create significant capital value through aggregation and scaling of advisory firms.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

AZ NGA invests in, partners with, and acquires stakes in financial advisory and accounting firms across Australia, providing them with capital, governance frameworks, succession planning, M&A execution, and shared operational services (HR, technology, paraplanning). The company operates a network of 34 partner firms that collectively manage A$15.1 billion in assets under advice, and aims to build "Super firms" capable of delivering scaled professional advice services.

Product overview

AZ NGA is a professional services advisory network that provides capital, governance frameworks, and collaborative support to financial advisory and accounting firms. Rather than a traditional software product, AZ NGA operates as an advice platform enabling partner firms to pursue growth through M&A, strategic partnerships, and organic expansion. The network offers services including SME leadership and governance support, entrepreneurial succession planning, capital access, and community collaboration across its member firms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Equity Partnership Investments in Advisory and Accounting Firms Equity partnerships (minority and majority stakes) and outright acquisitions of Australian financial advisory and accounting firms, offering firm owners capital, governance, and growth support.
• Entrepreneurial Succession Solutions Succession planning pathways for retiring principals and partners of financial advisory and accounting firms, enabling business owners to monetize equity while providing continuity for clients and teams.
• Capital Access and Growth Funding Provision of growth capital to partner firms for acquisitions, organic expansion, and strategic investments, funded by institutional capital from Oaktree Capital and Azimut.
• Governance and Strategic Planning Support Provision of governance frameworks, KPI tracking, quarterly board meetings, and strategic planning support to partner firms to professionalize operations and support scaling.
• M&A Facilitation and Deal Execution End-to-end M&A advisory and execution services including target identification, due diligence, deal structuring, integration planning, and transaction management across the network.
• Outsourced HR Consulting Services (Catalina Consultants) Outsourced human resources function support, leadership development, organizational design, and talent management services delivered to AZ NGA partner firms by Catalina's 17 HR consultants.
• Paraplanning and Back-Office Services (Vital Business Partners) Offshore paraplanning and back-office solutions provided to AZ NGA network firms by Vital Business Partners (formerly Virtual Business Partners), an Australia-owned Philippines-based provider.
• Centres of Excellence and Advice Model Office Shared best-practice processes, common technology platforms, integrated change capability, and continuous improvement services delivered across partner firms through dedicated Centres of Excellence.

Quantifiable outcome

• Partner firms have nearly tripled revenue (Pride Advice), completed multiple acquisitions (McKinley Plowman - 4 acquisitions), and achieved scale benefits through merger (Coastline + Edge = $10M revenue, 45 staff, 1500 clients)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers17 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered major and support.

• Entireti (formerly Fortnum Private Wealth)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 August 2024AZ NGA partnered with Entireti and AMP in a strategic alliance. AZ NGA acquired AMP's minority equity stakes in 16 leading AMP-aligned firms for $82.2M. Entireti acquired AMP's financial advice businesses. This was AZ NGA's biggest transaction to date at 158th transaction overall.
• AMP LimitedmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 August 2024AMP partnered with AZ NGA and Entireti to transform its advice business. AZ NGA acquired AMP's minority stakes in 16 firms for $82.2M. AMP retained 30% shareholding in a new joint venture entity with Entireti.
• Catalina ConsultantssupportStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 November 2023AZ NGA acquired Catalina Consultants, an outsourced HR company with 17 HR consultants. The acquisition builds out business support solutions for AZ NGA's network. Catalina provides HR function support, leadership development, organizational design, and talent management.
• Vital Business Partners (VBP)supportStrategic or Co-development PartnerAZ NGA holds a stake in Vital Business Partners (formerly Virtual Business Partners), an Australian-owned, Philippines-based paraplanning and back-office solutions provider. VBP provides outsourcing services to network firms.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Diverger: ASX-listed Australian financial services consolidator building a network of accounting, wealth, and advisory firms. Most direct competitor to AZ NGA with overlapping M&A strategy and target customer base of SME practice owners.
• Centrepoint Alliance: ASX-listed Australian advice and accounting licensee group providing shared services to a network of professional services firms. Directly comparable aggregation model targeting similar succession-driven SME firm owners.
• Entireti: Australian financial advice licensee platform formed from Fortnum Private Wealth and AMP-aligned practices. Partnered with AZ NGA in 2024 AMP deal and competes head-to-head for advisory firm partnerships.
• Count Limited: ASX-listed Australian accounting and advice network serving SME practices. Comparable aggregation strategy with member firms across Australia, including professional services firms seeking scale.
• AUB Group: ASX-listed Australian insurance and financial services brokerage network aggregating SME adviser and accounting firms. Comparable roll-up strategy and equity-partnership model.

Broad incumbents

• HUB24: ASX-listed Australian wealth management technology platform serving advisers, licensees, and accountants. Provides the technology infrastructure underlying many advice businesses, including AZ NGA's network.
• Insignia Financial: ASX-listed major Australian wealth management platform with advice, superannuation, and platforms businesses. Broader incumbent offering overlapping services with AZ NGA's network firms.
• AMP Limited: ASX-listed major Australian financial services group. Strategic partner with AZ NGA in 2024 transaction (selling minority stakes for $82.2M) and competitor for advice market share during its advice business restructure.

Others

• Azimut Group: Italian-listed global asset manager and original AZ NGA strategic investor (Chairman Massimo Guiati is Azimut CEO). Comparable as a wealth platform consolidator operating internationally, with direct strategic relationship to AZ NGA.

Emerging players

• OpenInvest: Australian digital advice and investment platform. Emerging player offering technology-enabled alternative to traditional advisory firms in AZ NGA's competitive set.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Subsidiaries10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about AZ NGA