The Paradigm5 Partners Team

Conor McElhinney

Advisory Board

Conor is an advisory and restructuring partner with leading corporate restructuring firm, McGrathNicol. An expert in business turnaround and restructuring, Conor has advised corporations internationally across a broad range of industries and sizes.

Conor focuses on adding value to businesses through operational and financial reviews, assisting with transactions through financial due diligence, structuring negotiations, and sell-side mandates, and using New Zealand’s corporate restructuring tools to preserve businesses, or maximise returns to stakeholders if that is not possible.

Conor has led many of New Zealand’s large recent insolvencies, such as listed companies Intueri Group, RCR Group, Pumpkin Patch and unlisted insolvencies such as Top Shop, Ziera Shoes, Wild Pair and recently managed Max Fashions through a creditors compromise to save the business.

Shakti Harduar

Managing Director

Shakti has experience in helping mid-market businesses raise capital for growth/expansion and buyout/exit and has been involved in negotiating transaction sizes ranging from $5M to $40M. He has worked with Founders, Shareholders, CEOs, Board Members of businesses with revenues ranging from $5M to $100M to raise capital and assist with buyouts and business exits.

Shakti works with a network of financial investors and debt providers based out of New Zealand, Australia and other geographies and can promptly engage with these capital providers when assisting business owners with raising growth/expansion capital or facilitating buyout/exit.

Shakti also has a passion for value creation through operational improvement and based on his operational experience in mid-market businesses, he has developed sustainable value creation IP centred on building superior competitive advantage.

His background, temperament and passion for great business, along with his extensive network of specialists, make him the ideal partner for business owners and capital partners.

He has previous experience in business transformations and has worked across multiple industries including Building Products Manufacturing, FMCG Manufacturing, Retail, Shipping and Transport and Pharmaceutical. He also has big 4 firm advisory experience starting his working career at Deloitte.