Debt Restructuring, Advisory, and Finance Expertise.
We guide your business through every stage of the small business restructuring (SBR) process.
Leadership
SBR Advisory & Finance is a specialist advisory firm helping businesses navigate pre, during, and post-SBR (Small Business Restructuring).
Our directors, Craig Nicholas and Pierce Havenstein, bring a combined 47 years’ of experience in lending, restructuring, and turnaround management, gained across multiple economic cycles.
We are not just advisors — we are finance practitioners who understand how debt structures directly impact profitability, cashflow, and long-term sustainability. Unlike traditional practitioners who only see one side of the finance equation, our team has experience across all aspects of the finance market and through every stage of the credit lifecycle — banking, private lending, restructuring, and turnaround.
This perspective allows us to deliver practical, lender-informed strategies that protect businesses, preserve cashflow, and create sustainable pathways to growth.
At SBR Advisory and Finance, our leadership team combines decades of insolvency, restructuring, and financial advisory expertise to guide your business through every stage of the Small Business Restructuring (SBR) process. We believe that practical, finance-led solutions and transparent communication empower directors to regain control and rebuild with confidence.
Craig Nicholas
With over 15 years’ of experience spanning insolvency, restructuring, and lending across multiple economic cycles, Craig has a deep understanding of how financial pressures impact businesses at every stage. His expertise in navigating lending markets gained through his lending experience since 1990, during boom and downturn periods allows him to structure sustainable financing and debt solutions tailored to complex business challenges.
Craig’s pragmatic, finance-driven approach ensures directors retain control of their companies while effectively managing creditor relationships and cash flow constraints.
Pierce Havenstein
Pierce brings extensive experience in corporate advisory and business recovery, with a strong focus on lending strategies and their direct impact on business profitability. Having worked closely with lenders and businesses through multiple economic cycles, Pierce understands how financing structures influence cash flow, operational efficiency, and long-term viability.
His expertise helps businesses optimise their debt profiles to improve profitability while maintaining strong relationships with creditors and stakeholders.
Why Our Leadership Matters
Our directors have a proven track record in guiding Australian businesses through financial distress with integrity and expertise. Together, they lead a team committed to transparent, data-driven restructuring solutions tailored to your unique challenges.
Expert Financial Solutions For Your Business
SBR Debt
Diagnostics
Most businesses carry facilities that cost them far more than they should. Because we are licensed to provide credit advice and have worked across banking, private lending, restructuring, and turnaround, we see inefficiencies others miss.
- Independent, accredited review of all facilities
- Benchmarking against market-leading terms
- Identifying hidden risks, costs, and cashflow blockages
- Lender-ready recommendations to improve terms and outcomes
Restructure & Refinancing
Support
Having sat on both sides of the finance table, we know how to craft proposals lenders respond to. Our licensed, end-to-end approach ensures restructuring and refinancing are aligned with profitability, cashflow, and business stability.
- Bank and creditor negotiations
- Refinancing to improve terms and release cashflow
- Access to both mainstream and alternative lenders
- Structuring backed by accreditations and credit-market experience
Pre, During & Post-SBR Finance & Growth Support
Managing finance through the SBR journey isn’t just about surviving the process — it’s about protecting profitability, stabilising cashflow, and setting the business up for sustainable growth.
Because we are licensed to provide credit advice and have experience across every stage of the credit lifecycle — banking, private lending, restructuring, and turnaround — we know how to structure finance that works before, during, and after SBR.
Pre-SBR: Debt diagnostics, facility reviews, and restructuring options to prepare your business for the process ahead.
During SBR: Hands-on support to keep operations funded, negotiate with lenders, and manage cashflow pressures.
Post-SBR: Access to working capital, private and alternative funding, and finance structures that support recovery and growth.
We deliver ongoing, lender-informed strategies designed to help businesses not only complete the SBR process — but emerge stronger, more profitable, and more resilient.
Typical Flow & Timeline
SBR Debt Diagnostics
5 Days
Restructure Proposal & Creditor Engagement
3–6 Weeks
Implementation & Refinancing
Ongoing Advisory And Support
Solutions in as little as
5 days
100+
Happy Clients
