About MSP Advisory
Advice for MSPs, from people who have run them
MSP Advisory is a small team of senior operators who have built, run, bought and sold Australian IT service providers. We work with MSP owners, boards and investors to help them improve margins, growth and scalability, building a business that’s valued.
Why we exist
Most advice for MSPs comes from people who have never run one
Running a mid-sized MSP has rarely been harder. Wages and vendor costs rise faster than contracts, growth adds work faster than it adds profit, customers want answers on AI, and buyers discount anything that looks like a generalist. The owner is usually the one holding it all together.
MSP Advisory brings the experience of people who have been in that seat. We take on a few clients at a time. The people you meet are the people who do the work, the scope and fee are fixed up front, and we judge ourselves on what shows up in your numbers.
What we believe
Four principles behind every engagement
01
Fix the economics first
Before new offers or new technology, ensure every agreement, client and new service delivers the margins and strategic outcomes you need. Transformation built on leaking margin doesn’t last.
02
Do fewer things, properly
Most businesses don’t need everything at once. They need the one or two moves with the biggest commercial effect, done well and measured.
03
The model is changing
Customers are moving from buying units of IT to buying outcomes powered by AI. The providers that win will be Strategic Technology Partners with strong MSP capabilities at their core. Every engagement moves you a step in that direction.
04
Focus on what clients and buyers will truly value
Buyers pay for clean recurring revenue, management depth, a clear specialism and sound technology. All of them can be improved, given time, and the best time to start is before the phone rings.
Meet the team
Three operators, one team
Three operators who have run the kind of business you run. Anthony leads on strategy, operations and value, Stephen on sales, customers and channel, and John on technology.
Founder & Principal
Anthony Woodward
Three decades building, scaling, listing and selling Australian IT service providers.
Anthony co-founded Zip World in the 1990s and sold it to NASDAQ-listed Pacific Internet. In 2000 he founded Bulletproof and grew it from one person to around 200 staff and $50M revenue, listing it on the ASX in 2014 and selling it to AC3 in 2018. As CEO of Logicalis Australia he led more than 300 people from product-led integrator to outcomes-focused MSP, and as Chief Strategy & Transformation Officer at Orro he stood up an AI Centre of Excellence and led automation-driven transformation. He has been the founder weighing an offer, the CEO resetting an operating model and the director holding management to account.
Offer and need
Where Anthony has done it
STP Readiness Diagnostic: strategy
Repositioned Bulletproof ahead of the market three times: managed hosting, Australia’s first pay-as-you-go managed private cloud, then AWS’s first Premier Consulting Partner in the region.
Profit & Performance: operating model
As CEO of Logicalis Australia (300+ staff), moved a product-led integrator to a lifecycle, outcomes-focused MSP, reorganised sales into national industry verticals and cut attrition from over 25% to under 10%.
Profit & Performance: AI and automation
As Chief Strategy & Transformation Officer at Orro, stood up an AI Centre of Excellence with clear governance, drove automation-led cost-out, and consolidated sales and service into single teams.
Two founder exits: Zip World to NASDAQ-listed Pacific Internet, and Bulletproof, listed on the ASX in 2014 and sold to AC3 in 2018. Buy- and sell-side on six transactions over 25 years.
Ongoing Engagement: board & governance
Non-Executive Chair of AI infrastructure provider OrionVM; Non-Executive Director of APRA-regulated in1bank (risk, audit and remuneration committees). MAICD.
Why clients work with Anthony
- Founder empathy, backed by results. Built Bulletproof from one person to 200 staff and $50M revenue, so he knows the trade-offs an owner faces.
- He has led these changes from the inside, so the plan is one your team can deliver.
- Board-ready and independent. An objective read for owners, boards and investors, with culture treated as the first driver of performance.
Career at a glance
Chief Strategy & Transformation Officer, Orro Group (2025)
CEO, Logicalis Australia (2021–2025)
Founder & CEO, Accelera (2019–2021)
Founder, CEO & MD, Bulletproof (2000–2018)
Co-founder & CTO, Zip World (1995–2000)
Credentials
BSc Computer Science (Macquarie) · MAICD · NSW Chair, Pearcey Foundation · Mentor, Inspiring Rare Birds and OneUpOneDown
Principal Consultant
Stephen Sims
More than 25 years leading technology, telecommunications and managed services businesses through growth, turnaround and transformation.
Stephen spent 14 years at Brennan IT, growing its commercial team from 6 to 90 and then serving as CEO from 2015 to 2020, when he doubled NPBT, lifted customer NPS from 31 to 80 and cut churn from 12% to under 5%. He went on to design and launch nbn’s national ICT Partner Program, then joined FUJIFILM Business Innovation as Chief Customer Officer, where he led a $44M turnaround and built new AI, cyber security and automation businesses. Earlier, at BT and Verizon in Europe, he moved a large sales force from product sales to value-based managed services.
Offer and need
Where Stephen has done it
Profit & Performance: turnaround
At FUJIFILM Business Innovation, led a $44M turnaround in three years, from a $32M operating loss to a $12M profit, returning every business unit to profitability.
STP Growth Engine: sales
Grew Brennan IT’s commercial team from 6 to 90 and built a consultative sales model winning over 60% of deals; rebuilt FUJIFILM’s sales structure, methods and commission plans end to end.
STP Growth Engine: customers
As CEO of Brennan IT (around 600 staff), lifted customer NPS from 31 to 80, cut churn from 12% to under 5% and doubled NPBT within four years.
STP Growth Engine: new offers
Built new AI, cyber security and automation businesses from the ground up at FUJIFILM, growing solutions revenue at over 20% CAGR and gross profit at over 40% CAGR.
STP Growth Engine: channel
Designed and launched nbn’s national ICT Partner Program, recruiting 50+ MSPs that generated over 40% of national fibre connections; lifted FUJIFILM’s partner-led revenue from 40% to 70%.
Why clients work with Stephen
- He has run a mid-market MSP. Fourteen years at Brennan IT, the last five as CEO, building one of Australia’s leading mid-market MSP brands.
- He fixes the commercial engine. Sales, pricing, customer success and channel, rebuilt to sell outcomes rather than units of IT.
- He has led change at scale. Turned a legacy print business towards AI, cyber and managed services, with profit to show for it.
Career at a glance
Chief Customer Officer, FUJIFILM Business Innovation (2022–2026)
General Manager, Business, nbn (2021–2022)
CEO, Brennan IT (2015–2020)
GM Sales & Marketing, Brennan IT (2006–2015)
Sales enablement and managed services leadership, Verizon Europe and BT (1998–2005)
Credentials
Executive Program, Stanford University · Foundations of Directorship, AICD
Consulting Fractional CTO
John Ferlito
More than 25 years founding, scaling and integrating Australian managed services and technology businesses.
John co-founded Bulletproof in 2000 and, as CTO, set the technology direction behind nearly two decades of growth to a $50M ASX-listed MSP, including Australia’s first VMware-based public cloud platform and its first AWS MSP. He led technology due diligence on three acquisitions and, when AC3 bought Bulletproof, was the only executive retained to lead the integration, building AC3’s Product function from scratch. Since 2025 he has worked as a fractional CTO to founders and scale-ups.
Offer and need
Where John has done it
STP Growth Engine: platform offers
As co-founder and CTO of Bulletproof, launched Australia’s first VMware-based public cloud platform and made Bulletproof Australia’s first AWS MSP.
Profit & Performance: tooling & IP
Built Bulletproof’s service platform: ServiceNow ITSM, a self-help portal, AWS and Azure managed services, and real-time monitoring and SLA reporting.
Value & Exit Readiness: due diligence
Led technology due diligence on the Infoplex, Patha Corp and Cloudhouse acquisitions. The only Bulletproof executive retained to integrate with AC3, holding employee engagement above 85%.
Profit & Performance: delivery
As Head of Product and Technology at AC3, built the Product function from scratch, consolidated two data centres and rescued a failed six-month ERP migration in 30 days.
Ongoing Engagement: fractional CTO & board
Fractional CTO to founders and scale-ups since 2025. Non-Executive Director of Coviu, Entrepreneur in Residence at UNSW Founders 10x and GAICD.
Why clients work with John
- He has built the platform, not just advised on it. Hands-on across the whole lifecycle, from architecture to production, inside an MSP’s own P&L.
- He knows what changes hands in a deal. Technology due diligence and integration across three acquisitions and the sale of Bulletproof to AC3.
- Senior technology leadership, when you need it. Executive-level CTO support on a flexible, fractional basis, without a full-time hire.
Career at a glance
Fractional CTO, Inodes (2025–)
Head of Product and Technology, AC3 (2019–2021)
Founder & CTO, Bulletproof Group (2000–2019)
Credentials
BE Computer Engineering (UNSW) · GAICD · former President, Linux Australia
Why clients work with us
Experience you can put to work
We’ve run the business you run
Founders, MSP CEOs, a transformation executive and board directors, at Bulletproof, Brennan IT, Logicalis, AC3 and Orro. We understand the trade-offs because we’ve made them.
We work collaboratively with you to achieve results
Senior people stay on the engagement and work alongside your team, from repricing agreements to rebuilding a sales process or a service platform.
We know what buyers pay for
Two founder exits, an ASX listing, six transactions on the buy and sell side, and technology due diligence on three acquisitions. We build the evidence an acquirer or investor will value.
Fixed scope, measured results
Every engagement starts with a clear problem, a fixed scope and fee, and a measure of success. Start with one offer, see the result, and decide what comes next.
Who we work with
Built for the core of the Australian MSP market
Founders and owners
Australian MSPs and IT service providers, most often with revenue between $20M and $100M, fixing a pressing problem, planning their next stage or preparing for exit.
CEOs and leadership teams
Leaders who know the business has to change and want an experienced hand to decide where to start and to make it stick.
Boards, investors and acquirers
An independent read on whether a services business is positioned to grow or exposed to disruption, and operating and technology due diligence on targets.
Where do you want to start?
See the six ways we work with MSPs, or talk it through with our team.