Joanna O'Neill - Founder & Chartered Accountant

About Me

My path to becoming a fractional Finance Director hasn’t exactly been traditional, but it’s given me a broader view of business and what finance should really do.

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I started my accountancy training at 18 and qualified at 21, one of the youngest in the UK. After earning my ICAEW membership in 2005, I spent my early career in audit, learning the nuts and bolts of a wide range of businesses before stepping into industry roles.

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Over the next 15 years, I worked across sectors like FMCG, tech, manufacturing, professional services and retail in roles that went far beyond reporting. Strategy, commercial planning, operations, and risk all became part of how I helped businesses grow and make smarter decisions.

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What I really do? I help people make sense of their numbers so they can make decisions they actually feel good about.

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A Change in Direction

In 2018, after finishing my MBA, I decided to tick something off my bucket list, a undergraduate degree. Since I went straight into professional training from school, I’d never had the traditional uni experience, and I was curious.

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So, I went back to study Ancient History, a subject I’d always loved. I graduated in 2021 with First-Class Honours, and the idea for Pallas Athena Consulting started to take shape.

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I wasn't quite done with academia and I won a scholarship to study for a Master's in Museum Studies, graduating in 2025 with a Distinction. During this period I continued to support clients on a fractional and interim basis. That blend of work and study really shaped how I think about leadership, learning and what it means to offer real support.

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Where I Am Now

Today, I work with founders and leadership teams who are growing, shifting, and figuring things out. I don’t do corporate jargon or textbook finance. I help people make sense of their situation, reduce the stress, and move forward with clarity.

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If your numbers are causing more confusion than confidence, let's have a chat. I’d love to hear where you’re at and where you want to go.