SPECIALISTS IN FINANCIAL MODELLING

About Plum Solutions

Based in Sydney, Australia, Plum Solutions has been providing professional financial modelling solutions since 2004. The business is based on core principles of honesty, integrity, accuracy and professional conduct.

Why choose Plum Solutions

Plum Solutions specialises in financial modelling – that’s all we do!

With decades of experience in financial modelling and analysis experience in a range of industries – chances are we’ve seen your problem before!

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You can engage us for as long or as short as you like; perfect for those ad hoc projects.

You’ll find our rates very competitive, particularly compared to hiring an in-house analyst.

From a simple formula fix to redesigning an inherited model, we’ll get a model working to suit your needs.

Danielle Stein Fairhurst

Danielle Stein Fairhurst

Principal Consultant

Danielle Stein Fairhurst is a financial modelling and analysis specialist. She is the author of “Using Excel for Business and Financial Modelling”, Third Edition published by Wiley Finance 2019 and “Financial Modeling in Excel for Dummies” second edition published by Wiley in 2022. In 2021 she first received the Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) award and in 2022 she was awarded the “Lifetime Achievement Award” at the Financial Modelling Summit.  With over 20 years’ of experience as a financial analyst, she helps her clients create meaningful financial models in the form of business cases, pricing models and management reports.  She has hands-on experience in a number of industry sectors, including telecoms, information systems, manufacturing and financial services.

Danielle has regular engagements around Australia and globally as a speaker, course facilitator, financial modelling consultant and analyst, was a guest on Excel TV and has been interviewed for several industry podcasts. She founded the Financial Modellers’ Meetup groups  as well as a LinkedIn forum with over 220,000 members. An advocate for women in finance, she was on the Diversity Council for the ModelOff Financial Modeling World Championships and founded the Women in Financial Modelling online community. She is a Master Financial Modeler (FMI) and holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Macquarie Graduate School of Management (MGSM) and has taught management accounting subjects at Sydney University.

Qualifications

  • Master Financial Modeler (MFM, FMI)
  • Master of Business Administration (MBA, MGSM)
  • Certified Diploma in Accounting and Finance (CDAF, ACCA)
  • Bachelor of International Business Relations (BaIBR, GU)

Plum Solutions Clients

Past and current clients include SMEs and major corporations in the following industries:

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Wealth Management

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Media

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Manufacturing

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Education

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Life Insurance

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Call Centres

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Private Investment

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Mortgage Broking

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Financial Services

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Non-profit

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Architecture

As a new user of dynamic arrays, this course was a bit of a stretch, but the pacing and format made it very accessible. The exercises and case study provide loads of practice, and Danielle is a wonderful presenter. I look forward to exercising my new skills!

 

Financial Modelling with Dynamic Array...

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Alison Rowe, Civic & Social Organization  
Alison Rowe, Civic & Social Organization
Lots of useful tips and tricks for building cleaner models and move faster in excel. Lovely vibe overall in the course :)! Thanks, Danielle for all the info! Financial Modelling in Excel, Live, Online Training November 2024
Livia Ditu, Financial Controller, Sezamo (Rohlik)  
Livia Ditu, Financial Controller, Sezamo (Rohlik)

eat and engaging course with Danielle. Tonnes of super useful tips and tricks – got value from the first session and then kept collecting golden nuggets! So nice to have like-minded people that are equally as excited and dorky about Excel as I am, but also passionate about making the most rob

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Natalie Horesh, CFO, Globacap Technology Limited 
Natalie Horesh, CFO, Globacap Technology Limited

Great course. Easy to navigate and follow.  Danielle is a great instructor  with many years of experience.  My biggest takeaway from the course is her best practice approach. This is a great course that is highly recommended. Thank you.

Financial Modelling in Excel, Online, August

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Bettina Welgemoed, IT for the health industry 
Bettina Welgemoed, IT for the health industry
It covered a lot of areas, and the examples were easy to follow. Great instructor.  Very approachable and enthusiastic. Excel Modelling for Microsoft 365, Live, In-House workshop, November 2025
Mining Technology and Engineering Industry 
Mining Technology and Engineering Industry

I’m new to Excel having used Google Sheets previously so I found the course useful for me to get an understanding of the layout of Excel and how to navigate around the various screens.

You could clearly tell Danielle is passionate and knowledgable about excel which made the day engaging.

 

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Charlie Miles, Operations Analyst- Finance, Melbourne 
Charlie Miles, Operations Analyst- Finance, Melbourne
Highly knowledgeable! It was great that Danielle gave guidance on what the dos and don’ts are. Too often we look at data / graphs that don’t tell the story!
 IT Industry, MYOB
It allows us to practice during the lesson, and the material example is easy to follow. It’s easy to understand from her and she loves what she is teaching.   Essential Modern Excel for Microsoft 365,  Live, In-House workshop, September 2025
Aviation Industry, Brisbane 
Aviation Industry, Brisbane