Nuwaru rebrands as WTS Australia after joining global tax network

Established in 2019 by former Big Four and finance leaders, tax advisory Nuwaru has rebranded to WTS Australia, joining the global network with members in more than 100 countries.

Headquartered in Sydney with coverage in Melbourne and Brisbane, WTS Australia boasts a 17-strong partnership team, most who have previous senior experience at the Big Four or leading global financial services institutions.

The independent firm provides end-to-end tax services free of potential audit conflicts, spanning advisory, structuring, compliance, M&A, and technology with additional expertise in specialist areas such as GST and stamp duty.

“The decision to co-brand with WTS was unanimous and was made in the full interest of our clients who have international business,” stated Nuwaru founding partner and chief executive James Jobson. “It is a signal that we want to assist them as a long-term partner at the global level. We are very much looking forward to bringing out clients closer to the WTS Global community.”

Jobson, prior to setting up Nuwaru, served as head of tax advisory for UBS in the Asia Pacific, while other founding partners include former Deutsche Bank APAC group tax lead David Early (who earlier spent time at PwC), ex-Deloitte and KPMG partner Todd Fielding, and veteran KPMG duo Rod Henderson and Patrick Hunt, who both spent around 30 years at the Big Four firm.

Now, they will continue to ply their trade under the WTS banner, which last year celebrated its twentieth anniversary and has a presence in more than 100 countries worldwide – including shortly across the ditch, with the Nuwaru team also currently developing WTS New Zealand. Additionally, the local branch is working closely with member firms in Asia to drive greater regional growth.

“I am extremely proud of Nuwaru and what we’ve achieved to date, but I am equally excited about what it means to be part of a truly global firm the calibre of WTS Global,” Jobson said. “From the first time we met, it was clear this was a group just like us: client-focused, commercially astute, entrepreneurial, innovative, passionate about technology, and focused on building a global firm.”

A stipulation of membership, WTS firms strictly refrain from providing audit services to avoid the conflicts of interest which plague the Big Four and other accounting & advisory networks. Meanwhile, WTS Australia describes its tax management as a key differentiator, enabling it to deliver core services such as tax function outsourcing, governance, and risk management.

Speaking on the move, WTS Global CEO Wim Wuyts said, “We are proud Nuwaru is now WTS Australia and thank the entire partnership for their trust. With this spirit and drive we will together with our member firms elevate WTS Global to the next level in the international tax landscape and further strengthen our position as the leading global non-audit tax partner.”