BDO adds partners in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney
Mid-tier accounting and consulting firm BDO has appointed new partners in its Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney offices.
In Brisbane, David Ward has been named a partner in the firm’s Corporate Finance service line, which is part of BDO’s Advisory division. Ward joins from Crowe Horwath, where he was a senior partner and Head of the firm’s M&A practice. Previously, he served Big Four firm EY for over two decades, latterly in the role of Head of EY’s M&A business in Queensland. In his new role, he will work across a range of areas including acquisitions, divestments, capital raisings and private equity backed transactions.
“Deal activity and demand for our M&A services in Brisbane and Queensland is on the increase. David is a well-known and trusted advisor to mid-market companies. His appointment bolsters our corporate finance capabilities and allows us to ensure that we deliver exceptional service in this area,” said Steven Sorbello, who is the national leader of BDO’s Corporate Finance arm.
In Melbourne, Jonathan Stone – who specialises in leadership development – has been admitted into the partnership. He helps organisations and leaders develop, focus and deploy workforce and leadership strategy. He focuses on human capital and people advisory services, from defining a new strategy and designing a cultural change program to creating a new operating model and delivering change management programmes.
Stone previously worked for EY as a senior manager, and held talent development and change roles at German low-cost retailer Aldi and FMCG brands HJ Heinz and Fonterra. “The importance of the leadership agenda is increasing in the C-suite,” said David Garvey, managing partner of BDO’s Melbourne office. “There is now a greater strategic focus on leadership and its link to culture and risk, especially in the post-Royal Commission environment. We are delighted that Jonathan is joining the team at a crucial growth phase.”
Also based in Melbourne, Brad Reid has joined BDO’s Business Services division. He brings with him over 26 years’ experience in all areas of taxation and superannuation, specialising in capital gains tax and corporate restructuring. “Our clients want advisors with in-depth knowledge and experience who understand their business needs and simultaneously their family and personal wealth needs. We’re delighted to enhance our offering with the addition of Brad – he is highly regarded in the market and has an impressive network of contacts.”
Reid previously worked for PwC, and formerly was a partner at MGI Melbourne, prior to its acquisition by the Big Four firm, and was an auditor at the Australian Taxation Office, the Government's principal revenue collection agency.
Meanwhile, in Sydney Leah Russell has been hired externally from Crowe Horwath, where she worked for seventeen years. “Leah will play a key part in the growth of our Audit and Assurance business in the Sydney region,” said Grant Saxon, managing partner of BDO’s Sydney office. Russell brings nearly two decades of experience providing internal and external auditing and assurance advisory services, across a diverse range of clients – listed companies, small businesses, not-for-profit companies and family business.
Earlier this year, BDO’s Sydney office also appointed Ali Bolbol, Andrew McFarlane and Mark Griffiths as partners.
Close to 200 partners
The raft of new partner hires has brought BDO’s national tally of partners up to 197. Over the last financial year, growth has allowed BDO to welcome a total of 28 partners to its partnership, with 25% of this group female. “The appointments reflect our strong growth,” said BDO national chairman Helen Argiris, and with projected revenues to hit $300 million in 2019, “attracting high-calibre people is paramount in order to achieve our growth goals.”
