BDO recruits another six senior leaders across Australian offices
Professional services firm BDO has made five fresh partnership appointments across its Australian offices, along with executive director recruit Michael Hill, adding further Big Four experience.
Michael Hill joins as an executive director in BDO’s risk advisory team in Melbourne after having previously spent more than two decades at KPMG, with the local office also welcoming ex-PwC partner Masao Kamiyama as national Japan desk leader.
In addition to Kamiyama, BDO has also brought in Katie McNamara and Joanna Adams from EY as partners in Melbourne and Brisbane, the former as sports & entertainment lead, while Nick Anderson and James Smithers join as partners in Adelaide and Sydney.
Michael Hill
Up until his departure in the middle of last year, Hill held numerous senior leadership positions during his more than 20 years as a risk consulting partner at KPMG, including recent periods heading up strategy, growth & digital and as industry leader for infrastructure, government & healthcare and for gaming, leisure & hospitality.
“With more than 30 years’ experience working across governance, risk and controls, and regulatory compliance, Michael has led numerous high-impact projects, including the design and implementation of regulatory remediation programs, enterprise risk management frameworks, and outsourced internal audit capabilities,” BDO stated.
Masao Kamiyama
An expert in expatriate and employment tax compliance, Kamiyama crosses after the past two and a half years at global mobility consultancy Vialto Partners to head up BDO’s Japan desk, having previously spent five years in the same role at PwC during his almost one and a half decades at the Big Four firm in Melbourne.
Melbourne office managing partner David Garvey highlighted Kamiyama diverse industry knowledge; “Masao’s extensive experience spans a wide range of industries including energy & resources, mining, financial services, IT & technology, retail & consumer, manufacturing, automotive, food, industrial, construction, and real estate.”
Katie McNamara
McNamara meanwhile joins as a project & infrastructure advisory partner in Melbourne from EY, where she spent the past eight and half years and most recently led the firm’s sports, events & venues practice following earlier stints as a senior economist at engineering firms Jacobs, acquisition Sinclair Knight Merz, and Halcrow in London.
“Katie and her team have delivered some of the most significant major events and cultural projects in Australia and globally,” Garvey said. “The move of her entire team to BDO ensures clients can enjoy seamless service continuity and retain access to the deep sector knowledge, technical excellence, and strong relationships that have defined the practice.”
Joanna Adams
Adams likewise jumps to BDO from EY, as a CFO advisory partner in Brisbane, having spent more than three decades at the Big Four firm across three locations accumulating deep knowledge in accounting standards and financial reporting, with particular experience supporting large multinational clients in the mining & resources sector.
Nick Anderson
Anderson joins BDO as business services partner Adelaide, bringing over two decades of experience advising family offices in Australia, the UK, US, and Europe in areas such as investment strategy and operating structures. In addition, he holds significant board experience with public organisations, including currently as a director for Credit Union.
James Smithers
Lastly, Smithers joins BDO as a project & infrastructure advisory partner in Sydney after eighteen years at WSP, including as a member of the national executive and time as NSW advisory lead covering among other areas transport, energy, water, housing, and decarbonisation. His career dates back further still, starting out with PwC in the UK in 1999.
“With the ongoing strong pipeline of infrastructure projects in NSW, it is critical that we have a strong team of experienced advisers in this space,” said Sydney office managing partner Grant Saxon. “James brings a unique ability to bridge technical, financial, and policy perspectives, and his expertise will be instrumental in expanding our infrastructure capabilities.”
