Nexia recruits law chief Amber Matthews as next CEO in in Sydney

The Sydney office of accounting and advisory network Nexia has taken the unusual step of appointing DLA Piper’s former Australia managing partner Amber Matthews as its next CEO.

Matthews takes over from Andrew Hoffmann as chief executive at Nexia in Sydney in late January after leading the global law firm in Australia for the past six years, before which she was general counsel of DLA Piper based out of London.

A law graduate of ANU, Matthews hasn’t previously worked in a traditional ‘consulting’ capacity, but is experienced in M&A advisory and risk management. Her ‘outsider’ appointment mirrors that of recently-appointed global CEO Matthew Howell.

“Nexia Sydney has grown substantially and is now at a pivotal point in its evolution,” said Emma Zadow, who was appointed as Sydney chair in May and also comes from a legal background. “Amber’s management and leadership experience at DLA in London and Sydney equips her with highly transferable professional services expertise that she will bring to the accounting profession.”

Having graduated an arts and law double at Australian National University, Matthews first joined Phillips Fox in 1999 prior to its merger with DLA Piper, before then heading to the UK to work in the firm’s corporate transactions team and later being appointed general counsel, a role she held for eight years overseeing risk management and compliance before returning to Australia in 2019.

As DLA Piper managing partner for Australia, she led a team of more than 600 lawyers and business services professionals spread across offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth, and was responsible for guiding the firm’s local strategy, expansion, and performance. Nexia in Sydney has around three dozen partners and is part of the top-fifteen accountancies in the country.

“I am delighted to be joining Nexia Sydney at such an exciting time for the firm,” Matthews said. “Nexia has a strong foundation, an ambitious team, and a clear vision for the future. I’m looking forward to working with the team to build on that momentum, strengthen our services and capabilities, enhance our digital transformation, and support our clients to succeed.”

She continued; “After many years in senior leadership roles in a global law firm, I’ve seen first-hand what makes professional services businesses thrive – a strong culture, clarity of strategy, trusted client relationships and a willingness to adapt and evolve. Those fundamentals translate powerfully, and I’m excited to bring that experience into the accounting and advisory space.

Current Nexia Sydney managing partner Andrew Hoffmann, who has led the business since mid-2023, will remain with the firm in an audit partner role, with Matthews stating; “On behalf of the board, I would like to thank Andrew for his strong and effective leadership in shaping the firm’s strategy over recent years. We look forward to his ongoing contributions to Nexia Sydney.”

Law and consulting

There have been a few recent examples in Australia of upper-senior leaders crossing between the legal and consulting sectors, but mostly in the context of the Big Four’s attempted encroachment on and subsequent withdrawal from providing legal advisory, and the more recent push-back from law firms establishing their own advisory wings, including at Ashurst among others.

Former Ernst & Young Melbourne managing partner Annette Kimmitt being recruited as head of MinterEllison is one notable example, while former Sydney-based global King & Wood Mallesons CEO Sue Kench went in the opposite direction, recently joining EY’s global governance council. The latter example however, in professional services terms, remains particularly rare.

Ironically, at the global level, the $5 billion-plus Nexia network recently appointed Matthew Howell as its global CEO, after he’d spent a decade out of the advisory business. Zadaow is also now chairing Nexia Sydney after heading global business development for both Coors and Herbert Smith. On the flip-side, new Adelaide managing partner Robert Prime is practically a stalwart.