Moore appoints Rochelle Hawkins and Michael Sutherland
Accounting and advisory firm Moore has recruited former KPMG partner Rochelle Hawkins as a director in its governance and risk advisory division, and appointed Michael Sutherland as national head of quality.
Graduating with a business administration degree in accounting with RMIT, Rochelle Hawkins first joined KPMG as a student in 2006 before steadily working her way up the ranks. She is credited in her previous role with having established and developed a nationally recognised specialist risk advisory practice from inception and building and leading its multidisciplinary team.
“Rochelle is a highly respected leader in governance and risk, and her appointment significantly strengthens our capability,” said Victoria CEO Steven Sakkas. “She brings a rare combination of technical depth, strategic leadership and practical delivery, and her experience advising boards and government in complex, high-risk environments will be invaluable to our clients.”
Hawkins has throughout her career advised government, non-profits and corporate executives on regulatory reform, governance, assurance, risk management and compliance, particularly in high-stakes areas such as child safety and for other vulnerable communities, and is recognised for her ability to translate complex policy into practical actions at the organisational level.
“Society’s attitude to risk has seen drastic changes in the past decade, where governance failures of any type or size are no longer tolerated,” Hawkins said. “Moore’s strong client focus and national platform provide an excellent opportunity to help organisations across all sectors navigate regulatory complexity and strengthen their governance and risk frameworks.”
Meanwhile, Moore recently promoted Michael Sutherland as its new national head of quality. Based in Melbourne, Sutherland joined the firm as audit operations lead in 2024 from the Victorian Auditor-General’s Office (VAGO), having earlier kicked off his career with nine years at Ernst & Young following a commerce-arts double with the University of Melbourne.
As per the firm, Sutherland in his new role will lead Moore’s quality management framework, supporting the ongoing implementation and enhancement of regulatory processes and working closely with firm leaders and service line teams to strengthen consistency, regulatory readiness, and a culture of continuous improvement across the network.
“Robust quality frameworks sit at the heart of confidence in our profession, and the strength of our quality framework is the foundation of our reputation and licence to operate,” stated Moore chair David Tomasi. “As regulatory expectations continue to evolve, it is essential that firms invest in strong systems, disciplined governance and capable leadership.”
