Horizon Nexus grows to 350 people following PKF and Nexia office additions
Albeit barely off the ground, Horizon Nexus Partners can probably no longer be considered a start-up, having now welcomed the teams from Nexia in Perth and PKF in Brisbane and Townsville.
Launched just six months ago by former PwC leaders Rob Silverwood and Sanjiv Jeraj with the backing of private equity firm BGH Capital, Horizon Nexus Partners has shot out of the blocks faster than any accounting & advisory firm in recent memory.
Since lift-off, Horizon Nexus has added boutique Blaze Acumen and a team from MVA Bennett in Melbourne, and now officially welcomed Nexia’s Perth practice and that of PKF in Brisbane and Townsville, along with a number of senior leaders poached from the Big Four.
“Following the successful launch of our Melbourne office earlier this year, and our growth into Sydney and Perth, we are delighted to welcome the team from PKF in Brisbane and Townsville to Horizon Nexus,” the firm stated of its most recent addition. “This milestone further enhances our capabilities and brings together more than 350 talented professionals across Australia.”
Earlier, it said: “Our firm has experienced another growth spurt – this time joined by the highly respected Mal Di Giulio and a 120-strong team from Nexia in Perth. This marks an exciting step as we expand our presence in the Perth market, leveraging deep local connections formed over fifty years of delivering expertise across advisory, tax, audit, and personal wealth.”
Fast growers
Australia has witnessed some fast-growing consultancies in recent years, in particular Alvarez & Marsal, which launched downunder in earnest in late 2022 and has since grown to around 400 professionals generating revenues upwards of $150 million, and management firm Oliver Wyman, which likewise established a foothold in 2022 and has since grown through aggressive recruitment.
While there have been a few other examples, more commonly as to specialists such as Argon & Co, most have been well-established global businesses prior to then upping their local presence, with another Aussie roll-up in CyberCX one notable exception. Horizon’s jump from bold ambitions to 350 staff in a matter of months feels unprecedented in the current accounting era.
The firm’s stated intent to build up to become a top-ten local provider within a decade. William Buck (alongside Findex and Pitcher Partners as the only home-grown firms in its upper echelons) presently sits in tenth as per last year’s AFR top 100 rankings, with revenues just shy of $200 million and a headcount of above 1,200 staff. Horizon Nexus Partners is already a quarter of the way there.
