Deloitte public sector veteran Matt Williams joins BDO as partner

Former Deloitte partner and NSW public sector specialist Matt Williams has joined BDO as a partner in its Risk Advisory Services practice.

Audit and advisory firm BDO has recruited former Matt Williams to its Sydney-based team. Crossing to BDO as a partner, Williams has spent the past two and half decades with Deloitte, making partner with the Big Four firm in 2006, and has in recent years focused on providing risk assurance services to the NSW public sector.

A Bachelor of Business holder from the University of New England, Williams has over the course of his career developed a wide range of skills across numerous segments including internal audit, risk management, business continuity, and governance – establishing strong relationships with large government clients at both the state and federal levels.

“We’re delighted to welcome Matt,” said BDO Sydney Office Managing Partner Grant Saxon. “With the public sector playing such a critical part in the post-Covid economic recovery, all tiers of Government in Australia are facing a period of rapid change and complexity as demand for innovation in how services are delivered to our communities grows.”

Saxon continued, “As one of Australia’s fastest growing consulting and advisory firms, it is critical that BDO has the right team in place to provide government agencies and departments with the advice and assurance services they need to tackle the structural barriers that stand in the way of enabling change. Matt will be a key member of that team.”

Earlier this year, it was revealed that NSW Government spending among the Big Four alone had topped $90 million during 2020, up 10.6 percent on the previous calendar year. Federal government spending is also rising at an incredible rate, with BDO – the fastest growing top ten accounting and advisory network in Australia – well-placed to capture a greater slice of that market.

Sebastian Stevens, Partner-in-Charge of its BDO’s Advisory practice in Sydney, stated that Williams’s knowledge and experiences with government clients and his long-standing relationships within the market would be invaluable to BDO. Williams meanwhile said he was eager to bring his deep knowledge of the public sector to build on BDO’s existing offering.

Williams is the second partner addition to BDO’s Sydney office announced this month, following James Ainsworth joining its Business Services practice, while, on the back of better than expected results, a raft of partners have been appointed across the firm’s offices Australia-wide since the beginning of the year – taking its total above the 200 mark.