Jirsch Sutherland recruits Hanzel Hizola for Gold Coast ambition
Hanzel Hizola has joined Jirsch Sutherland as a principal ahead of the consultancy’s planned expansion to the Gold Coast – a region experiencing a growing number of insolvencies.
Specialist insolvency and turnaround consultancy Jirsch Sutherland is expanding its coverage on the Gold Coast, recruiting Hanzel Hizola to establish a new local office in response to the region’s growing number of company failures within its two largest industries, namely hospitality and construction.
Hizola joins the firm as a principal from Worrells, and will for now work out of Jirsch Sutherland’s Brisbane office alongside three partners.
Prior to his twelve years as a manager at Worrells, Hizola spent around five years between PwC, PKF, and Lawler Partners (now part of PKF), and brings altogether close to two decades worth of industry experience. His first gig was as an accountant with insolvency and business advisory Rodgers Reidy in Sydney, alongside Jirsch Sutherland’s now national managing partner Bradd Morelli and Brisbane office colleague Melissa Lau.
“Hanzel’s experience and expertise are outstanding, so it makes sense to support him in achieving his registration as a liquidator, it’s an important part of the career progression journey. His strong relationship-building skills are a perfect fit with the firm’s culture,” Morelli said, adding that Hizola’s appointment demonstrated the firm’s commitment to serving the Southeast Queensland and Northern NSW region.
Jirsch Sutherland’s Gold Coast expansion plans come as the region continues to battle economic headwinds, with the latest CreditorWatch business risk index again noting Southeast Queensland and in particular Surfers Paradise and its surrounds as the most vulnerable in Australia due to its heavy reliance on hospitality and construction – local businesses being hampered by a lack of international tourism and higher commercial rents.
Incidentally, prior to his career in accountancy, Hizola worked as a trained chef. “Like many of my peers, I fell into insolvency,” Hizola stated, adding that he was excited to be setting up the new Gold Coast office. “I look forward to creating and strengthening relationships with local referrers including accountants and lawyers, in addition to directors of SMEs. My days as a chef also mean I understand the challenges of the restaurant sector well.”
In addition to Lau, who has been a partner at Jirsch Sutherland for the past three years and has a further background at Baker Tilly and KPMG acquisition Ferrier Hodgson, Hizola will also be working alongside Queensland partner Chris Baskerville, a former FTI Consulting and KordaMentha corporate finance and restructuring director who established the Brisbane office in 2014, two decades after the company was first founded in Sydney.
