RSM establishes management consulting practice in Canberra

The Canberra office of professional services firm RSM has launched a management consulting practice focused on the government sector.

Supported by the recent appointment of former Apis (Accenture) managing director Tim Ryan as a partner, professional services firm RSM has officially launched a management consulting line in Canberra to kickstart the new year.

In building the practice, Ryan will work closely with Don Holley, who joined the firm in Sydney as a partner mid-year, along with Melbourne-based associate director Sunith de Fonseka.

Speaking with regional news outlet Riotact, RSM said it had in recent years sought to diversify its business and talent to complement its traditional strengths in accounting and financial advisory, making significant investments in areas such as data & analytics, cybersecurity, and ESG. The move into management consulting is forwarded as its latest example, with an initial focus on the federal government.

“We have extensive experience working with industry providers across a range of sectors from health to education and agri-business,” Ryan told the publication. “The ability to draw on this expertise as you’re problem-solving or helping build integrated capability is of great value to our clients. Our government clients are looking for support from organisations that bring this expertise to the table.”

Ryan added that the practice’s primary objective is to partner with government departments and provide a range of tailored implementation and capability-building services supporting transformation and improvement, ranging from business case development to change management, data analytics, cybersecurity, and project and program management.

After a two-decade career at local public sector consultancy Apis – which was acquired by Accenture in 2019 – Ryan has hit the ground running in his new role, with the management consulting team already having expanded to include associate director Chris Perry, who crossed from Kiah Consulting, and former Ernst & Young transactions strategy associate director Peter Duncan, who previously spent close to seven years with Ryan at Apis.

At the national level, his effort’s to build the practice will be supported by another recent recruit in Don Holley, who joined the firm’s Sydney office in July after overseeing his own leadership & transformation consultancy Mindset Group, which was founded in 2009. Ryan’s Melbourne-based counterpart Sunith de Fonseka meanwhile joined RSM at the start of 2022, having previously spent more than a decade in the UK Royal Air Force.

“It really makes a difference being part of such a talented, multi-disciplinary team,” Ryan concluded. “Each member has complementary consulting expertise, which we draw on to support our clients. They actively engage with clients to understand their needs, and then tailor solutions and services to best meet those needs. That model of engagement appeals to me, because I’ve seen it work successfully for government clients.”