Findex adds Gillespie Advisory to team in Canberra
Accounting and consulting network Findex has boosted its headcount in Canberra through the acquisition of Gillespie Advisory.
Australia’s sixth largest accounting and advisory network by revenue – home-grown player and Crowe Global affiliate Findex – just got a little bit bigger, with the addition of Gillespie Advisory in the ACT.
Gilllespie Advisory’s team of around a dozen accounting and finance professionals will join Findex’s office in Canberra, including founder John Gillespie, who established the practice in 1989.
“After 34 years it was time to firm up a succession plan and I could not have found a better partner to take over ownership,” Gillespie stated. “I am looking forward to my time with Findex and continuing to engage with clients and a larger group of work colleagues. The range and level of professional services has proven to be a great match, and we are continuing to provide the usual valued services and advice to our customers.”
Gillespie Advisory caters to small and medium enterprise clients in the ACT and surrounding NSW region with services in accounting & taxation compliance, financial planning, SMSF (self-managed super-fund) administration, and personnel risk insurance among other areas. The firm says that its existing clients can now benefit from a wider range of tailored solutions covering their complete financial well-being.
The sentiment was echoed by Findex, which described the spirit of the acquisition as staying local but expanding to offer its clients a greater suite of services, with the firm noting its already strong presence in the ACT and long-standing relationships across the territory.
Led by Canberra managing partner Chris Parkinson, the local firm traces its recent heritage back to the 2012 purchase of UHY Haines Norton. DellaVedova & Associates was added in 2019.
Alongside Gillespie, others to join Parkinson and partner Pip Conn at Findex in Canberra following the latest acquisition include new partner Ryan Slater, associate partner Stuart Howard, and accountant Guy Richardson, who was last year’s joint winner of the Mulrooney Medal for the local AFL league’s best & fairest. Probably less popular among his new colleagues is fellow accountant Reuben Keane, who also serves as a Rugby Australia national match referee.
Findex has a network of more than 110 outlets covering Australia and New Zealand, but the closest branches to Canberra are based out of Sydney and Albury – the latter which was recently named as the best performing in the country in the firm’s annual Thrive Awards. Together, the network generates combined annual revenues pushing toward the $400 million mark, placing it behind only BDO and the Big Four in the local market.
According to reports by AFR, Findex is currently in the sights of Sydney-based private equity firm Mercury Capital, with sources saying Macquarie Capital is advising the KKR-backed accounting and consulting firm on a potential transaction.