Presenter Profiles
Aileen Robertson
Pinnacle HRPinnacle HR provides consultation, advice and training for employers in management, HR, IR and governance for not-for-profits and small to medium businesses.
Aileen is a Director of PHR with extensive management and governance experience principally in the not-for-profit sector.
Allan Swan
SolicitorSwan & Yii
As a director of the Melbourne law firm Swan & Yii Pty Ltd, Allan Swan acts for a diverse range of clients assisting them to achieve their personal objectives in respect of the wealth they own or control. Allan’s particular focus is working to pre-empt problems that may occur in the future, whether those problems might be taxation, business risk, family dispute or vulnerability.
Allan Swan works with private clients and their accounting, financial advisors and legal practitioners relating to the legal aspects of Asset and Wealth Management, namely:
Asset Protection
- Estate Planning
- Ownership of Funding
- Strategy
- Structuring
- Superannuation
- Tax
- Trusts
Allan has 3 specialist accreditations, namely as:
a Chartered Tax Adviser – TIA
- an Accredited SMSF specialist – SPAA
- Trusts and Estate Practitioner – STEP
Allan holds degrees in Law and Economics and a Diploma in Financial Services.
Andrea Aguas
Andrew Conway
Chief Executive OfficerInstitute of Public Accountants
As one of Australia’s youngest chief executive officers and the accounting profession’s rising stars, Andrew has played a direct role in shaping corporate regulation. He has represented the Australian government through international delegations which included observing the 2002 congressional elections in the United States and in 2006 the Peoples’ Republic of China with APEC.
Prior to joining the Institute of Public Accountants, Andrew was appointed Chief of Staff by Australia’s Prime Minister to provide strategic and policy advice. He has also worked as an accountant for an Insolvency firm in Australia.
Andrew is a qualified accountant, holds a Bachelor of Commerce, Bachelor of Teaching and has completed a Masters in Commercial Law. Andrew occasionally lectures at Deakin University and was recently appointed Professor of Accounting (honoris causa) of the Shanghai University of Finance and Economics.
In 2001, Andrew received the Centenary Federation Medal by HM Queen Elizabeth II through the Order of Australia for community service
Andrew Fricot
DirectorPayroll Tax Solutions Pty Ltd
Andrew Fricot is the founder and director of Payroll Tax Solutions Pty Ltd. He has over 15 years professional experience working in the field of payroll tax and other state taxes, grants and rebates. He has fine-tuned his knowledge working in both the public and private sectors. The majority of his experience has been as a key payroll tax spokesperson and advisor for Revenue NSW (formerly NSW Office of State Revenue) offering education and technical advice to auditors, accountants, solicitors, bookkeepers, payroll managers, directors and CFOs.
Andrew Mills
Senior ConsultantJRC Financial Services
Andrew has a background in financial markets including time spent in stockbroking and corporate treasury. He has also worked in consulting roles, where he specialised in SME clients across a wide variety of industries. Andrew holds a Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance & Investment, a Bachelor of International Business and is working on his MBA.
Andrew Russo
PKF Kennedy
Andrew Russo works with business leaders to unlock the potential in their business by helping them to develop and implement powerful strategies to address their key growth and profit issues. Andrew is an accredited Mindshop facilitator, a fellow of the Institute of Chartered accountants and has had 32 years of providing management services to SME’s.
Ani Tuna
Practising Tax
Since joining Practising Tax in 2009 Ani has been, amongst other things, the author of several Practising Tax publications, the founder of the successful Grad Tax programme and a highly regarded deliverer of both face-to-face and online training sessions. Many clients also know Ani as the person who resolves their technical queries.
Ani is responsible as well for marketing Practising Tax’s products and services, and is our go-to person for all matters technology (including social media).
Anne McGowan
Protecting Seniors Wealth
Anne McGowan is a speaker, author, specialist consultant and educator recognised as an authority on financial senior abuse and prevention. Through delivering expert training for professional development programs, consulting and guide publications, Anne helps professionals who help seniors manage their finances to offer an impactful well-informed professional service.
She is the CEO of Protecting Seniors Wealth, an advocate for seniors and elders and the importance of protecting them and their finances - assisting to keep them safe and secure. Anne brings a successful background in banking, and in business as a professional qualified public relations consultant assisting many high profile clients, along with her valued experience as a business communications studies teacher and course coordinator.
The author of two books; The Ultimate Betrayal and Protecting Seniors Wealth Guide, and published articles, Anne tailors educational training programs for industry professionals on the sensitive and sometimes complicated issue, to help them assist senior clients who are planning for their own senior years, and those who are helping elder senior loved ones manage their financial affairs - protecting their finances for their later years with dignity, along with their future generations.
Anne firmly believes we can create a better future and deal with the alarming and increasing trend, and that creating more awareness about the disturbing facts are imperative for everyone – most importantly the seniors, the loved ones who lose inheritance and the professionals at risk of losing valued clients.
She is the founder of Protecting Seniors Wealth, establishing the organisation as a ‘communications hub’ with a broad focus on education. Designed to be a resource for obtaining information and providing quality communication tools that can be utilized towards prevention of financial senior abuse, and for sharing with clients to avoid the financial abuse leading to other forms of abuse.
Ashley Course
DirectorARC Super
Ashley is the Director of ARC Super which specialises in the provision of SMSF audit, technical and training services. Ashley has extensive experience designing and developing audit software, plans and programs. For the last 13 years Ashley has trained and developed audit content for the professional accounting bodies, accounting firms and audit software providers. Ashley has also been part of a number of ATO and Treasury working and stakeholder groups over the years.
Barrie Adams
Corporate Consultant and Company Director
Barrie Adams PSM FCPA has enjoyed his careers in the private sector and with the Commonwealth and State Governments.
He commenced with the Shell Group of Companies in Brisbane then Sydney and Melbourne which culminated in his appointment as the South Pacific Audit Manager.
Barrie then returned to Brisbane where he held a number of senior positions in the Corporate Affairs Office, including in 1989, his appointment as Director, Corporate Development and Operations.
He was appointed as Queensland’s first Regional Commissioner of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) in January 1991 until March 2000. In January 2000, he was awarded the Public Service Medal for outstanding public service as Regional Commissioner in Queensland.
Barrie has been an active member of CPA Australia and was a Director on the Board of CPA Australia for 3 years.
Since leaving ASIC, he has held board positions on listed and unlisted public companies. He continues to hold board positions including the position of Chairman. Barrie is the Chairman of three Compliance Committees and still chairs two Audit & Risk Committees.
Barrie delivers presentations on Corporate Governance, Risk Management, Directors’ Duties and Ethics. He is a regular presenter for CPA Australia on Governance and Corporate Social Responsibility.
He is Chairman of QUT’s Business Advisory Committee and the President of the Eumundi Chamber of Commerce. He has a strong involvement in the community.
Ben Avery
Boaz Fischer
CommsNet
Boaz Fischer is the Chief Executive Office of CommsNet Group, a firm that he founded in 1996 specialising in helping organisations to develop security best practices.
Boaz has been collaborating with IPA since 2014 on the subject of information security, helping generate greater visibility, understanding and knowledge to protect its members against becoming a cyber victim.
He is the author of three books – “The Essential Guide To Information Technology Security Best Practices (2010)”, “Protecting Your Business from Cyber Attacks In Only 10 Minutes A Day (2015)”. “Protecting Your Business From Insider Threats In 7 Effective Steps (2017)”. And the fourth book (due out in 2019) – “Protecting Your Business From Cyber Threats In Only 2 Minutes A Day”. He has also published over a hundred articles and white papers on security best practices.
Boaz is also a certified in Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) with a strong passion and interest in understanding the human side of relationship, behaviour and performance – and how that impacts business success.
Brenda Will
DLP lifedesign
Brenda is an accredited Aged Care specialist adviser, Certified Financial Planner, holds a Diploma and Advanced Diploma in Financial Services as well as a Bachelor of Science and a Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine & Surgery (Hons) and has worked in financial advice and retirement planning for over 20 years. Brenda is a passionate advocate of ageing well and works with families in exploring financial and accommodation options that help to prioritise health, lifestyle and fulfillment no matter what your age.
Brenton Cox
Accounting and Technical ManagerNot For Profit Accounting Specialists
Brenton works as a consultant to not-for-profits, charities and social enterprises and his areas of expertise include start-up work, governance matters, nfp sector technical advice, accounting/finance work and compliance/legal matters. He has advised and assisted many different not-for-profit organisations from around Australia and he also runs training sessions for not-for-profit boards.
Brett Challans
National Innovations Tax DirectorBrett has worked in the ATO for over 20 years, which has included various roles in audit, advice and technical areas. Brett is currently the ATO’s National Innovations Tax Director, where he is responsible for the ATO’s oversight of the Research and Development Tax Incentive and Venture Capital innovations.
Brett Davies
Dr Brett Davies is an Adjunct Professor at The University of Western Australia law school. Dr Davies is also Adjunct Reader at the Curtin Business School where he has lectured the Estate Planning and Superannuation units since 2001. He has lectured at Western Sydney in insurance tax law.
Dr. Davies is the tax partner of the national practice Legal Consolidated Barristers & Solicitors. Brett gives back to the tax community having sat on:
- the Tax Institutes’ national Education Committee
- Law Society’s tax committee
- Law Council of Australia’s Tax Committee
Brett has 7 degrees including 4 law degrees. His Doctorate is in tax succession planning. His MBA is in tax. He listed his previous law firm on the ASX in 2007 and was the second person in the world to do this.
Brett has authored over 2,000 articles and over 1,250 videos. He is the co-author of Thomson Reuters’ Australian Financial Handbook and editor-in-chief of CCH’s Australian Estate Planning.
Brett Thornett
DirectorApplied Education
B Bus – Accounting, CPA Brett spent the early years of his professional career applying his accounting qualifications in public practice, mostly with Mann Judd. He later held commercial positions in a number of significant organisations including the NSW public utility AGL and has lectured in commercial law, accounting, finance and accounting data applications. Brett joined Applied Education in 2001. His success in training and professional qualifications made him the ideal person to set up Applied Education’s Payroll & Office Tax Procedures and Salary Packaging training courses. He has followed on from this to develop and deliver Applied Education’s Certificate IV in Financial Services (Bookkeeping) to assist Bookkeepers with the licensing requirements of the Tax Practitioners Board.
Testimonials
"Slides were great - they contained a great mix of examples and relevant information. Brett's question answering skills were great."
"Choice of presenter is so important and Brett did not disappoint - his knowledge and ability to pass on that knowledge was fantastic. Well done IPA, I'm suitably impressed."
Brian Bendzulla
NetActuary Pty Ltd
Brian is an actuary with more than 25 years of experience in Australia; South Africa and the UK.
Actuaries are experts in designing processes to manage uncertainties, and Brian’s specialisation is to apply this to individuals’ post retirement financial risks.
He has a Bachelor of Science degree majoring in Maths and Economics; a University Teaching Diploma; he is a SPAA Superannuation Specialist and authorised financial planning representative; a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries of Australia and an Affiliate of the London Institute.
His firm, NetActuary, uses IT, maths and actuarial techniques to construct better retirement outcomes strategies.
Carla Vinciullo
Carla is a Partner in the Employment and Workplace Relations team at Murfett Legal. Carla has more than 14 years’ experience advising clients across a range of industries, from small businesses to multinationals, with respect to their employment, human resources, workplace, industrial relations and occupational safety and health needs.
Carla frequently appears as counsel in employment and workplace relations matters, including in the Fair Work Commission, Western Australian Industrial Relations Commission, the Federal Circuit Court and the Federal Court. She has practiced in both Sydney and Perth, including secondments to Qantas and UGL Limited.
Carla enjoys partnering with clients to find practical solutions and minimise legal risk
Carrie Payne
DirectorView Legal
Carrie Payne is a lawyer with View Legal who brings with to her role a decade of experience in the health industry.
Carrie works closely with advisers from accounting, financial planning and law firms regarding succession and tax planning matters.
She has a client focussed approach and strives to deliver exceptional service to all clients and advisers.
Chris Catto
DirectorPutney Breeze
Chris is the Director of Putney Breeze Business Advisors, a specialist performance management business. Prior to this he has worked in a number of senior financial and management accounting roles during which he significantly improved executive management reporting, product development, cash flow, team performance, budgeting and forecasting. He has been responsible for due diligence on acquisition targets for a multinational and has been employed by Aviva, the BBC, Toll and Southcorp.
Chris holds a Bachelor of Commerce and an MBA and delivers professional training seminars and workshops for all three of the accounting governing bodies.
Claire Miller
Cleo de la Harpe
Cleo has worked in the area of income tax law, in particular R&D Tax Concession and the R&D Tax Incentive, for the better part of her career. Cleo's impressive background in general tax and law provides a strong foundation for comprehensive, reliable and appropriate advice; her particular expertise is in the interpretation and application of legislation associated with the R&D Tax Incentive. Having worked with the ATO in a variety of senior positions, Cleo also had the opportunity to learn about many aspects of the tax auditing process. The major ‘take home’ message, she believes, is the value of being prepared for the inevitable visit from the taxman - a message more important now than ever before!
Colin Atkinson
CA Management Services pty ltdColin is one of the few Chartered Accountants who has been recognised as an IT Specialist by the Institute of Chartered Accountants. Colin has over 30 years of experience installing all the major SME business packages and can share the practical things you need to implement these essential strategies
Corey Anderson
Customer Success ManagerCorey has been training and consulting on accounting software for over 11 years and draws on the knowledge & skills from having spent over 10 years in public practice accounting working with a wide range of business owners to assist accountants, bookkeepers and their clients.
Corey is passionate about working with accountants and bookkeepers so they can easily collaborate, work efficiently, value add and get the most out of IPA Books+.
Corey also has been an IPA member for almost 18 years.
Courtney Clowes
DirectorKnowledge Equity
Courtney is a director of KnowledgEquity and provides accounting and business training and consulting services. He has worked in a range of industries and provides services including working capital management, analysis of financial position and performance, budgeting and strategic planning processes, cost control strategies and use of financial information for decision making.
Courtney was previously a lecturer in accounting at Deakin University and is an experienced author and presenter at professional development courses, conferences and workshops on management accounting, corporate governance and financial management. He is also co-author for CPA Program professional level segments, including Strategic Management Accounting, Contemporary Business Issues, and Ethics and Governance.
Damien Bowen
DirectorBowen Buchbinder Vilensky
Damien heads up the firm's Family Law section. With more than 30 years experience as a Family lawyer, and an accredited Family Law specialist for more than 19 years, his particular areas of practice are financial settlements and financial agreements.
Damien has many years of experience in all aspects of Family Law including negotiated and litigated financial settlements involving property, maintenance and child support and mediated and litigated resolution of child matters such as residence and contact and specific issues.
Danette Fenton-Menzies
Director of Learning
Danette is Director of Learning for Magical Learning. She is a CPA and Chartered Accountant with over twenty-five years’ experience in both the private and public sectors.
Danette career has included working for several of the ‘Big Four’ Accounting firms as well as the Department of Finance, AusAID and the National Transmission Agency. Danette was also Financial Controller for ntl Australia Ltd and CFO at Safe Work Australia.
For the past nineteen years Danette, has designed and facilitated a variety of finance and leadership workshops and webinars that are customised for specific clients both in Australia and overseas.
Danette’s strengths include being a lifelong learner, her passion to help others learn new things, making dry topics relevant and interesting and being able to explain technical concepts in plain English.
Danette is also an Executive Coach to CEOs who are based across the globe.
David Bates
Managing DirectorWorkforce Guardian
David is the Managing Director of Workforce Guardian, Australia’s leading employment relations service for employers.
He proudly leads a team providing a wide range of strategic, practical and plain-English employment relations advice and support to Australian business owners and operators.
David gained his BA (Government) from the University of Queensland in 1998 before going on to complete a Law degree, with Honours, in 2001. He later moved to Canada and the United Kingdom where he was employed in a variety of HR, legal and public affairs roles within the public and private sectors, including extended engagement by HM Government.
David routinely represents employers in Fair Work-related proceedings and assists with all aspects of employment relations compliance. David is also an accomplished and highly sought-after public speaker who facilitates dynamic, informative, and highly interactive workshops relating to workplace relations best-practice.
He is also the ‘Switzer’ program’s Workforce expert, and can be regularly seen on the Sky News Business channel.
David Busoli
Executive Manager SMSF EducationSuperConcepts
David Busoli serves the dual role of National Head of Education and manager for Queensland & Northern NSW of Australia’s largest specialist SMSF administration and compliance bureau, Cavendish Superannuation.
Practicing in financial services since 1979, David has extensive experience in financial planning, insurance, tax planning, investment advice, stock broking, and mortgage broking. He has specialised in SMSFs since 1995 with particular emphasis on administration, compliance, strategic planning and education.
David's educational function includes organising and presenting the Cavendish/University of Adelaide, ASIC RG146 approved, 3 day SMSF course. As a foundation member of the Self Managed Superannuation Specialist’s Association of Australia (SPAA) and holding the specialist adviser designation (SSA) of that body, he's also a member of the FPA and SISFA and has qualifications from 3 universities.
David regularly emails SMSF updates to over 5,000 subscribers. Passionate about SMSFs, David spends much of his time educating and working with professional intermediaries to ensure their clients receive an optimum outcome.
David Hughes
McCullough Robertson Lawyers
David recently joined McCullough Robertson Lawyers as a tax partner after spending nearly 13 years as one of the founding partners of SMH Lawyers on the Gold Coast. He is an Accredited Taxation Law Specialist (one of only five in Queensland) with over 20 years of experience across all aspects of tax law.
In addition to complex advices and structuring, David is known for his technical ability and particular focus on resolving disputes with the ATO and the TPB, including preventing disputes from occurring in the first place.
David Sauer FCA
Associate Accounting and Auditing StandardsGAAP Consulting
David Sauer runs a boutique accounting practice from Melbourne specialising in training and advising on professional standards – accounting, audit and ethics.
David has provided practical professional development for accountants across Australia for over 25 years. He worked for 12 years at Deloittes and Moore Stephens providing audit and consulting services to a full range of clients, before establishing his own practice in 1994. He provides technical opinions and support services to diverse clients including corporates, not-for-profit entities and professional practices.
He has worked closely with the accounting bodies, delivering professional development and servicing members, for example working on CPA Australia’s technical hotline for 5 years. His training services are appreciated because of his understanding of the technical issues combined with an ability to communicate with affected parties of widely differing backgrounds. This has also resulted in his authorship of a range of implementation guides and templates, assisting with the translation of rules into compliant outcomes.
Duncan Lentini
Focus Business Services
Duncan Lentini is a Fellow of the Institute of Public Accountants, and a principal of Focus Business Services. Duncan and his co-principal established Focus in 1996, to meet the bookkeeping, management reporting and business support needs of small-to-medium businesses.
He helps his clients to get the most out of their accounting, management and reporting systems, and assists them with timely and expert compliance / BAS services. Clients value the flexibility and peace of mind that comes with working with him.
His clients come from a wide variety of industry sectors, with annual turnovers ranging from $50,000 to $10 million.
Having experienced the advent of GST and BAS first-hand, and the resulting development of accreditation of BAS service providers, Duncan is well placed to discuss issues relevant to anyone looking to establish a new bookkeeping practice.
Duncan has worked extensively in finance, accounting/auditing and related fields, and has wide experience in corporate training. He is also a Registered BAS Agent, and is an accredited Professional Partner with MYOB and Reckon (QuickBooks).
Ellie Paterson
NFPASPrior to joining the NFPAS team in 2017, Ellie originally came from a public practice accounting background and was then employed, for more than nine years, with Variety the Children’s Charity in the role of Finance & Administration Manager. She was responsible for the key areas of payroll, accounting & reconciliations, the preparation of financial reports, budgeting, IT management, developing policies, the grant management process, FBT & GST/BAS compliance and also asset & office management. She holds a Bachelor of Economics degree through Adelaide University and has recently completed her formal CPA qualification.
Emma Everett
strategic alliances managermomentum wealth
Emma has more than nine years’ experience in the property industry, serving in a diverse range of roles including as a selling agent, in property development and as a buyer’s agent. She has been named the Buyer’s Agent of the Year on three separate occasions, including once at a national level from the Real Estate Institute of Australia and twice at a state level from the Real Estate Institute of Western Australia (REIWA). Emma moved into her current role in 2011 and provides property advice and support to professional services firms, such as accountants and financial planners. She is also a member of REIWA and is the deputy chairperson for REIWA’s Buyer’s Agency Committee.
Erik Hopp
Erik has enjoyed a broad diversity of roles throughout his career in the accounting profession. He has performed notable roles with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, Victorian Auditor-General’s Office, Tax Practitioners Board, Deloitte, CPA Australia, RMIT University, Accounting Professional and Ethical Standards Board, and Australian Accounting Standard Board. Erik’s academic qualifications span the disciplines of mathematics, statistics, music, philosophy, information technology, accounting and finance, financial reporting, auditing, industry-related ethics and governance, and conduct of Government investigations. Erik currently consults within the accounting profession including assisting the IPA with their Public Practice Manual materials, Quality Assurance Program and related professional development activities.
Francis Benitez
Hannah Whippy
LawyerView Legal
Hannah is a lawyer at View Legal, having previously spent 11 years at a national law firm in various capacities.
Hannah works alongside accountants and other advisers to provide advice in relation to business and personal succession, estate planning and asset protection.
Ivan Glavas
PartnerWorrell's
Ivan Glavas is an Official Liquidator and Registered Trustee in bankruptcy. He has over 20 years’ experience in dealing with Corporate and Personal insolvency related matters across numerous industries administering Voluntary Administrations and Deeds of Company Arrangement, Liquidations and Receiverships, Bankruptcy and Personal Insolvency Agreements, Litigation Support, Fraud Investigation and Business Reconstruction advice.
Jason Gehrke
DirectorFranchise Advisory Centre
Jason has 20 years’ experience in franchising and has worked at franchisee, franchisor and advisor level. Jason is a former award-winning franchise CEO, teaches undergraduate and postgraduate programs at Griffith University’s Asia-Pacific Centre for Franchising Excellence, is a director of the Franchise Council of Australia, and served on the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s (ACCC) Franchising Consultative Panel for more than five years.
Jenny Daborn
DirectorPractising Tax
Jenny is a tax trainer and was the part owner of Practising Tax. Jenny’s warm and down to earth personality makes her a great tax trainer. She has an approachable and enthusiastic teaching style which enables her to connect well with practitioners of all levels and experiences, particularly junior staff.
Jenny has 14 years experience in the tax training industry which gives her an excellent understanding of the tax training needs of public practice. Jenny commenced her career at a regional CPA firm where she became familiar with the challenges faced by public practice. Jenny left public practice for an opportunity to work at Webb Martin, where she became an accomplished (and very highly regarded) trainer, and ultimately part owner of the business.
Testimonials
“The information was clear, concise and where necessary explained well in the depth required.”
“Presenter provided a non-threatening and informative session that enabled participants to contribute or query if they so required. Felt like you were in the room with her.”
“Jenny has such a good knowledge of all topics and it shows in the presentation.”
“Jenny really knows her materials and juggles presentations and questions really well.”
Jeremy Thorpe
Jo-anne Hotston
Tax BytesJo-anne is a director of TaxBytes Pty Ltd, a specialised tax training business and part of the Knowledge Shop Group. She is also a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants and a Chartered Tax Advisor of The Tax Institute and holds a Masters in Taxation from the University of Sydney. Jo-anne has been providing tax training to accounting and legal firms since 1994 from first tier firms down to smaller firms where she provides monthly tax training to a number of accounting firms throughout Australia. Over the years, she has had extensive experience as a presenter in taxation matters and has been a regular presenter for the CAANZ, TTI and IPA.
John Gajewski
Customer Success ManagerIPA Books Plus
Judy White
Associate DirectorBDO
Judy is an Associate Director in the Tax division of BDO and has more than twenty years’ experience in the accounting profession. Judy provides a wide range of business services and taxation advice to a portfolio of small to large businesses, not-for-profit organisations and financial services organisations. She understands the application of various taxes to businesses and their day-to-day interaction.
Judy has developed an expert speciality in Fringe Benefits Tax and employment taxes generally. Judy also has a passion for presenting.
Judy has a Bachelor of Business – Accounting (with Distinction) Queensland University of Technology; and is a Chartered Accountant and Chartered Tax Advisor (CTA).
Karen Sinclair
PrincipalWatermark
Karen Sinclair is an Australian Registered Patent and Trade Mark Attorney and graduated from Monash University with majors in organic chemistry and microbiology as well as studies in biochemistry. Karen has been a Principal of Watermark since 1995, on the firm’s leadership team since 2002, and was Chairman of the firm between 2008-2016.
Karen has had a wide range of engagements outside the Watermark:
- member of the Advisory Board of the Intellectual Property Research Institute of Australia, 2011- 2014,
- Governor of the Victorian chapter of the American Chamber of Commerce, 2010 –
- Women’s Leadership Advisory Board: American Chamber of Commerce, 2013 -
- member of the Professional Standards Board for Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys in Australia appointed by Federal cabinet 2008 - 2013, and responsible in that role for leading the statutory codification of the Code of Conduct for Patent and Trade mark Attorneys established in 2013
- Past President of the Licensing Executives Society of Australia and New Zealand, 2009-2010, and a wide variety of appointments in LESANZ prior to that role over 18 years as a member of the board
- member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors 2009 –
- a Senior Fellow in the Faculty of Law at the University of Melbourne and
Karen is Watermark’s Practice Group Leader for the bioscience and chemical technology industries and is based in Watermark’s Melbourne office.
Kate Mahady
Kate has over twelve years' experience in helping clients maximise their R&D claims and in developing robust processes for meeting the requirements of the tax incentive. With a technical background in applied physics and industry experience gained at Defence Science and Technology Organisation and a US based optical network start up, Kate has a strong knowledge of the issues facing technology development and in particular start up technology companies. Kate has extensive R&D tax experience and has worked on a variety of clients across many sectors, from managing R&D tax for one of Australia’s largest multinational companies to small cutting edge companies with their R&D processes and claims.
Kathleen Tierney
Career Embassy Pty LimitedKathleen is the Executive Director and Owner of Business Embassy and its parent company, Career Embassy. She has over 20 years of executive experience, and MBA (Monash University) and Business Degree (RMIT). Kathleen has worked in global leadership roles across Australia, USA and UK. Kathleen is no stranger to small and midsize business, either. She actively provides Human Resources, mentoring and consulting to local and interstate businesses. Recently Kathleen’s company has become the first HR business to sell to small businesses via national retail stores across Australia. She is an invited guest speaker for conferences, workshops and podcasts.
Kathy Mehonoshen
DirectorBest Accounting & Management
Kathy is the Director of Best Accounting and Management which provides holistic management and financial accounting services to micro/small business. She has a wealth of experience in taxation issues for individuals and small business. She also has current practical experience in all aspects of payroll management. Prior to founding her business Kathy taught accounting for 26 years. Kathy has a Masters Degree in Commerce (Professional Accounting), Bachelor of Education, a Graduate Diploma of Applied Tax Law and is a registered tax agent. She also is a Member of the Institute of Public Accountants and a Fellow of the Tax Institute.
Les Buchbinder
Bowen Buchbinder VilenskyLeslie has worked for the past 33 years across a wide range of legal practice areas. His particular focus is on: insurance law, dealing with disputes involving insurance claims and interpretation of insurance policies; administrative law, including disciplinary actions; commercial and employment law, where he has extensive experience across a full range industry sectors and occupational health and safety law. Leslie is experienced in dealing with Court arguments in the Supreme Court of Western Australia, District Court of Western Australia, Magistrates Court and State Administrative Tribunal.
Leslie has lectured in the area of Insurance law, Occupational Health and Safety law as well as in Criminal law. He has appeared in the State Administrative Tribunal in relation to regulating disciplinary matters and proceedings under the Equal Opportunity Act. He has also appeared in the Coroners Court of Western Australia. Leslie is actively engaged in the industry sectors in which he works, regularly presenting to a variety of professional groups and contributing articles to publications including Independent Financial Adviser and Medical Forum.
Lisa Greig
PerigreeLisa has more than a decade of experience in tax consulting and is a true tax generalist. She has worked for a “big four” firm in a variety of tax roles including the tax business school. She also has senior tax consulting experience with mid-tier and suburban firms. She has a passion for tax policy, and has participated in many TPB, ATO and IGT consultative forums.
Lisa also contributes back to the profession through mentoring and education. She presents F2F training, discussion groups, and webinars providing practical solutions for practitioners in the SME space. She has a Master’s in Adult Education and facilitates sessions for the CAANZ and Institute of Public Accountants.
She assists with the Melbourne Law School (MLS) Tax clinics on a pro bono basis, and also does sessional classes for MLS.
Lisa is a contributing author to the 2018 Australian Practical Tax Examples publication for Wolters Kluwer CCH, a companion to the Australian Master Tax Guide.
Prior to her “sea change” career in tax, she spent 15 years undertaking global business development for Australian biotech companies and as such, is well equipped to assist with the commercialisation of technology, maximizing the incentives offered and the fatal error of not managing cashflow.
Luckmika Perera
Director Professional Education and PartnershipsDeakin University
Maria Landrelli
Your Accounting Solutions
Maria has been involved in mentoring and training franchisees and small business owners (SME) in computer accounting software and business systems since 1994. She has helped hundreds of SMEs with their accounting needs using software programs such as MYOB and QuickBooks Online. Maria has been a successful franchisee and has established and developed several businesses. She is a qualified trainer who has taught both the Certificate IV in Financial Services (Bookkeeping) and the Certificate IV in Financial Services (Bookkeeping). Maria is a Fellow of the Institute of Public Accountants (IPA).
Mark Ellem
Executive Manager, SMSF Technical
Mark holds the position of Executive Manager, SMSF Technical Services with SuperConcepts, providing technical and compliance support on SMSFs to financial advisors and accountants as well ensuring that SuperConcepts’ leading SMSF administration and compliance platform, superMate, is compliant with the latest superannuation and taxation rules.
As well as being a CPA and Registered Tax Agent, Mark is an accredited SMSF Specialist Advisor with the Self Managed Super Fund Association as well as holding memberships with The Self-managed Independent Superannuation Funds Association (SISFA); Institute of Public Accountants (IPA); The National Tax & Accountants’ Association (NTAA) and a Chartered Tax Adviser with the Taxation Institute of Australia (TIA.
Prior to his current role with SuperConcepts, Mark spent considerable time in accounting practices and SMSF administration companies, including running his own accountancy practice and SMSF administration and compliance advice company for ten years.
Mark Holton
Smithink Advisory
Mark Holton, FCPA, has more than 35 years’ experience as an Accountant and Tax Agent in practice. Mark is the Managing Director of Dynamic Taxation and Training Services and a Director of Smithink. Mark has developed specialised skills in corporate presentations and training with extensive experience in both private and public sector industries in Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom and North America. He is also a respected consultant in taxation and business management, in particular value added services implementation and administration using key business advisory systems and software.
Mark holds a Master of Commerce Degree as well as several post graduate qualifications in accounting and management. He also has a Degree in Adult Education and an Advanced Diploma of Financial Planning.
Mark is a Board Member and is Honorary Treasurer of Ronald McDonald House Westmead and the Central Coast NSW Community College. He is also the Founding Chairman and Director of Finance of the NSW Central Coast Academy of Sport.
Matt Wood
Financial Advisor
Matt’s background is in banking and finance, having commenced his career back in 2002 with one of the big 4 banks. The majority of his time spent within the banking arena was working with high net worth clients in the Private Bank, and he transitioned to providing personal advice to clients post the Global Financial Crisis as he wanted to be able to guide clients and help them make sound and informed decisions to work towards achieving their goals in a risk-aware way.
Matt attained a Masters in Applied Finance from Macquarie University, a Bachelor of Business majoring in Financial Risk Management and is a Certified Financial Planner™ professional, SMSF Specialist Adviser, Member of the Financial Planning Association of Australia and the SMSF Association.
Matthew Burgess
View Legal
Matthew Burgess is one of the four directors and founders of specialist firm View Legal.
Having the opportunity to help clients achieve their goals is what he is most passionate about.
As Matthew always works in conjunction with trusted advisers (whether it be accountants, financial advisers or other lawyers) and their clients, finding ways to fundamentally improve the value received by those advisers, and in turn their clients, has led him to develop numerous game changing models. Examples include providing guaranteed upfront fixed pricing, founding what is widely regarded as Australia’s first virtual law firm, and more recently, developing a platform that gives advisers access to market leading advice and support for less than $1 a week.
Matthew’s specialisation in tax, structuring, asset protection, estate and succession planning has seen him recognised by most leading industry associations including the Tax Institute, the Weekly Tax Bulletin, in the ‘Best Lawyers’ list for trusts and estates since 2014 and ‘Doyles’ recommended for tax since 2015 and wills, estates and succession planning since 2017.
Michael McDonald
Principal PartnerMcDonald Partners
Michael McDonald has extensive experience in corporate and commercial law, including business restructuring, corporate succession planning, commercial litigation, intellectual property and intellectual property licensing. With over 20 years experience in succession planning, Michael regularly conducts workshops throughout Australia to assist businesses of all sizes in setting up an effective succession plan for both voluntary succession events such as retirement, and involuntary events such as death, illness or accident. Michael has provided these services for AXA Australia, First National Real Estate and has been a guest speaker at international and national conferences.
Michael Schaper
Deputy ChairpersonAustralian Competition & Consumer Commission
Michael Schaper is currently the Deputy Chairman of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. His work has a special focus on small business, franchising, industry associations and business liaison. Dr Schaper was appointed to this role in July 2008 for a period of five years.
He is also an Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship with Curtin University of Technology in Western Australia.
Dr Schaper brings extensive experience in the area of small business through his previous roles as ACT Small Business Commissioner, Dean of Murdoch University Business School in Western Australia and head of the School of Business at Bond University in Queensland.
A previous president of the Small Enterprise Association of Australia and New Zealand, he has been a member of the board of directors of the International Council for Small Business and has held the foundation professorial chair in Entrepreneurship and Small Business at the University of Newcastle. Prior to this, he was employed as a senior lecturer at Curtin University, responsible for the university’s entrepreneurship degree programs.
Between 2001 and 2003 Dr Schaper held several posts as visiting Professor at the Ecole de Management Lyon, France, and the University of St Gallen in Switzerland. In Australia he has served as an Adjunct Professor at both Curtin University and the University of Canberra.
In addition to his extensive academic career, Dr Schaper has worked as a professional small business advisor and as the owner of a number of new business start-ups.
In 2009 he was recipient of the “National Small Business Champion Award” by the Council of Small Business Organisations of Australia.
The author or co-author of ten business management books, he has been a regular columnist in a number of national magazines, newspapers and journals on business issues. He has also worked as a policy advisor to government at both the state and federal level.
He holds a PhD and a Master of Commerce degree from Curtin University, as well as a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Western Australia.
Michele Rawlins
Connecting the ChangeMichele Rawlins FCA has been a Chartered Accountant for over 30 years. After graduating from University in 1986, Michele gained experience at several firms including Ernst & Young. Michele started her own practice in 1991, specialising in tax compliance and business planning. 17 years later she sold the practice moved on to her next endeavour. In 2009 Michele founded Connecting the Change and has worked with a wide range of clients, providing sound guidance, support and advice grounded in over three-decades of experience. She has also been involved in 3 family businesses.
Today Michele continues to serve at Connecting the Change as a Director while also contributing to the Chartered Accountants Australia & New and Zealand and the Institute of Public Accountants as a Public Practice Program Facilitator. Michele is also an Accredited Mindshop Facilitator, a Certified i-NLP practitioner and an Accredited Extended DISC® Consultant.
Michele is trusted by her clients who see the genuine passion and energy she gains by empowering them to make the right choices for their businesses. Over Michele’s 30 years as a Chartered Accountant she has seen the evolution of the business world, endowing her with a wealth of practical experience - and as we have all seen, our world continues to evolve.
For some, Cloud Computing and Big Data are a problem for tomorrow. Michele sees them a solution for problems today, helping her clients adapt to the quickly changing pace of business in the 21st century.
Monica Rule
Partner
Monica is passionate about financial independence and committed to teaching and advising people about Self Managed Superannuation Funds. Monica established her SMSF consultancy and education business “Monica Rule – Your Self Managed Super Expert” in 2013 after a long career with the Australian Taxation Office.
Monica worked at the ATO for twenty-eight years, seventeen of which were spent in the Superannuation Business Line. Monica spent a number of years training ATO staff on SMSF compliance and often accompanied senior managers on public speaking engagements to provide technical support and advice. Monica assisted staff and management with technical queries, wrote ATO publications and carried out complex audits.
Monica published The Self Managed Super Handbook, with the ATO’s permission, in 2010 and the book is now in its sixth edition. In 2012 she became a regular contributor to the finance pages of The West Australian and The Australian newspapers. Monica also contributes articles on superannuation to Public Accountant, and Financial Planning magazines.
Nader Seifen
SpindleTop Strategists, Advisors & Mentors
Nader Seifen is a Fellow of IPA and has been a member since 1994. He has held many commercial roles in ASX companies covering business development, supply chain and strategic management. He has also run his own franchised business and continues as a small business operator in SpindleTop. Nader is also a Chartered Manager-Fellow and a mentor with the Australian Institute of Managers & Leaders.
SpindleTop, as consultancy has been operating for over 10 years, offering strategies for SMEs (in a variety of fields- manufacturing, independent schools, aged care, franchises, professional services, etc), business plans, scenario plans and mentoring to business owners and managers
Pamela Chilman
AMC Training Centre
Pamela Chilman is a longstanding Fellow of IPA and is a well regarded presenter with over 20 years hands on experience in both desktop and online accounting and financial systems. Accredited in a number of accounting software solutions, an integrator of systems before it was the latest trend; Pam provides regular updates about current issues in financial systems for accountants.
Pamela is one of the longest serving accounting software consultants in the Canberra region, and was one of the first in Australia to deliver training on products such as Sage, Attaché, MYOB, Reckon, Xero and QuickBooks Online. Pam has been acknowledged for her commitment to accounting software with a number of industry and product awards. She holds a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment and also delivers units from the Certificate IV in Bookkeeping qualification.
Pamela and her team have assisted thousands of businesses in the Canberra area. The expansion to delivering online learning for a number of national associations means that she is held in high regard as a speaker throughout Australia.
Patricia Sampathy
Assistant Commissioner, Aggressive Tax PlanningAustralian Taxation Office
After several years as an Assistant Commissioner within Public Groups & International, Patricia Sampathy joined the Private Groups & High Wealth Individuals business line within the ATO and is currently Assistant Commissioner within the Aggressive Tax Planning work stream.
She leads teams who develop strategies to prevent aggressive tax planning, detect current risks and engage purposefully with key tax agents and other intermediaries to curb community appetite for aggressive tax planning arrangements. Prior to joining the ATO in 2002, Patricia was a senior tax manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers and before then a senior lawyer with the Victorian State Revenue Office. Patricia completed an LLB at Melbourne and has a Master of Taxation Law from Monash University.
Patrick Ellwood
DirectorView Legal
Patrick Ellwood
Patrick Ellwood is a director and co-founder of View Legal, having previously spent eight years at a national law firm.
Patrick specialises in helping business owners through transition, focussing on tax effective restructuring, asset protection and succession.
The family-owned businesses he works for range from large-scale retail operators to farming families and mining entrepreneurs.
Patrick is passionate about helping his clients grow their business and achieve maximum value upon their retirement.
He is a trusted adviser to many of his clients and assists with both their personal and business legal needs.
Patrick Mangan
Management Consultantpas mango Consulting
Patrick Mangan is a registered psychologist and experienced human resources management consultant.
Patrick has conducted his consultancy for over 28 years, providing business Improvement and management consulting Services in Australia and Asia-Pacific.
The highlights have been high quality consulting assignments, together with a commercial approach to clients and effectively running the business.
Patrick has specialised in the design and application of corporate governance systems within organisations in Australia, including the design and application of corporate governance policies in organisations, both for profit and not-for-profit.
Patrick has presented numerous courses to IPA members including Corporations Law webinars and a range of Corporate Governance topics.
Paul Ellis
Maddocks lawyersPaul is a senior associate in the Commercial team with particular expertise in commercial agreements for the supply of goods and/or services, the Personal Property Securities Act 2009, the National Consumer Credit Protection Act 2009 and the National Credit Code, the Privacy Act 1988 and the Australian Consumer Law.
Since commencing with Maddocks in 2005, Paul has been involved in supporting Cleardocs, now owned and operated by Thomson Reuters, which offers clear, simple and effective legal documents online to lawyers, accountants and financial services professionals. Paul has designed and developed products, and prepared informative articles to assist with Cleardocs customers’ practices.
Before joining Maddocks Paul was employed for 13 years with the Victorian Department of Justice, principally as a Deputy Registrar in the Victorian Magistrate's Court, but also as a legislation, policy and project officer for the Department.
Paul's areas of expertise include:
- Financial services
- Consumer Law
- Credit and Securities Law
- Commercial law
Paul Mather
Founder & DirectorFBT, Payroll & Salary Packaging Solutions
Paul is the Founder of FBT, Payroll & Salary Packaging Solutions. Paul has over 20 year’s experience in FBT, Payroll and Salary Packaging in Australia helping businesses across all industry sectors meet their ongoing Employment Taxes, Payroll and Indirect Taxes obligations.
Paul is involved in training on FBT, Payroll and Salary Packaging matters and assisting businesses in preparing for and managing ATO & OSR payroll and employer obligation audits.
Prior to setting up his practice, Paul worked for 10 years as a Director of Employment Taxes for Ernst & Young in Sydney.
Paul is a Registered Tax Agent, a Chartered Tax Adviser and a Chartered Accountant.
Paul holds a Bachelor of Business Studies from Massey University in New Zealand and a Master of Taxation from Sydney University. Paul was a member of the former ATO NTLG FBT-subcommittee Group from 2005 to 2013.
Peter Kinsman
General Manager Tax AdvisoryInsight Innovation Partners
Peter Kinsman, director of ROCG Perth and GM for Insight Business which specialises in optimising the R&D tax incentives for clients.
Peter commenced working at the ATO after graduating and then joined Arthur Young (now Ernst & Young) before commencing his own practice in 1989. He stayed as a sole practitioner until July 2012 when he merged with ROCG in West Perth. Peter was admitted as an equity partner of ROCG in July 2013.
Peter has extensive experience in small to medium sized businesses across a range of industries providing sound and valuable advice to clients on all sorts of income tax, superannuation, GST and business matters
Since 1998, as an Authorised Representative with Count Financial Ltd, Peter has been able to provide independent investment and financial advice to his clients as an extension to his strong tax and business background.
Phillip Rundle
Grant ThorntonPhillip is a Chartered Accountant with over twenty-five years of experience in both Australian and overseas chartered accounting firms, specialising in corporate finance and advisory services. Phillip has extensive experience in valuations of shares, businesses and intellectual property.
Phillip has completed a wide range of valuation assignments for both listed and unlisted companies, including intellectual property, infrastructure, financial institutions, manufacturing operations, construction, investment, franchise operations, and service industries.
Phillip has also been involved in numerous Independent Expert Reports pursuant to the Corporations Act and ASX Listing Rules in a range of industries including mining and technology.
Robert Hutt
BAS Agent Servives
Robert Hutt is a self employed bookkeeper and consultant. His most recent role was as Senior Advisor, Public BAS Practitioner Program with the IPA. Prior to this he was AAT Executive Officer and Education & Training Manager. Robert has a broad, detailed understanding of all facets of the BAS agent and bookkeeping tier of the accounting profession.
Roman Kondratiuk
Roman’s professional and relaxed style reflects his thorough understanding of adult learning principles and is demonstrated through his diverse range of classroom, seminar, workshop and online delivery services and instructional materials.
With Microsoft Certifications in Excel and Word, he has mastered over 2500 topics to advanced level in Microsoft Excel, Access, Outlook, Project, PowerPoint, Word, Visio, and Publisher.
He also recently added Office 365, SharePoint Online, OneDrive, Outlook Web Application and Office Online to his online courses portfolio.
Roman has qualifications in Frontline Management, Accounting, Training, and Assessment and is certified in Six Sigma business improvement methodology.
Having trained over 20,000 students and authored a wide range of complex reports, training, and procedural documentation, Roman has demonstrated strong ability in written communication, change management, and knowledge transfer.