Path to Partnership

In this episode, of the Path to Partnership, we sit down with Wayne Plummer, a long-time leader in the Australian tax profession, to discuss a career shaped by longevity, unexpected resilience, adaptability, and constant reinvention. Wayne reflects on his decades at PwC, where he built a diverse career across client advisory, technical leadership, and risk and quality roles. He explains how settin...

In this episode of the Path to Partnership podcast I am delighted to spend some time and chat with Peter Saccasan. Peter is a Sydney accounting legend and someone I have known for 20 years. Peter was Co-Founder & Partner of Saccasan Bailey Partners (est in 1992), a high profile boutique accounting firm based in Sydney who at the time was one of the best boutique firms in Sydney.  In 2006 SBP b...

In this episode of The Path to Partnership Podcast we welcome Arlene Kristianto, Business Advisory Partner and National Lead for Diversity Equality and Inclusion at global mid-tier, RSM. Arlene has had a super interesting journey to Partnership, from beginning her career in a boutique firm, to moving to a global mid-tier with RSM, to her valuable experience as an internation secondee to her Path t...

In this episode of  The Path to Partnership Podcast , we welcome  Tim Loh , Assistant Commissioner at the  Australian Taxation Office (ATO)  and a name (and face) many Australians came to recognise during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thrust into the spotlight as the public face of the ATO during a time of national uncertainty, Tim stepped far outside his comfort zone to lead public communications across...

Delighted to have spent an hour in the presence of James d’Apice, he is a man with many talents, he’s host of two popular podcasts, he’s a rapper (!), author, social media celebrity and yet he still finds the time to be a leading commercial litigator, business owner, husband and father of 3! James shares his unconventional journey through law — from spending his informative lawyer years with the h...

In this episode, we sit down with the newly anointed business advisory Partner Samantha Lo, to explore her unconventional and inspiring journey to the top. From her early days in the motor industry group at Deloitte to a slightly unplanned two-year detour working remotely from Hong Kong, Samantha's Path to Partnership is an inspiring one. We dive deep into: The Power of a "Non-Linear&quot...

In this in-depth episode, Steve sits down with  Sean Keegan , the Head of Tax for Australia at Alvarez & Marsal (A&M). Sean takes us on a fascinating journey, from how he "fell into" a tax career at PwC to his time in the investment banking world in London and his return to M&A tax. He offers a transparent account of the challenges he faced, including rebuilding his professional brand...

In this episode of the Path to Partnership podcast we are joined by Vincent Scali, Business Advisory Partner at Nexia in Sydney. This was a really great chat, perfect for this podcast as Vincent became a Partner just under a year ago so his path to partnership is fresh and new! Vincent talks very candidly about the transition from employee to Partner and the various challenges he faced, including...

In this episode of  The Path to Partnership , we're joined by Alistair Marshall — Amazon bestselling author of  Grow Your Professional Practice , keynote speaker, and one of the foremost voices in business development for professional services firms in Australia. Alistair shares his journey from fast-moving consumer goods into the world of professional services where he quickly noticed a gap: high...

In this episode, I chat with Shane Bell, Co-Founder and CEO of NSB Cyber — a leading Australian cybersecurity advisory firm. NSB stands for “No Steps Backward,” and once you hear Shane’s story, it’s clear that mantra has guided not just his business, but his entire career. Shane began his journey in the Australian Navy straight out of school — an experience he loved. From there, he made a bold mov...

In this episode, we’re joined by Phil Evans, founder of Ambition Performance Coaching. Phil is an executive coach with extensive experience advising leaders and Partners of accounting and professional services firms across Australia. Phil began his career in elite sport, working with professional athletes in sport science, so as an executive coach he links that high performance mind set and behavi...

In this episode, we sit down with Marc Walsh, Director at Altus Financial, one of Australia’s top 40 accounting firms based in Sydney. Marc’s path to becoming a partner is anything but traditional. When he graduated from the University of Illinois with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, his dream was to tour America as a musician with his band. However, a series of pivotal moments led him to Sydney...

In this episode, we’re joined by Sevan Tuna, the Managing Partner of Alexander Spencer, a top 100 accounting firm in Australia, and host of the insightful business podcast,  The Bottom Line . If you haven’t already, be sure to check out his podcast—it’s a must-listen for anyone interested in business! Sevan’s journey is truly inspiring. He arrived in Australia in 1986 with his parents and sister,...

In a candid conversation it becomes clear why James has achieved such success in his career so far (and there’s plenty still to come). Starting his journey at BDO as a Cadet, James quickly climbed the ranks to Manager before taking on a secondment in the UK. After returning to Sydney in 2016, he transitioned to Senior Manager, but the entrepreneurial itch soon led him to establish his own advisory...

Full disclosure, this episode is a good’un! Will has such an interesting career journey, with plenty more to come. He began his career in a small boutique firm in Sydney and then moved into commercial accounting roles. Will then joined Xero’s where he became country Head in both Canada and Australia in a relatively short period of time. It’s a meteoric rise for someone so young, however when you h...

In this episode, we take the podcast in a slightly different direction. Why???.... I hear you ask, well a common theme across all the podcasts I’ve done with Partners and Managing Partners is just how important and impactful it is for a future Partner or current Partner to build their personal brand and leverage their own digital reputation. That is why I asked Roger Christie, Managing Director of...

Wali Aziz is Head of Audit & ESG Leader at Walker Wayland NSW, a AFR top 20 accounting firm. Wali was a real pleasure to interview, during our chat he shared excellent insights into the career moves he made and opportunities he saw in order to achieve his goal of becoming an Audit Partner.   Wali shared his views on the importance of having mentors during your career journey, as well as the im...

As well as being Managing Partner of PKF Sydney, few would argue that Bob Bell is an industry legend with over 42 years experience in the chartered accounting profession. Bob became a founding Partner of a firm, just 7 years into his career and has operated at the Partner level ever since having started, built merged or exited from a couple of boutique firms over the years. It was an incredibly en...

It's fair to say that Adam’s path to Managing Partner, is not the usual path. Adam began life as an accountant in various commercial roles before joining Moore Stephens as their internal finance person. Its there where Adam grew personally and professionally, working in an environment that saw value in Adam’s role and where the internal functions of the firm, finance, IT, HR and operations sup...

Preeti Inchody is Senior Managing Director of deals & advisory at Ankura, a global consulting firm with over 35 offices across the world.   Preeti’s path to Partnership is one of resilience, persistence hard work, humility, and patience. Born and raised in Mumbi India, Preeti talks fondly about her childhood and the intensity of Mumbai when she started her career in accounting and finance. Pre...

Mitch Stone is Executive Director (Partner) of Quantaco, a specialist hospitality advisory firm born out of the PKF and Lawler Partners brand. I’ve known Mitch for a number of years, since he was a Manager, so I’ve been lucky enough to see firsthand Mitch’s individual journey on his Path to Partnership.   During our chat we talk about the importance of mentors, what aspiring Partners can work on t...

Jim Softsis is Managing Partner and Head of Specialist Advisory at Findex, Australia’s fifth largest firm in the AFR top 100. Jim has had a really impressive career journey to Partner, not least what he’s helped build at Findex, but also the career moves he made, at the time he made them made sense which will resonate with people. Jim is a great example of someone understanding that when there is...

Lauren Hosie is a Business Advisory Partner at Pitcher Partners NSW. Lauren’s journey to Partner is incredibly impressive, but Lauren would struggle to say that as Lauren is a self-confessed introvert who, in her own words “hates to talk about herself.” First and foremost Lauren is a Mum to 2 young children whose husband is in the military. Lauren became a Partner at Pitcher Partners at the age of...

Greg is a Director & Partner of advisory and accounting services for SW Accountants & Advisors and has worked in professional practice for over 28 years. Having worked for global accounting giants such as Grant Thornton and PWC, Greg founded Armstrong Dawson in 2012.  Excitingly Greg recently sold his firm Armstrong Dawson to SW accountants and he and the Armstrong Dawson team merged...