Our latest insights

Family relationships are some of the most crucial in your life, and therefore, they are inherently clouded by emotions. But, when a business relationship is also thrown into the mix, what is the best way to navigate these emotions?

An agile, efficient and forward-looking finance function is central to business growth and success. It therefore needs to evolve faster than the business itself. This requires ongoing investment in new technologies, processes and skillsets in the finance function to ensure it’s well positioned to spearhead business efficiency and value creation

Recently, the ATO has enforced the use of Single Touch Payroll (STP) and Superstream as their electronical tools to collect both tax and superannuation data from businesses and superannuation funds.

Board members generally have deep expertise in particular aspects of business management or the industry in which the family business operates. The Board is particularly focused on the business’s strategy, operations, and leadership advisory.

A good governance structure will help you embed your values, goals and visions into you Family Office.

Succession planning is a key issue that all will eventually have to face. While some businesses would have considered a family business successor, what is often overlooked are internal risks.

Australia has relied heavily on businesses and consumers to lead the way on emissions reduction to tackle climate change. Several Australian states have had to develop their own policies and roadmaps to progress the clean energy transition and enable private sector investment outside the national framework. This presents risks and challenges if not managed carefully.

If Family Business owners wish for their business to pass on from generation to generation and keep their business within the family, preparation and training should start at birth. This requires a dedication and devotion of education, time and care, and it is important to be proactive with planning.

The term “Family Office” is often misunderstood, so what does it mean? What does it specifically mean to your family and why is it important? Family Office places structure around your investments for the future and ensures that you are asked to consider the important questions.

A family trust can often be the right vehicle to carry on your family business and manage family wealth. However, careful consideration needs to be given to how the trust is established and administered to ensure that the ultimate control of your income and assets rests in the right hands and is in line with your family strategy. Much time is often spent deciding on who will be the trustee and the beneficiaries of the trust, however the issue of who should be the appointor can often be overlooked.

Conflict in family businesses – in fact, all businesses – is a reality of any workplace. Understanding the source of a conflict, and where tension triggers exist, can help businesses pre-empt, spot and manage clashes and turn these differences into positives.

Whether you’re eyeing off the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) role in your current organisation or elsewhere, the intel from CEO, CFO and industry surveys suggests the path from financial controller to CFO is more of a zigzag than a straight line. So what skillsets are organisations looking for in a modern CFO, and do you have them? We’ve put together some advice to take you from CFO-in-waiting to the top job.