Our latest insights

Technical knowledge, digital proficiency and human relations are essential skills in our professional services careers – they’re the pillars to the modern workforce, and to thriving in an agile, increasingly technological world. But beyond technical and behavioural skills, qualifications and being entrenched in your advisory service, it’s empathy and understanding your client’s issues that elevate you as a professional. In the pursuit of specialisation, why is it important to also consider developing your industry expertise, and how can you gain it?

Customer expectations are quickly evolving. Unless your business can create a unique value proposition and strong connections with its customers, your relationship with your most important stakeholders is at risk. With demands for personalisation at its core, retailers are no longer encouraged but expected to build a connected consumer experience to support the customer journey and drive loyalty. How can retailers manage this demand for accessibility of products, information, and customer services via their platform of choice, as well as drive brand loyalty in a highly competitive marketplace?

As a Trustee (the person who manages the fund) you have many obligations you must adhere to once your self-managed super fund (SMSF) is setup.

At Grant Thornton, we offer a National Superannuation team to support you and your family with the accumulation phase right through to retirement.

When it comes to family governance, we often recommend introducing a formal family governance structure while the second generation is being transitioned into the business.

In a family business, it is crucial to have a shareholder agreement to ensure there is consensus on key issues, to provide clarity, and to minimise the risk of conflict between family members – before issues arise.

After attending the NRF 2023 conference: Retail’s ‘Big Show’ in New York, our key takeaway was that Retailers are not only encouraged but expected to connect with their customers through the pillars of communities, capital and climate. Watch our seminar video, as we discuss how organisations are optimising client experiences, supporting their human capital and leveraging technology and data to drive efficiencies.

Conversations with aged care providers at the close of 2022 identified four key themes that will take a front seat in Australia’s aged care sector in 2023 – the fundamentals of the sector (funding, regulation, governance), labour shortage and recruitment strategies, technology, and housing and aged care communities

When you’re a family business, the lines between business and family can become blurred. For some family businesses in operation for multiple generations, this is even more apparent as the family business may be all they’ve ever known.

To ensure your assets will be protected should you become unable to make financial decisions due to an accident or bad health, we recommend your Estate Plan includes an Enduring Power of Attorney.

Generally, when we talk with family businesses about the next generation ‘taking over’ we break this down into two parts – management and ownership. Every business – like every family – is different and what this means in one family business may be completely different in another.

It is not uncommon for parents to advance their children money. What the funds are used for may be a significant consideration in how the transfer may be structured from the family business entity, or group of entities, as there may be several financial, taxation and legal consequences.