Meet our new leaders
Our new Partners & Principals
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Crystel GangemiPartner - Audit & Assurance |
Jace Gawne-BucklandPartner - Private Advisory |
Simon GowPartner - Private Advisory |
About Crystel |
About Jace |
About Simon |
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Bei Bei HanPartner - Private Advisory |
John McInerneyPartner - Financial Advisory |
Derek NgPartner - Audit & Assurance |
About Bei Bei |
About John |
About Derek |
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Mark TrewhellaPartner - Tax |
Linda FarmerPrincipal - Private Advisory |
Pierre-Olivier Lavergne-BrossardPrincipal & National Head of Business Modelling
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About Mark |
About Linda |
About Pierre-Olivier |
Partners appointed over the last 12 months
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Murray Bragg
Partner - Audit & Assurance
Murray grew up in Jimboomba, Queensland, an hour south of Brisbane. His family’s 13-acre property was home to a wide range of stray or abandoned animals being nursed back to health – Murray’s father was the local vet.
In 2005, he joined Grant Thornton as a graduate and received flexible working support from the start. “For three years I was fortunate to have two careers — accounting and cricket. I am very grateful for the flexible working arrangements that facilitated my full commitment to training and playing matches with the Queensland Academy of Sport and the Queensland Bulls.”
In December 2018, almost 10 years after winding down his cricket career, Murray was appointed Audit & Assurance Partner in Brisbane. Though he has a fairly broad focus auditing organisations across a range of industries, he has always been passionate about transport and infrastructure. “I believe that it is important to understand the impacts that a changing regulatory environment has on my clients. I’m passionate about working with them to achieve practical and commercial outcomes.”
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Wi Liem Chua
Partner - Grant Thornton Consulting
Wi Liem was born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia but grew up in Melbourne. He started his career in operations on the retail shop floor with one of Australia’s internationally known brands, Target.
From these beginnings, he learned the inner workings of retail. “I’ve been fortunate to have worked with outstanding business leaders from very early in my career. They pushed me beyond what I thought I could achieve and created a pathway for me to succeed and fail so I could become who I am today.”
In December 2018, Wi Liem became a Grant Thornton Consulting Partner. Now, based in Sydney with a focus on retail clients, he believes that curiosity is a vital attribute of any future-ready leader. This curiosity drives innovation, better solutions and ultimately, happier customers. “Working with clients, embedding ourselves with their teams and seeing an idea come to life is the goal. My favourite projects are when we embed ourselves in the client’s team. True partnership is an opportunity to achieve sustainable results while also imparting knowledge that leaves a ‘rising tide’ of capability and performance.”
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Hannah Hiscox
Partner - Audit & Assurance
Hannah grew up on a beef cattle property in Wycarbah, Queensland. In a primary school of 20 children, she was the only girl in her grade.
After completing university in Rockhampton, Hannah started as a graduate at Grant Thornton. In December 2018, she became the first female Audit & Assurance Partner in Brisbane.
Hannah’s path to Partner has included two secondments in the UK, two parental leave breaks and company-supported postgraduate qualifications in Philanthropy and Nonprofit Studies. In her experience, an essential trait of a future-ready leader is open-mindedness. “I am lucky to work with some of our most inspiring clients who are making a real difference to society’s most vulnerable. These organisations are mission driven and the funding and reporting channels they navigate are complex. It ultimately means it is that much more important as an industry to share ideas and collaborate on sector issues.”
Alongside her day-to-day of auditing large not-for-profits, Hannah is a volunteer Director for Synapse Australia Ltd. The large charity connects people impacted by brain injury to information, policy, services and systems. “My broad experience allows me to be a central point for clients. It means I am best-placed to advise them, or more importantly, put them in contact with those who can.”
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Matt Croxford
Partner & National Head of Human Capital
Grant Thornton ConsultingThough Australia has been home for over 20 years, Matt fondly reflects on his first home. He grew up playing rugby and mountain biking through pine forests of northern Scotland. “It’s a beautiful country — when you can see it through clouds and rain. It’s full of brilliant characters.”
Matt began his career in hotel management and later completed a Business IT postgrad. Over the last 15 years he has worked in organisational development, helping to build great places to work.
In August 2018, Matt joined us as Partner & National Head of Human Capital in Grant Thornton Consulting in Sydney. “Our focus is people and their experience at work. We work across all industries, purposely designing and developing workplaces where people can give their best because they are empowered to do so.”
Matt hopes that his contribution will make workplaces better for the next generation. “I have two kids that will be entering the workforce in a couple years. I want them to find meaning in their work. So, in my small way I want to increase the likelihood that they can access organisations aligned to helping and creating individuals that can give, do and are their best. That is good for all of us.”
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Katie O'Keeffe
Partner - Grant Thornton Consulting
After a nomadic childhood travelling with her parents, by her 18th birthday Sydney-born Katie had more addresses than years alive. She lived up and down the east coast of Australia including time on a dairy farm in Tasmania and a 40,000 acre sheep property in Central NSW. “I have many special memories from this time. It has certainly left an indelible imprint on me.”
Katie spent her 20’s pursuing a career as an elite triathlete. After a decade of competing and battling recurring injuries, she transitioned to a career in Human Capital. “I have discovered in both triathlons and business that I am at my best when I am helping others be their best. It’s my passion. My focus right now is applying it in developing great leaders and leadership teams, transformational change and culture.”
In November 2018, Katie joined us a Human Capital Partner in Grant Thornton Consulting in Melbourne. She has experience in a breadth of industries and believes a client-centred, collaborative approach is our point of difference. “People and leaders are important to every business in every industry. I firmly believe we have the opportunity to really solve our clients’ challenges and help them achieve their aspirations using all aspects of our consulting services. Our holistic collaboration can really make an impact.”
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Steven Paterson
Partner - State Taxes
Growing up in the southern bayside suburbs of Brisbane, Steve distinctly remembers taking part in a potentially once-in-a-lifetime experience. On a cold night in 1986, his family went to the waterfront — which at the time was really mudflats — to spot Halley’s Comet. It will next appear in 2061.
Steve is a trained lawyer and has spent 18 years working in indirect tax for a law firm and state tax for a Big 4 accounting firm. “I think having an appreciation early in your career for the importance of the little things such as attention to detail and significance of deadlines serves you well. If you get those little things right early on you are seen as a superstar, even though you are still learning the technical application of tax.”
In February 2019, Steve joined Grant Thornton as Partner, State Taxes in Sydney. He specialises in State Taxes — essentially stamp duty and land tax — for clients in any industry. “The most challenging thing is working on transactions that have a life of their own. You have to keep up with them to make sure your comments and recommendations are made before the transaction moves on. Juggling multiple transactions at the same time can be particularly challenging too!”
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Darren Scammell
Partner - Audit & Assurance
Born in Bendigo, Victoria and raised in Warragul in Gippsland, Darren feels that people’s openness greatly impacted him. “Country people are very friendly and will talk to anyone. I think this is a trait that I retained for good and bad!”
He spent the majority of his career — 32 years — in a Big 4 organisation and undertook global secondments across seven years. He also is a Past President (2016) and current Fellow of the Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand.
In late July 2018, Darren joined Grant Thornton as an Audit & Assurance Partner and Head of Financial Service for Melbourne. “I particularly focus on super, insurance and banking as an internal and external auditor. The main challenge I see for clients is dealing with the outcomes of the financial services Royal Commission.”
Darren has built his career balancing the needs of clients, regulators and the Board while remaining independent and commercial. He reflected on one of his favourite client experiences — working with an aged care provider to become listed. “It was rewarding to be a part of the process. Within the audit independence restrictions I helped them to develop risk, accounting and reporting processes. I was included in their Board, audit and risk meetings, too, where I felt I added a lot of value.”
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George Sutton
Partner & National Head of Business Risk
Grant Thornton ConsultingAn avid sports fan and passionate musician, George appreciates the opportunity to get inspired. The TED talk aficionado admits that sometimes it leads in a direction you don’t always expect.
In 2016, he co-founded a “hobby business” — an e-commerce enterprise that markets over 400,000 products domestically and internationally. “It was a totally different experience for me — joint-CEO strategising in the morning, packing boxes for despatch in the afternoon! It taught me about many fantastic business management tools and support services on global freelance platforms.”
George spent over 20 years as a Big 4 Partner, serving clients across consulting, financial services, government and technology. In October 2018, he joined us as Partner & National Head of Business Risk in Sydney. “The most topical thing for my clients right now is the implications and outcomes from the financial services Royal Commission. Understanding conduct risk and managing risk culture is now a critical focus area for many.”
He is also a Risk Committee External Member for UNSW and has been a business mentor as part of Muru-D, a Telstra supported start-up accelerator in the technology space. “I am constantly amazed by the ideas and endless energy of young start-up entrepreneurs. I enjoy helping them to clearly articulate their value proposition.”
Learn about our new leaders
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Crystel Gangemi
Partner - Audit & Assurance
After immigrating to Australia from Mauritius when she was almost two years old, Crystel grew up speaking French at home. The importance of diversity and opportunity were apparent to her from a young age.
Now as a new Audit & Assurance Partner in Melbourne, Crystel believes it is critical for a future-ready leader to be supportive. “I build strong client relationships centred on ongoing communication and regular interaction. If I can’t help them directly, I work to connect them with the right people.”
Focused on the retail and not-for-profit industries, she enjoys being part of the growth journey and watching clients flourish. “Listening to where my mid-size family business clients have been, the challenges they face and their ambitions for growth is a highlight of being an advisor. It is a pleasure to be part of the passion and to provide value to their businesses.”
Crystel is also passionate about supporting diversity and opportunities for females in accounting. Her 14-year tenure at Grant Thornton, which she began as an undergrad, has included a four-month secondment in Atlanta, USA and two parental leave breaks. “I feel fortunate to have had great opportunities and support throughout my career. I’m proud to be able to champion, mentor and be a role model for future leaders.”
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Jace Gawne-Buckland
Partner - Private Advisory
An avid sports fan and traveller, Jace believes that amid constant technology advancements, a future-ready leader has to be innovative in order to deliver an exceptional experience.
As a new Partner in Private Advisory in Melbourne, he helps private business owners with different facets of accounting, tax and advisory. “Everyone’s opportunities and challenges are very different. I solve problems on a daily basis and the solutions are never the same. It’s exciting!”
He is passionate about growing businesses, particularly in the constantly evolving technology industry. “Technology is changing nearly every facet of our lives and is an enabler or disrupter to every industry. It’s fast-paced and extremely interesting.”
In Jace’s view, it is essential that client experience is exceptional. “It is my complete focus to proactively engage with my clients and assist them in achieving their professional and personal goals. I take great pride in achieving fantastic outcomes for them.”
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Simon Gow
Partner - Private Advisory
Born and raised in Perth, Simon was fortunate to travel extensively and experience other cultures while growing up. It served as fantastic perspective and would always remind him how fortunate people are in Australia.
Simon started at Grant Thornton as a graduate. Over his 13 year career — and many market fluctuations, technological and legislative changes later — he recognises the importance of future-ready leaders being agile. “Having a multidisciplinary skillset means that I can offer a holistic accounting and financial service. As a wealth advisory and SMSF specialist to both business and private clients, I enjoy the technical side of my role but find the greatest satisfaction in helping them do more with their money.”
As a new Private Advisory Partner in Perth, Simon thinks it is more important than ever to restore people’s faith in financial services. “Trust is the foundation of any relationship. Any advice or technical work has to be done with clients’ best interests driving it. This is backed by consistently listening to and understanding their needs and having extensive experience and technical capability.”
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Bei Bei Han
Partner - Private Advisory
Born in mainland China, Bei Bei moved to Australia on her own at 16 to attend high school. She is very proud of her hometown, which has rich history and cultural heritage, and loves Australia, too, where she has spent over half her life.
Sometimes, though, she feels stuck in the middle. “At one stage of my life, I tried not to be different from my peers. But eventually I realised it’s important to let your difference shine and use it as a strength. I’m in a unique position as I am fluent in Cantonese, Mandarin and English and intimately understand both cultures.”
As a Private Advisory Partner in Melbourne, Bei Bei is able to use her strengths to provide clients holistic offering across cultures. With a focus on Chinese/South East Asia markets, she helps clients navigate accounting and taxation issues when investing or setting up subsidiaries. “I build on client and local community confidence with technical skills through consistent, transparent and effective communication of technical issues in everyday Chinese or English. As a result, I offer a different experience, perspective and immense value.”
贝贝出生于中国大陆，16岁只身一人来澳洲求学。她既为故乡的悠久历史和深邃文化感到骄傲，也热爱澳大利亚——这片她已安家十余载的土地。
她也曾在两种文化之间彷徨。“曾经有一个阶段，我试图隐藏自己与身边朋友们的不同。但我逐渐意识到，我与他们的不同正是我的闪光之处——我能说流利的粤语、普通话、英语并能深切理解澳中两种不同文化，这正是我的独特优势。
作为墨尔本高净值服务组的合伙人，贝贝擅长发挥她的优势为客人提供整体性的跨国解决方案。她尤其关注中国和东南亚市场，为客人解决赴澳投资时遇到的各种财务和税务上的疑惑。“通过清晰、易懂的交流方式，我用我的知识帮助客人和当地亚裔社区提升投资信心。对于入境投资者而言，我为他们带来了一种独特的视角和体验，为他们在澳洲的发展提供了增值服务。”
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John McInerney
Partner - Financial Advisory
Growing up near the beautiful beaches of north coast NSW, John developed an appreciation for the relaxed attitude and camaraderie of the people he met. He saw that no matter your position or situation, it is important to feel empowered to affect change.
Since university, John has been genuinely interested in saving businesses from financial ruin. For 20 years, he has worked with business owners and their advisors to deliver business reconstruction and insolvency solutions.
As a new Financial Advisory Partner in Sydney, he provides clients with a wealth of experience to navigate difficult times. “It is important to be transparent and genuine. I work with mid-sized business owners in the ‘zone of insolvency’ and their advisors to formulate cost-effective performance improvement and business reconstruction strategies. I like to think of my role as an ‘essential turnaround advisor’.”
John’s openness transcends both his professional and personal life. By his own admission, he is a keen surfer and wannabe triathlete. “In all seriousness, if I had to describe myself I would say that honesty and respect are my definitive traits. I like to think that I am quite personable. In my opinion, these qualities allow me to build genuine rapport with people who seek my advice.”
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Derek Ng
Partner - Audit & Assurance
A Melbourne native, Derek began his career as a graduate at Grant Thornton, one year prior to the GFC. After watching the market fall and rebuild, he realised that adaptability — for employees, future-ready leaders, and businesses alike — is essential for growth.
As a new Audit & Assurance Partner in Melbourne, Derek works with clients from various industries, the majority in financial services and not-for-profit, on compliance, finance or accounting matters. “It is an interesting and important time to be serving clients in the financial services sector. The impacts post Royal Commission are still unfolding. Companies are reflecting on and re-thinking their current product offerings and operations to better meet community expectations.”
One of his aims is to help clients, irrespective of industry, positively influence the community. “I like to work with clients to drive profitability and successful outcomes in a socially and community conscious way. A lot of factors need to align: it has to be an appropriate approach, a viable possibility and requires stakeholder endorsement. Though it can be an incredibly hard balance to strike, I think long-term and sustainable profitability can be maintained.”
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Mark Trewhella
Partner - Tax
Some would argue that Perth rivals Manhattan, at least Mark does. It is home to the world’s biggest city park — Kings Park, which dwarfs Central Park — beautiful beaches and innovation.
Though he spent five years living and working in Sydney, Perth is truly home. His 15 year career in corporate tax has included a wide cross-section of global clients on both coasts of Australia. “The very core of what I do is understanding issues and then solving problems. So communication is key. I think early on in your career it is every bit as important to build strong, genuine internal and external relationships as it is to build technical competency.”
Now a Tax Partner in Perth, Mark focuses on providing corporate tax services to mining and mining services and technology clients. “I have recently been assisting companies to establish robust and practical tax governance frameworks or reviewing the effectiveness of their existing ones. With an increased social focus on companies paying their ‘fair share’ of tax, establishing frameworks systematically ensures companies both pay their fair share and can tangibly demonstrate this to the ATO.”
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Linda Farmer
Principal - Private Advisory
Linda started at Grant Thornton as an undergraduate in our Brisbane office. With extensive experience navigating cross border issues facing globally mobile high net worth individuals, Linda works closely with her clients to provide proactive solutions to grow, protect and preserve wealth.
“The world of taxation and superannuation is exceedingly complex. However, the right advice at the right time can mean the difference between tax nightmares and tax nirvana for both my clients, their business, their wealth and their family.”
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Pierre-Olivier Lavergne-Brossard
Principal & National Head of Business Modelling
Financial AdvisoryMontreal born and bred, Pierre has always thrived on the challenge of learning something new. In 2007, he began his career at Grant Thornton Canada. Three years later, eager to further challenge himself through new experiences, he transferred to Sydney.
Now as Financial Advisory Principal in Sydney, Pierre leads the Business Modelling practice. “Models play crucial roles in finance and economics from identifying and managing risk to forecasting economies evolution. For businesses, leveraging predictive modelling and data analytics can identify opportunities and better insight and analysis into key decision factors. It takes time and effort to develop robust, dynamic and user-friendly models, but once achieved they can repay this investment many times over.”
One key lesson he has learned over his career is the value of seeking help. “At first, I thought I was expected to figure out everything on my own. It wasted time and slowed my progress. Later on, I worked with an inspiring leader who grew a complicated business by asking tough questions and surrounding himself with smart people. So, I adopted this new strategy. It has served me well.”