Judges

Sinthya is a Senior Financial Analyst at Qantas Group where she looks after the Regional Workforce Division. “The numbers don’t rule, they can inform, but it’s all about us as accountants inside companies having the deep understanding and skills to look at the past and present to help predict and shape the future.” She further leads multiple projects, protecting and serving the public interest by ensuring that investors and other stakeholders have materially accurate financial statements and other reliable information on which to base decisions.

Additionally, Sinthya is an Adjudicator for Australasian Reporting Awards, also as a Judge for multiple Award shows in the industry, including Accountants Daily, Accounting Reporting Awards, Commercial Finance Awards, & Better Business Awards, recognizing individuals and organizations that have achieved outstanding accomplishments in the industry.

Dr Vincent Bicudo de Castro is an academic at Deakin Business School with a focus on business and interdisciplinary research. He is a Chartered Accountant with a Bachelor of Economics and degrees in Accounting at the bachelor, master (by research), and PhD levels. His research portfolio demonstrates remarkable versatility, spanning solo-authored works and collaborative studies that showcase his proficiency in both qualitative and quantitative methodologies.

Vincent has industry experience in auditing, having worked for two of the world's largest audit firms, where he provided assurance services to financial institutions. In addition to his auditing career, Vincent has held a role in compliance and internal controls at a leading asset management firm, where he oversaw investments worth billions of dollars across hedge funds, private equity, equities, and real estate portfolios. Vincent is passionate about blending industry knowledge with academic teaching, consistently achieving outstanding student evaluations.

Drew is an awarded Financial Advisor for Small Business Owners and their families, specialising in Risk Insurance & Estate Planning.
He is a Writer, Business Speaker and believes secure people live bigger lives.
He’s been recognised and awarded by non-industry bodies for his use of technology to connect people to good advice and his ongoing call for needed anti-discrimination and inclusivity in Australian Financial Services.
In his free time Drew volunteers as a Mentor supporting high performing young adults completing higher education or growing business to reach their full potential.

Jeremy Danon has undertaken compliance work in a variety of businesses and industries – futures and securities broking, market regulatory, market making, foreign exchange, accounting, banking, insurance, managed investment schemes, Registered Schemes and remittance dealing. Jeremy Danon has gained an extensive insight in providing compliance expertise to a wide cross section of clients in the financial services industry, by virtue of his experience with boards, committees and management.
With formal qualifications in business, accounting and corporate governance, Jeremy Danon has maintained his competencies with memberships of the following industry bodies:
• Fellow of the Governance Institute of Australia.
• Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators.
• Member of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand.
• Master Member of the Stockbrokers and Financial Advisers Association.

Tony Dormer is a senior adviser of a multi-discipline professional services firm that he established over 40 years ago and that merged in September 2017 to form Tricor Services (Australia) Pty Ltd www.tricorglobal.com The firm provides in-bound and out-bound business advisory, management consulting, tax and compliance, outsourced payroll and CFO services, bookkeeping, corporate secretarial services and financial investment services.

Tony’s personal specialist skills and extensive experience are around taxation services, mergers and acquisitions, business valuations, corporate restructuring, as well as business planning and business development issues generally. His entrepreneurial style and ability to 'think outside the square', has enabled Tricor to provide clients with a level and style of service that is unique among business advisory and accountancy practices.

From 2007 to 2019 he was a Board Member and/or Councilor with the NSW Business Chamber. He was elected President in February 2014 and held the position of Deputy President as well as Chairman of the Audit and Compliance Committee, Chair of the Business Environment and Economics Committee within the NSW Business Chamber. He now serves as a Past President.

He was also the former Chairman of Kreston Australia and New Zealand and was previously one of eight Directors on the international board of Kreston International, a position he held for seven years. Kreston is one of the largest networks of independent accounting business advisory firms in the world.

He also serves as a non-executive director on Profit and Not for Profit Boards.

Tony is a Fellow with Chartered Accountants (FCA), Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (MAICD) and Chartered Tax Adviser (CTA) with the Taxation Institute of Australia.

Prior to developing his practice, he had extensive experience at General Manager level with several leading private organizations. This commercial experience is a major ingredient in his philosophy and the range of services offered by him.

He also co-authored a book on leadership titled “Born to Lead?” with Charisse Grey

Sascha Moore is a marketing specialist, who focuses on providing highly strategic, creative solutions – predominantly to the financial services and legal industries. Sascha has extensive experience in Australia and the United States with developing effective integrated marketing programs, and directing their implementation. She is now the Director of Create Design & Marketing, a boutique marketing communications agency that fuses solid strategy and powerful designs that directly resonates with a clients’ end markets. This approach creates a true connection: and connection drives results, deepens brand equity and furthers relationships. In addition to her professional obligations, Sascha is actively committed to educating brokers on how to enhance their business through incorporating smart marketing practices.

Professor Rahat Munir is the Head of the Department of Accounting and Corporate Governance at Macquarie University in Sydney. He also serves as the Chairperson of the Accounting and Finance Forum (CAFF) for all universities in Australia and New Zealand. A specialist in forensic accounting, Professor Munir has expertise in financial crime investigation and financial statement integrity. Before embarking on his academic career, he held several senior roles within the banking sector, while actively pursuing research in his field. He holds the titles of FCA (Chartered Accountants Australia & New Zealand), FCPA (Certified Practising Accountant Australia), SFHEA (Senior Fellow Higher Education Academy), and earned his PhD from Macquarie University.
Professor Munir is globally recognized for his expertise in curriculum development, innovative teaching practices, and accreditation, including AACSB and AMBA. He has played a pivotal role in fostering strong relationships with external stakeholders, such as professional associations, universities, and communities in regions including China, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and Europe. He has also served on various faculty and course review panels across Australia, New Zealand, Europe, and the USA. His close engagement with industry includes leading prestigious national forums such as the CFO Forum, Women Thought Leadership initiatives, and Business Leaders Roundtables and Think Tanks.
He has authored over 100 peer-reviewed articles in leading global journals, along with books, book chapters, monographs, conference papers, and commissioned reports. His extensive research, which primarily focuses on management accounting and controls, extends into other significant fields such as education, corporate social responsibility (CSR), corporate governance, corporate culture, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Professor Munir has conducted research across diverse industries, including Big Four accounting firms, banking, manufacturing, airlines, and politics, particularly in countries such as China, Indonesia, Pakistan, Malaysia, and India. He has delivered numerous invited and keynote presentations and his expert opinions have been featured in international media outlets, including radio, television, newspapers, newsletters, and websites. He has successfully supervised over 20 doctoral students to completion and assessed the theses of many others from both Australian and international universities.
Professor Munir is affiliated with a range of professional bodies, including the Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, the Professional Risk Managers International Association (USA), the American Accounting Association, the British Accounting Association, the Canadian Accounting Association, and the European Accounting Association. He also serves on various high-level committees and advisory boards, including the Education Board of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand and the TAFE NSW Higher Education Academic Board. Additionally, he has served as a guest editor, referee, and member of scientific program committees for numerous international journals, and has organized conferences and workshops.
Professor Munir’s commitment to teaching and research excellence has been recognized through several international awards. These include the Business/Higher Education Roundtable Award for excellence in accounting teaching collaborations and CPA Australia’s awards for achievements in academia. His contributions have also been acknowledged at the Wharton-QS Stars Reimagine Education Awards at the University of Pennsylvania in the Nurturing Employability Award category in 2015, 2021, and 2024, recognizing his innovative pedagogical approaches to learning and teaching. Professor Munir has served on the judging panels for the Momentum Media and Accountants Daily’s Australian Accounting Awards, Australian Digital Technology Awards, Women in Finance Awards, and the 30 Under 30 Awards. His case study on The Ethics of Profit in the Australian Retail Industry was recognized as one of the top four teaching cases globally by the Decision Sciences Institute, Washington DC, in the ‘Best Teaching Case Studies Award’ competition.

Is the founder and Managing Director of Forte Asset Solutions, Forte Licensing Solutions and Forte Consulting Solutions. Forte’s Asset Solutions core activity is selling financial services businesses. Forte Licensing Solutions assist practices to find the right Dealer group or become self- licenced. Forte Consulting Solutions assists business to grow.

Steve has enjoyed a successful 30 plus year career in financial services.

Steve was a Partner in Deloitte and CEO of DFS Financial Services a HNW Advisory Group. After selling DFS Steve created Australia’s first specialist financial services M&A group.

Steve is a member of the International Association of Consultants, Valuators and Analysts.

Dr. Maryam Safari is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Accounting at RMIT University, Melbourne, and a respected scholar in the fields of accounting and corporate governance. Her research focuses on accountability, ethics, social and human capital, and emerging technologies, particularly as they intersect with governance practices. Dr. Safari has delivered invited talks, served as a peer reviewer for leading journals, and regularly publishes in high-quality academic outlets. She was the recipient of the Emerald Literati Outstanding Reviewer Award in 2020 and authored a top-cited article recognized in 2025. She currently serves as an editor for the Issues in Accounting Education journal.

Ting Song, Certified Public Accountant (CPA), is specialized in the field of Private Equity and Hedge Fund (Alternative Investments) accounting and operations. She currently works for JP Morgan Chase. Before specializing in Alternative Investment Fund Accounting, she worked in non-profit accounting and consulting. She received the 2023 CPA to Watch Award and has been named as one of the Top 100 Accountants for 2023 by Los Angeles Business Journal.

Helen Spiropoulos is an Associate Professor in Accounting and Associate Editor of Australian Journal of Management and Managerial Auditing Journal. Helen is a Chartered Accountant and researches and teaches in the areas of sustainability and financial reporting, corporate governance and gender-diversity. Helen has published in a number of leading academic journals and her research has featured in the Australian Financial Review, BOSS magazine, ABC Radio and many others.