CAAA continues Victorian expansion, adds private wealth firm

Led by managing director Gareth Hunt, Avonlea Advisory advises professionals, senior executives, family groups, affluent investors, and clients with complex Australian and international interests. Its expertise includes private wealth, business services, tax, succession planning, trusts, superannuation, and specialist advisory services.

Avonlea will form part of CAAA’s Victorian business and will be led by CAAA Victorian state director Elias Khoury. According to CAAA, the combined Melbourne business gives CAAA a broader platform across business services, tax, audit and assurance, private wealth, corporate advisory, and high-net-worth advisory.

Commenting on the expansion, CAAA CEO and founder Fleming Stojanovski said: “Avonlea is an outstanding addition to CAAA. Gareth and his team bring deep expertise in private client and high-net-worth advisory, together with long-standing relationships built on trust. We are delighted to welcome that expertise into our group.”

The latest addition has followed CAAA’s integration with Melbourne-based accounting and financial advisory firm ALK and its $15 million investment and expansion in Queensland, with EDR Accounting and Business Solutions.

CAAA said the additions demonstrate the direction of its growth strategy of building a national accounting and advisory firm by bringing together practices with complementary expertise and strong client relationships.

“This is also a clear signal of our direction. CAAA is expanding quickly, selectively and with purpose,” Stojanovski said.

“We are building a national firm with the depth to serve more complex clients, while preserving the personal relationships that distinguish strong independent practices.”

Avonlea clients will continue to work with Avonlea Advisory managing director Gareth Hunt and the existing team, which CAAA said is now supported by its broader specialist capabilities and national reach.

Hunt said he and his team are pleased to be joining with CAAA.

“Our clients will continue to work with the people they know, but will now benefit from the resources, specialist capabilities and national reach of a much larger firm,” he said.

“CAAA gives our team greater capacity to support clients as their needs become more complex.

“We are excited to contribute our experience to the group and to be part of CAAA’s next stage of growth.”

Khoury said Avonlea would strengthen CAAA’s position in Melbourne while complementing the capabilities already established through ALK.

“Avonlea adds genuine depth to our Victorian business,” he said.

“Gareth brings extensive experience in private client and high-net-worth advisory, and his team has built strong relationships across Melbourne over many years.

“As Victorian state director, my role is to bring our Melbourne teams together as one business and ensure we deliver consistently across the state. Gareth and Avonlea will be an important part of that business. Together, we now have the scale and range of services to compete for larger and more complex work while retaining the responsiveness of our clients’ values.”

According to CAAA, it will continue to pursue expansion opportunities in Victoria with firms that share its focus on technical quality, trusted client relationships, and commercially practical advice.