Helping Business Owners stabilise, reset and grow when they face financial, operational or strategic pressure.

How did you start down this career path?

I originally entered accounting because I wanted to understand how businesses operate and to assist with investment analysis. Early in my career, I worked in business services and then had a number of CFO roles before moving into insolvency.

During my time in insolvency, I have worked with many owners experiencing financial distress and quickly realised that behind every balance sheet there was a person, a family and often the life’s work of an entrepreneur.

That experience shaped my career. Rather than simply preparing financial reports or looking backwards, I became passionate about helping business owners solve complex problems and create a better future. That knowledge ultimately led to the creation of AS Advisory. Our purpose is not simply to deal with insolvent businesses but to assist owners and advisors identify risks early and implement measures to build stronger, more resilient businesses that can be restructured so as to hopefully avoid insolvency.

What inspires you in your role and industry? Why?

The greatest inspiration comes from seeing business owners regain confidence after believing they had run out of options.

Running a business is incredibly demanding. Owners invest enormous amounts of time, money and emotion into building something meaningful. When challenges arise, they often feel isolated and believe they have failed. In reality, many of the problems they face are common and solvable.

Helping someone move from uncertainty to having a clear strategy and renewed optimism is incredibly rewarding.

More broadly, I believe small and medium businesses are the backbone of Australia's economy. They create employment, innovation and opportunities for families and communities. Supporting these businesses has a much wider impact than simply improving financial performance—it strengthens the broader economy.

What motivates me every day is the belief that many business failures are avoidable if the right conversations happen early enough.

What's your approach to customer service that separates you from the rest?

Rather than focusing solely on compliance or technical advice, we spend time understanding the owner's objectives, concerns and the underlying drivers of the issue. We look at financial performance, operations, strategy, people and risk together rather than in isolation.

Empathy is equally important. Many of our clients come to us during periods of significant stress. They need honesty and practical solutions, but they also need confidence that someone is standing beside them.

We pride ourselves on being accessible, commercial and outcome-focused. Our role is to simplify complexity, provide clarity and develop practical action plans that create measurable results.

Success for us is not simply completing an engagement. It is seeing a client move forward with confidence and where possible a stronger business than when they first came to us.

How do you innovate and stay ahead of industry trends?

The accounting profession is changing rapidly, and advisory firms need to evolve with it.

Technology and artificial intelligence are transforming how information is processed, but they cannot replace judgment, experience or human relationships.

At AS Advisory we are investing heavily in systems, data analytics and AI to improve efficiency and deliver deeper insights. We are also developing frameworks that identify early warning signs of business stress so intervention can occur before problems become critical.

Equally important is education. We continually invest in learning, collaborate with accountants, banks and lawyers, and share knowledge through presentations and workshops because better-informed business owners make better decisions.

The future of advisory is proactive rather than reactive, and we intend to lead that transition.

What is the toughest challenge you've faced in your role? How did you overcome it?

The toughest challenge has been seeing otherwise good businesses fail simply because advice was sought too late.

Throughout my career I have met hardworking and capable business owners who delayed difficult decisions, hoping problems would resolve themselves. By the time professional advice was sought, the available options had become significantly more limited.

Rather than accepting this as inevitable, it reinforced my commitment to changing the way advisory services are delivered.

We now focus strongly on early intervention, education and practical business resilience strategies. We encourage clients to address issues before they become crises and to view professional advice as an investment rather than a last resort.

While we cannot save every business, we can ensure that owners have the information, strategy and support needed to make informed decisions and maximise outcomes.

What are some of your goals for the next five years?

Our long-term vision is to establish AS Advisory as Australia's leading specialist business advisory and restructuring firm for the SME market.

We want to expand our presence nationally while maintaining the personalised service and specialist expertise that defines our business. We will continue investing in technology, AI and data-driven advisory to deliver even greater value to clients.

Our ambition is to help change the narrative around business failure. We want business owners to seek advice earlier, build more resilient businesses and view professional advisers as strategic partners rather than problem solvers of last resort.

Ultimately, success is not measured by the number of engagements we complete but by the number of businesses we help stabilise, strengthen and position for long-term success. If we can prevent avoidable business failure and give owners confidence in their future, then we will have achieved our mission.