After an impressive tenure as Managing Partner since May 2014, Paul Lenton is stepping down from the role, effective July 1 2023, to return to business advisory client consulting. Andrew Hoffmann, a seasoned professional within the firm, will succeed Lenton as the new Managing Partner.
Strong growth and enhanced diversity under Lenton
During his time as Managing Partner, Paul Lenton has spearheaded Nexia’s growth and success in the New South Wales market. Lenton is particularly proud of the strides made in enhancing diversity within Nexia’s Sydney practice which now has 29 Partners and over 240 staff. When he stepped into the role 9 years ago, there were no female partners. There are now 6 female partners, a female COO, and diversity across the firm has improved significantly – females account for 51% of all employees.
Growth was also at the forefront of Lenton’s mind, where during his tenure the strategic intent has seen the firm grow its turnover by over 250% to $48M.
Lenton said, “While we wanted and needed to grow, we never wanted the underlying culture to change, given we have something special here at Nexia. People are at the heart of everything we do, and we have a strong culture of giving back. It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that we describe ourselves as a people business rather than a numbers business, but that’s exactly what we are at Nexia. Long-term relationships matter, and we invest heavily in making sure we look after our clients and our people. That’s a core difference and why we have clients across multiple generations and stages of business evolution and long-serving partners and staff.”
“As part of passing the torch to Andrew, we expect Nexia to continue to thrive under his leadership. His commitment to our people, our clients and our strategic vision make him a great choice to lead our talented team into the future. I am confident that the firm will continue to succeed and achieve new milestones under his leadership.”
“I’m incredibly proud of the changes and growth that we have achieved during my term as Managing Partner, and especially the significant improvement in diversity at all levels of the Sydney team.”
We consider ourselves a top 10 firm in the Sydney market
Andrew Hoffmann, who has been a Partner at Nexia since 2001, brings a wealth of experience, a vision for Nexia’s future, and a commitment to expanding Nexia’s devotion to giving back in a meaningful way.
Hoffmann said, “Nexia is really well positioned for this next stage of growth to remain a top 10 firm in the Sydney market.”
“Nexia has a focus on sustainable growth, and we already have a great story to tell. Under Paul’s tenure the firm has grown from $19M to $48M, and we’re forecast to continue on a similar growth trajectory.”
“The strategic focus areas are strongly aligned to our core values and include a continued focus on diversity, developing our people, accelerating our digital capabilities and the innovative solutions we provide clients, and maintaining our client-centric approach. This is about listening to our clients’ needs and improving the services we provide based on their feedback”.
“Developing Nexia’s expertise in emerging fields such as ESG, cybersecurity, automation and AI provide real opportunities for ongoing expansion. Sustainability is an absolute must in this world and our clients are increasingly looking to our expertise to navigate this space.”
“While not yet here in Australia, the new international sustainability disclosure standards could be both a major challenge and an opportunity for our clients. We anticipate that the majority of industries and clients will report climate and sustainability related disclosures, regardless of whether they are mandated by legislation or not, as they come to appreciate the social and business benefits of improving their sustainability credentials.”
“Cybersecurity is also a focus area. Internally we are conscious of that and have an excellent IT team and systems in place. Whilst already supporting several clients, we’re continuing to build our capability to provide these services. This includes assisting with reviews of systems architecture, policies, and procedures, right through to testing to ensure robust systems are in place.”
“I am excited and honoured to be stepping into the role of Managing Partner and look forward to building on Paul’s impressive legacy. Nexia Sydney has a fantastic culture, a tremendous team, and an unparalleled enthusiasm for making a difference. We do this through expert advice, excellent client service, and by giving back to the many charities and Not-for-Profit organisations we actively support through our CSR committee.”
Hoffmann’s appointment as Managing Partner represents a natural progression in his career. He brings a wealth of experience including Nexia Sydney’s representative on the Nexia Australia Board, previous Head of Audit, and chair of various national and international committees. Add to this his dedication to firm growth by delivering on Nexia’s commitment to its people, clients, and community.
July 2023 marks the first official month for Nexia in its new purpose-designed Sydney offices at 2 Market Street and the next chapter in Nexia Sydney’s growth.