As previously announced, I have recently been appointed Chairman of the Nexia International Network and as such, I will be stepping down as Chairman of Nexia Australia and New Zealand in April.
When I started at Nexia Sydney as a high school cadet, I never imagined the opportunities and experiences that would lead to this new role as International Chairman. It is somewhat difficult to contemplate as a 17 year old that I would only ever work for one company and would one day be appointed Chairman of the 9th Largest Accounting Network. I have often been asked if I ever set myself such high goals or aspirations however, my answer is simply no; I like to believe in working hard and taking the opportunities that are presented. A famous golfer is understood to have once commented, “The more I practice, the luckier I get” and to some extent, I would agree with these sentiments. I have never sought roles or positions in my career but I have been lucky to be in the right place at the right time.
Whilst there have been many highlights along the way, including all of the opportunities for growth, it is the enduring relationships with people I have met and worked with that has shaped this journey and made it one which I have thoroughly enjoyed.
It is the relationships that set Nexia apart from other networks, particularly the one-to-one relationships with colleagues all over Australia and New Zealand and the rest of the world. I am regularly asked for advice from overseas companies looking to establish themselves in Australia, and vice versa, with local companies looking to expand overseas. Through the relationships established across the network, we are able to offer a seamless approach to servicing clients no matter where in the world they may be. Clients often comment on Nexia’s personal approach and a good example of this is that some of my current clients are the same ones I worked with in my first week at Nexia, in January 1978. No matter how big or small, we have grown together and this is something we are particularly proud of at Nexia.
The directors that I work alongside, some for 20 years and a couple for over 40 years, demonstrate the collegial and caring nature of Nexia. These values, often uncommon in professional services, have always been something that I have strived to embed in everyone across Australia and New Zealand and is something that I hope to take to my new role.
As we live in an uncertain world, which is currently impacted by natural disasters and illness, clients can take some comfort from the strong stable foundation that Nexia provides through advice from experienced teams, who have been shaped over time by many unfavorable financial situations and from many years working together.
Nexia’s future is looking very strong. We recently announced achieving USD $4.3bn across the network this year – an increase of 7% in global revenue and I foresee continued growth as we engage more with our clients to meet their ever-changing needs. Many of these needs are not in the traditional areas of our practices with new services continually being required. As with any great organisation, we must leverage off our strengths, be innovative and learn to share best practice. We are privileged to be in a network which has some very large firms positioned across the globe. Our largest firm in the network is nearly 10 times larger than the combined Australia and New Zealand group. It is working with these firms that we will be able to continue to improve our services and opportunities for you.
I would like to take the time now to thank everyone I have worked with for their continued support over the last nine years in my role as Australia and New Zealand Chairman and I would like to wish our new Chairman, Mal Di Giulio from Nexia Perth good luck as I hand over the baton to him.
Finally, with my new role, I will be overseas an additional three weeks a year but I have one constant in my life in an ever changing world, which is that I will continue to work with my great team and great clients. I am a lucky man.
