Path to Partnership

In this episode of the Path to Partnership podcast I am delighted to spend some time and chat with Peter Saccasan. Peter is a Sydney accounting legend and someone I have known for 20 years. Peter was Co-Founder & Partner of Saccasan Bailey Partners (est in 1992), a high profile boutique accounting firm based in Sydney who at the time was one of the best boutique firms in Sydney. In 2006 SBP became part of the Guild Group and became Guild accountants, 5 years later they merged the business into RSM. Peter is a brilliant example of how developing a niche and doubling down on that niche can bring huge success. Peter is known as the Pharmacy expert having advised in that industry for nearly 30 years. During our chat we talk in depth about business development, what that means to Peter and how you should go where your clients are such as industry events. We talk extensively about building trust with clients, and how clients don’t just want an advisor to understand the numbers, but also the business itself and the things that impact the success of a business. As well as the importance of mentoring, personal brand, leveraging technology and leadership, having recently transitioned away from the RSM Partnership we also talk about Peter’s latest venture, his own consulting firm PSE Advisory where he advises Partners & leaders of accounting firms on strategies to implement change, technology, or process. Peter is genuinely one of the nicest guys in the industry, so if felt like a really warm, insightful chat. Thanks Peter, for your time.

In this episode of The Path to Partnership Podcast, we welcome Tim Loh, Assistant Commissioner at the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) and a name (and face) many Australians came to recognise during the COVID-19 pandemic.Thrust into the spotlight as the public face of the ATO during a time of national uncertainty, Tim stepped far outside his comfort zone to lead public communications across TV, radio, and press. His calm, clear messaging and a style people resonated with, Tim helped guide millions of Australians individuals, small businesses, and tax professionals alike through complex support programs and changing tax measures.Tim shares how that experience reshaped his understanding of leadership, the importance of authentic communication, and what it takes to build trust at scale. He also opens up about his journey from private practice to public service, and how the ATO is working more closely than ever with practitioners to support a stronger, fairer tax system.This is a must-listen for aspiring leaders, partners-in-waiting, and anyone curious about what how the power of a personal brand can be leveraged.

In this episode, we sit down with the newly anointed business advisory Partner Samantha Lo, to explore her unconventional and inspiring journey to the top. From her early days in the motor industry group at Deloitte to a slightly unplanned two-year detour working remotely from Hong Kong, Samantha's Path to Partnership is an inspiring one.We dive deep into:The Power of a "Non-Linear" Career: How her time in Cairns and Hong Kong, working with diverse clients like banana farmers and international corporations, shaped her into the leader she is today.The Foundations of Partnership: Samantha shares the crucial role that mentorship, personal branding, and building authentic relationships played in her progression from Assistant Manager to Partner.Redefining Success and Work-Life Balance: We talk about the myth of the "always-on" Partner. Samantha discusses how she managed to build a successful career and a young family, highlighting the importance of clear communication, trusted support, and making time for the things that matter.This episode gave us the prospective of a newly appointed Partner, the importance of mentors, family and how it feels when you get to Partnership. It is a must-listen for anyone on the Partnership track who wants to learn how to navigate their career with intention, self-doubt, flexibility, and a whole lot of determination.Thank you Sam!

In this episode of the Path to Partnership podcast we are joined by Vincent Scali, Business Advisory Partner at Nexia in Sydney.This was a really great chat, perfect for this podcast as Vincent became a Partner just under a year ago so his path to partnership is fresh and new!Vincent talks very candidly about the transition from employee to Partner and the various challenges he faced, including the fact his father was a Senior Partner at the same firm, and as Vincent discusses, there were no favours for him in his partnership journey, in fact quite the opposite. So Vincents journey to Partner was far from conventional, we talk through the time, he moved firms and service lines and took it upon himself to go back to being a grad even with 2 years experience at PWC. In my view, an early sign of Vincents self-awareness and high EQ, no doubt.Beyond the Partner promotion itself, Vincent delves into the plan ahead as a new Partner, building his own client portfolio in a rapidly evolving market. He shares practical strategies for generating new business, leveraging his existing network, and the importance of embracing personal branding in the digital age.Finally, Vincent imparts invaluable advice for aspiring partners, emphasizing the importance of patience, mentorship and continuous growth. It was such an enjoyable and insightful chat, a must listen to anyone on that Path to Partnership.

In this episode, I chat with Shane Bell, Co-Founder and CEO of NSB Cyber — a leading Australian cybersecurity advisory firm. NSB stands for “No Steps Backward,” and once you hear Shane’s story, it’s clear that mantra has guided not just his business, but his entire career.Shane began his journey in the Australian Navy straight out of school — an experience he loved. From there, he made a bold move into the commercial world, starting out in HR admin at an IT company. That role opened the door to a position in their digital forensics and IT team, where he began building his technical skills.In 2007, Shane joined McGrathNicol as a Manager in their Digital Forensics team, helping to grow their Melbourne practice. After six and a half years, he moved to PwC to be part of their new and growing cyber practice — attracted by the opportunity to do what he described as “cool stuff” in the cyber space.Two years later, the chance to return to McGrathNicol and help build a dedicated cyber division was too good to pass up. Shane spent another eight years there, making Partner in 2017. Then in 2023, he took another leap — co-founding NSB Cyber, a business he’s truly passionate about.I’ve always admired people who take big career pivots, and Shane’s made several — from the military to tech, from tech to consulting, and from Director to Partner to CEO.This was such an enjoyable conversation — not just because of Shane’s story, but because he’s genuinely a great guy to talk to.

In this episode, we sit down with Marc Walsh, Director at Altus Financial, one of Australia’s top 40 accounting firms based in Sydney. Marc’s path to becoming a partner is anything but traditional. When he graduated from the University of Illinois with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, his dream was to tour America as a musician with his band. However, a series of pivotal moments led him to Sydney in 2007, where he began his accounting career at Altus—then a small firm with just 35 employees. Fast forward to today, and Altus has grown to over 110 people in NSW.Although Marc entered the accounting world later in his career, his previous experience in sales played a key role in his success. His ability to sell, identify opportunities, and help build Altus' Tax Advisory service offering helped shape the firm’s growth.Marc shares his insights on leadership, emphasizing the importance of self-awareness as a director and how the role evolves once you reach partnership. For Marc, it’s no longer just about personal success—it’s about empowering those around you, fostering their growth, and delivering exceptional service to clients. His approach speaks volumes about his leadership and commitment to both his team and clients.Marc’s journey will especially resonate with those who’ve made a career pivot later in life, showing that with the right mindset and support from a commercially savvy firm, achieving success and partnership is possible.

In a candid conversation it becomes clear why James has achieved such success in his career so far (and there’s plenty still to come). Starting his journey at BDO as a Cadet, James quickly climbed the ranks to Manager before taking on a secondment in the UK. After returning to Sydney in 2016, he transitioned to Senior Manager, but the entrepreneurial itch soon led him to establish his own advisory firm Ainsworth Advisory, where he served as a virtual CFO for multiple clients.In a pivotal moment, James returned to BDO in 2021 as a Partner and became Partner-in-Charge just a year or so later. His story is one of growth, resilience, and seizing opportunities when they arise.Throughout our conversation, James shares his passion for people and clients, offering valuable insights on the power of authenticity and the impact of delivering exceptional service in building a sustainable client base. We also explore the challenges of the accounting industry, the importance of work-life balance, and the undeniable value of surrounding yourself with a strong team to achieve success.

In this episode, we take the podcast in a slightly different direction. Why???.... I hear you ask, well a common theme across all the podcasts I’ve done with Partners and Managing Partners is just how important and impactful it is for a future Partner or current Partner to build their personal brand and leverage their own digital reputation. That is why I asked Roger Christie, Managing Director of Propel and podcast host of Your Digital Reputation to be a guest, because Roge is THE expert in this field. Plus, full disclosure, he’s also a mate of mine and us working together has been in the pipeline for some time.We talked in detail about how Partners and Leaders of professional services firms can leverage LinkedIn, how without trust in the digital world, you'll have a very hard time driving sales and innovation and attracting talent. Roge says LinkedIn is your best opportunity to earn and leverage that trust at scale. He talks passionately and perhaps most importantly, that having an online presence isn't all about you. He says there is a direct correlation between leaders who are visible and active online, and the willingness of their teams to follow suit. When leaders are present, they unlock their teams' potential - and “that's where the real magic happens”.As someone who should be leveraging LinkedIn more myself, a key takeaway for me from this chat was, if you see LinkedIn more as a relationship platform, and not a sales platform then the “why” you use it, and how you use it should make more sense and be easier. Generally, people don’t like being sold to, but people will listen to leaders who are an expert in their field, who are credible, who add value and are authentic - and who have more of a "we" mindset than a "me" mindset.So whilst this episode is a little different to hearing about someone’s individual journey to becoming a Partner, the advice that Roge gives will add so much value to anyone on the journey to Partnership or already in that role today who wants to build their profile, team, client base even more into the future.Hope you enjoy the episode, and feel free to connect with Roge on LinkedIn with any questions on how to maximise your own potential online: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rogerchristie/

As well as being Managing Partner of PKF Sydney, few would argue that Bob Bell is an industry legend with over 42 years experience in the chartered accounting profession. Bob became a founding Partner of a firm, just 7 years into his career and has operated at the Partner level ever since having started, built merged or exited from a couple of boutique firms over the years. It was an incredibly enjoyable chat talking to Bob about his career, particularly his transition from Manager to Partner and business owner in the early part of his career as well as his more recent transition from Senior Partner to Managing Partner of PKF Sydney. We cover a lot in our conversation, from the importance of relationships in terms of clients and how insightful learning off clients can be, to how to build a sustainable fee base and the importance of “just getting out there to win work”.

Preeti Inchody is Senior Managing Director of deals & advisory at Ankura, a global consulting firm with over 35 offices across the world. Preeti’s path to Partnership is one of resilience, persistence hard work, humility, and patience. Born and raised in Mumbi India, Preeti talks fondly about her childhood and the intensity of Mumbai when she started her career in accounting and finance. Preeti and her Husband then take the bold step and move to Australia in 2011 a country they had never even visited where Preeti talks about the initial challenges of securing a job and the approach she took to overcome those challenges. In 2015 Preeti joined global advisory firm FTI Consulting as the first “deals” person in a team of Insolvency and Restructuring professionals, Preeti talks about how she made her business a success as well as the importance of having mentors who supported her during that time. In February 2020 Preeti joined Ankura, 2 months before the world changed. Preeti talks about the challenges of starting a new business in a new brand in Australia at the start of Covid and how she was able to make it a success. Preeti achieved “Partnership” at Ankura at the beginning of 2023, we talk about what that meant to her and how she wants to help and mentor anyone on a similar journey. I loved this chat with Preeti. We covered a lot, particularly the importance of persistence, how she built her network and eco-system, the importance of internal and external mentors in her career journey as well as her thoughts on the deals market in the next 6 to 12 months. Preeti’s Path to Partnership is inspirational and I think it will resonate with a lot of people. Hope you enjoy!

Jim Softsis is Managing Partner and Head of Specialist Advisory at Findex, Australia’s fifth largest firm in the AFR top 100. Jim has had a really impressive career journey to Partner, not least what he’s helped build at Findex, but also the career moves he made, at the time he made them made sense which will resonate with people. Jim is a great example of someone understanding that when there is change going on all around you, by sticking with in because you believe in a firms strategy, that can create great opportunities for you personally.. I really enjoyed my chat with Jim, I’ve known him for over 13 years and to see him go from Senior Manager to Senior Partner is great to see. Jim is passionate about his clients needs and growth, as well as the importance of building a team and mentoring their development both personally and professionally Jim gives great advice about how to build a successful practice and the importance of building your personal brand both inside and out side the firm which I think will be really valuable to people.

Greg is a Director & Partner of advisory and accounting services for SW Accountants & Advisors and has worked in professional practice for over 28 years. Having worked for global accounting giants such as Grant Thornton and PWC, Greg founded Armstrong Dawson in 2012.  Excitingly Greg recently sold his firm Armstrong Dawson to SW accountants and he and the Armstrong Dawson team merged their practice into SW in July this year.