• Professional advisory solutions firm swoops on high profile talent to support record growth

• 23% of new leadership appointments in Findex’s expanding regional divisions

Melbourne, VIC — 24th September 2019 — Findex, one of Australia’s leading professional advisory solutions firms, continues to build its corporate finance and tax advisory capabilities with a slew of high-profile hires and new partner appointments.

Findex today (24 September) announced 57 new partners, comprising external appointments and internal promotions in moves designed to significantly bolster its Australasian network and regional reach.

Almost a quarter of the new partners are based in regional areas, giving Findex a significant foothold in fast-growing regions including Coffs Harbour, Toowoomba and Mildura.

Adding to the strength of its tax advisory team, Findex has appointed John Baillie as a Senior Partner with the Corporate and International Tax business, which operates as Crowe Australasia. Mr Baillie was formerly a Partner (Corporate and International Tax) with Deloitte Australia.

Mr Baillie joins another leading tax specialist, Mark Azzopardi, who has been appointed Managing Partner of the Tax Advisory service line.

Mr Azzopardi brings to Findex a demonstrated history at several of the big four networks and mid-tier firms, having most recently served as Managing Partner of the national specialist tax group at Grant Thornton, and as Tax Partner at Deloitte prior. Mr Azzopardi will oversee the company’s tax advisory business, encompassing tax advice, valuations, research and development, international tax, and customs and international trade.

Other key partner appointments include:

• Naida Beltrame, formerly principal of Beltrame Consulting, has been appointed Partner for National R&D and Tax Leader

• Tony Newham, formerly Program Manager with Tabcorp, has joined as a Partner in the Mergers and Acquisitions team

• Tony Krohn, formerly a consultant with Richmark, joins as a Partner in Corporate Finance.

Findex COO Tony Roussos said the new partner appointments came at a pivotal growth stage for the company.

“We are thrilled to have industry leaders like John Baillie, Mark Azzopardi, Naida Beltrame, Tony Newham, Tony Krohn and many others taking their place in the Findex team as Partners. In all, we’ve added 57 new partners across our core advisory teams in what is the largest promotion of talent both internally and externally in our company’s history,” Mr Roussos said.

“In 2020 we want to get closer to our clients, and these appointments add to the depth and quality of our advisory ranks. Findex has expanded significantly this year across several divisions and we have no doubt that our new partners will play a critical role in future growth.”

The firm, which is in over 110 locations, has experienced expeditious growth over the past year with five Australian acquisitions, including tech start-up, LendEx, as well as one New Zealand acquisition.

The company has a proud history of growing talent internally; 68% of appointments came via internal promotion.

Findex has also expanded significantly in regional parts of Australia and New Zealand, with nearly 25% of leadership appointments taking place outside of major metropolitan areas. The company is known for its high-touch, personalised approach, and is connected into individual communities.

Reflecting on Findex’s expanding international advisory capabilities, several of the new appointments will be based in the Crowe Australasia team. Findex operates as the Australasian arm of Crowe Global, ranked the eighth largest accounting network in the world.

Mr Roussos said: “We’re proud to be a member of the Crowe Global network, and celebrate that for over 100 years, members of Crowe have made smart decisions for multinational clients working across borders. These global ties are crucial for our work with governments, regulatory bodies and industry groups to shape the future of the profession worldwide,” he said.