Path to Partnership – Détails, épisodes et analyse

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.

Delighted to have spent an hour in the presence of James d’Apice, he is a man with many talents, he’s host of two popular podcasts, he’s a rapper (!), author, social media celebrity and yet he still finds the time to be a leading commercial litigator, business owner, husband and father of 3!

James shares his unconventional journey through law — from spending his informative lawyer years with the highly respected Makinson D’apice (MakDap) which has of course, strong family ties to James, to then forging his own career path, driven by his litigation specialism and desire to challenge the status quo, resulting in James launching his own firm Gravamen in 2023.

We discuss his career pivots, the early seeds of Coffee and a Case Note, as well as the importance external mentors have played in James’s career across law and marketing.

Inside This Episode:

• Why James resisted being part of the family firm for the long term— and what changed his mind
• The origin of Coffee and a Case Note and its surprising slow burn success
• How radio, rap, and rigorous case law came together to build his personal brand and shaped his marketing strategy
• The reality of starting your own firm, balancing professional ambition and family ambition, and the values that drive his new business Gravamen
• Why brand doesn’t equal revenue (at least not at first) — and how that shifted over time

James gets candid about, privilege, branding, his definition of “bricks and mortar” and finding your lane in a changing legal landscape. If you're in professional services, this is a must-listen….

And yes, he’s as good a bloke in person as he comes across on camera!

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.

Full disclosure, this episode is a good’un! Will has such an interesting career journey, with plenty more to come. He began his career in a small boutique firm in Sydney and then moved into commercial accounting roles. Will then joined Xero’s where he became country Head in both Canada and Australia in a relatively short period of time. It’s a meteoric rise for someone so young, however when you hear of Will’s resilience, determination and energy, it’s easy to understand why.
We talk through how Will overcame the disappointment of not pursuing a football career, as well as his razor-sharp focus on being a sponge and learning and adding as much value as possible in the first “10 year block” of his career. We talk about a couple of sliding door moments which wouldn’t have happened if he didn’t have that focus and tenacity and how that drive helped to create the opportunities that were put in front of him.
Will talks about what he regrets in his career as well as advice to anyone on that career journey, whether it be on the #pathtopartnership or running a company. We also talk through what his next 10 years looks like and how GoodLuca.com is going to change the learning and development game for accountants.

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/

Wali Aziz is Head of Audit & ESG Leader at Walker Wayland NSW, a AFR top 20 accounting firm. Wali was a real pleasure to interview, during our chat he shared excellent insights into the career moves he made and opportunities he saw in order to achieve his goal of becoming an Audit Partner.

Wali shared his views on the importance of having mentors during your career journey, as well as the importance of having a supportive and commercial firm such as Walker Wayland in helping him achieve Partner.  Wali talks about the need as a leader to evolve and grow, even as a Senior Partner, an example of which is importance and focus ESG has with clients.

For anyone on that Path to Partnership I really think Wali’s story will really resonate.

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”.

It's fair to say that Adam’s path to Managing Partner, is not the usual path. Adam began life as an accountant in various commercial roles before joining Moore Stephens as their internal finance person. Its there where Adam grew personally and professionally, working in an environment that saw value in Adam’s role and where the internal functions of the firm, finance, IT, HR and operations supported the growth of the firm. Adam talks about the importance of working closely with Senior Partners who allowed him to do his thing who trusted him and gave him the responsibility to grow those functions and for him to have a seat in the all-important Partner meetings. 

We talk about the Moore Stephens and Pitcher Partner merger and the role Adam played as COO in bringing together two major players in the Sydney market. Adam talks about the importance of allowing his team to grow and take accountability for their functions which allowed a smooth transition to the firm that Pitcher Partners is today. We talk through Adam’s transition from COO to Managing Partner and the key skills and confidence needed in such a role as well as the importance of internal and external mentors along the way.

I though this was such an insightful and enjoyable chat with Adam in how a career in accounting can start in one direction yet can lead you to a different path in what is a very successful career to date. Adam was very generous with his advice on aspiring Partners and Managing Partners as well as the challenges firms such as Pitcher Partners have in the next 12-24 months.

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!

Mitch Stone is Executive Director (Partner) of Quantaco, a specialist hospitality advisory firm born out of the PKF and Lawler Partners brand. I’ve known Mitch for a number of years, since he was a Manager, so I’ve been lucky enough to see firsthand Mitch’s individual journey on his Path to Partnership.

During our chat we talk about the importance of mentors, what aspiring Partners can work on to help the get there, as well talking more about the Quantaco brand, and the success they’ve had as a firm, in such a short space of time.