BDO poaches more big 4 talent, breaks 300-partner mark
The hires show the firm is continuing to attract top talent from the industry, chief executive partner Tony Schiffmann has said.
BDO has poached a handful of big four advisers and promoted 13 staff members to break the 300-partner milestone at the start of the year.
The firm said former KPMG partners Sohail Dossa and Luke Eason had been appointed as risk advisory services partners in Melbourne.
Peter Horsman and Mark Harrington, both from Deloitte, would join as partners in Adelaide’s risk and infrastructure advisory teams respectively.
One lateral hire, Sam Pickard, came from mid-tier PKF and would join as a business services partner in Brisbane.
BDO is the biggest accounting firm outside of the big four in the country and part of the “next four” of larger mid-tier firms that also include Grant Thornton, Pitcher Partners and RSM.
Last year, it achieved another milestone when it made over $500 million in local revenue for the first time, following three years of consecutive growth.
The firm also opened a Canberra consulting arm headed by Paul McDougall, a former partner at PwC and Scyne Advisory, and Ridhish Arora, ex-Deloitte and Sayers Group.
BDO chief executive partner Tony Schiffmann said the lateral hires showed BDO continued to attract top talent.
“We are pleased to welcome Peter, Sam, Mark, Sohail, and Luke to our team,” he said.
“Their extensive experience across risk management, project advisory, and infrastructure will significantly enhance our service offerings and support our clients in navigating challenges in an increasingly complex environment.”
BDO’s new-year appointments also included 13 promotions effective 1 January across its Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth offices, taking its partner ranks to over 300.
“I am proud to share the news that BDO will exceed 300 in partner numbers,” Schiffmann said.
“Today’s announcement demonstrates the excellent calibre of people coming up through our strong pipeline of talent and our ability to attract outstanding professionals in a very competitive market.”
“Each of these individuals has consistently demonstrated outstanding performance, innovative thinking, and commitment to our values.”
“Their leadership has not only inspired their teams but has also significantly contributed to our collective success.”
Schiffmann said he was proud of BDO’s culture of developing its people.
“I am proud of the culture we have created at BDO … we are committed to continually developing and nurturing our future leaders, and seeing the talent exhibited across the firm makes it clear we have a strong future ahead.”
The partner promotions:
- Allen Tongol, audit & assurance, Brisbane
- Cam Cengiz, business services, Brisbane
- David Bohm, advisory, Sydney
- Dean Ardern, advisory, Melbourne
- Dries Martens, audit & assurance, Sydney
- Eileen Tsai, tax, Brisbane
- George Ikonomou, audit & assurance, Sydney
- Jamie Kaden, tax, Brisbane
- Jonathon Lee, tax, Sydney
- Karyn Lander, advisory, Perth
- Mark Oliver, advisory, Brisbane
- Stamati Georgas, business services, Brisbane
- Vanessa Vaillant, advisory, Sydney
BDO said 12 staff members had also been promoted to directors.
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