BDO’s big 4 raid continues with 2 key partner hires
The firm has recruited a former PwC director and a Deloitte partner for its growing tax and audit practices.
BDO is set to add two new partners from the big four to its tax and audit practices, banking on their expertise with big corporate clients to sustain its double-digit growth trajectory.
Ex-PwC director Daniel Dowell will join as a tax partner in Melbourne on 7 October and Delarey Nell, formerly of Deloitte, will join as an audit and assurance partner in Sydney.
The appointments continue BDO’s recent series of big four partner hires as well as its ambitious growth agenda.
The past financial year saw BDO post a 14 per cent jump in revenue to $540 million while its larger competitors all experienced downturns and cut back on new hires over the same period.
BDO said Dowell’s extensive expertise in advising large corporate taxpayers and multinationals would “significantly enhance the team’s capabilities”.
“Daniel’s proficiency in Australian and international tax issues, combined with his strong technical knowledge and analytical skills, has made him a key player in advising large corporate taxpayers and inbound and outbound multinationals,” Melbourne managing partner David Garvey said.
The firm praised Dowell’s “committed, transparent, and client-centric approach”.
He had over 14 years of experience in the tax industry, starting his career at KPMG and spending the last decade at PwC.
Incoming audit partner Delarey Nell was also a big four veteran with over two decades of experience working across international markets such as South Africa, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
Nell was a partner at EY’s Johannesburg office from 2010 to 2015 before moving to Deloitte in Sydney.
BDO said he specialised in financial services audits across sectors including investment and corporate banking, private equity, commercial property finance, equities, derivatives, futures and commodity markets.
NSW managing partner Grant Saxon said Delarey’s appointment was indicative of the firm’s growth agenda.
“Delarey’s deep technical knowledge and experience in financial services will bolster our audit team’s offering as we continue to meet demand for excellent audit quality and outstanding audit experience,” Saxon said.
“His history of success in local and international markets demonstrates his ability to work collaboratively with clients and other advisers to manage complex audit services."
“Delarey joins us as our firm continues to grow from strength to strength, and we look forward to tapping on his expertise as we continue to win market share.”
The appointment of Dowell and Nell follows the appointments of partners Paul McDougall and Ridhish Arora to the firm’s new Canberra office in August.
McDougall came from PwC while Arora was formerly of Deloitte.
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