HLB Mann Judd backs staff Olympic hurdles hopeful
Financial adviser Sarah Carli is training to run the 400m hurdles in Paris next year.
HLB Mann Judd is backing one of its financial advisers to make next year’s Paris Olympics in the women’s 400m hurdles.
Sarah Carli, 29, represented Australia at the Tokyo Olympics, Birmingham Commonwealth Games and at this year’s World Athletics Championships in Budapest.
Ranked 17th in the world with a personal best of 54.66 seconds in June, Ms Carli follows in the footsteps of track star Debbie Flintoff-King, who won gold for Australia in the event at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul.
“Paris will hopefully be the pinnacle of my track and field career, and I want to do everything to ensure I arrive in the shape that I know I’m capable of, and compete as the athlete I know I am,” she said.
She will be up against stiff competition in Dutch hurdler Femke Bol, who won in Budapest, and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone of the US, who won gold in Tokyo in 2020 and set a world record last year of 50.68 seconds.
Ms Carli began competing at the age of eight but took a step back from elite sport after high school to complete a bachelor of commerce majoring in management and finance at the University of Wollongong, and a diploma of financial planning from Mentor Education.
She returned to athletics after university and worked at an independent NSW accounting firm before moving to HLB Mann Judd two years ago.
Ms Carli said her employer’s sponsorship would help increase training in the run-up to Olympic qualifying and compete in international competitions ahead of Paris.
“The Wollongong firm and broader HLB Mann Judd network have been incredibly supportive and understand what this means to me,” she said.
“Wealth management partner Paul Bottele in particular has allowed me to have flexibility in my work arrangement so I can train and compete, so I’m very grateful to Paul and the Wollongong team.”
Under the terms of the sponsorship arrangement, the HLB logo will feature on Ms Carli’s race uniform over the coming 12 months.
Chair of the HLB Mann Judd Australasian Association Tony Fittler said the firm’s support of Ms Carli was a reflection of her focus on excellence – both on the track and in advising clients.
“HLB Mann Judd is immensely proud of Sarah and her achievements both on and off the track,” he said.
“She has an admirable work ethic and exhibits many of the attributes we value in our staff. She’s very disciplined and has high attention to detail in the way she manages clients and works with them in achieving the best possible financial outcome.”
“We’re looking forward to supporting her journey to the Olympics next year, and hope the rest of Australia can get behind her as much as we do.”
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