RSM adds partners, principals to accelerate growth plans
The appointments bring the firm’s total partners to 139 and headcount to over 1,800.
RSM has kicked off the year by appointing three partners and three principals, forging ahead with growth plans after hitting its FY2024 headcount target in November.
The mid-tier firm’s Melbourne and Brisbane offices would also be moving to “larger and more contemporary spaces” to accommodate its growth, it said.
CEO Jamie O’Rourke said the appointments recognised RSM’s existing talent through internal promotions, with the only external hire being an ex-PwC director.
“This is a testament to RSM’s commitment to nurturing and supporting our internal talent to ensure they can grow and develop their professional skills within the firm,” he said.
He said the promotions helped the firm service the needs of mid-market clients, ranging from “traditional” tax and assurance advice to “emerging” fields of ESG, data analytics and cyber security.
“Fundamentally, [the appointments] are in line with our 2024 strategy to attract, reward and sustain talent. This is an outstanding start to 2024 for our firm and shapes the path for another successful year,” he said.
He said RSM set a goal of having 1,750 staff in 2024. A raft of appointments at the end of last year, including five partners, two associate directors and an economist, took total numbers to over 1,800 by November.
“RSM is committed to expanding every year,” he said, expecting to build on the 16 per cent increase in staff numbers over the past two years.
Ex-Bank of America economist Devika Shivadekar, who joined in November, said the appointments were in anticipation of “improved conditions for both consumers and business alike”.
They also aligned with their clients’ outlook, with a recent RSM survey finding 43 per cent of businesses identified growth as their main priority for the coming year.
RSM said three senior managers have been promoted to principals, including Albury-based business advisory principal Ross Dixon, R&D tax principal Bryan Soepardi in Melbourne and cyber principal Kaustubh Vazalwar in Melbourne.
Additionally, business advisory principal Simon Brown was promoted to partner in RSM’s Busselton office while assurance principal Aimee Whittingham was elevated to partner in Melbourne.
ESG partner Linda Romanovska had also started work at the firm’s Sydney office this week.
RSM tapped the sustainability expert to bolster its ESG team of five in November.
Ms Romanovska worked at PwC between 2021 and 2023.
She has advised organisations such as the European Union’s platform on sustainable finance, Taronga Conservation Society and non-government standards development body Standards Australia on sustainable finance issues, according to her LinkedIn profile.
Ms Romanovska is also completing a PhD at the University of NSW on the valuation of green infrastructure.
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