I am a senior consultant in the Indirect Taxes Team at Pitcher Partners Melbourne. I am a Chartered Accountant and a graduate of the University of Melbourne, where I received my Masters degree in Accounting.
After graduating from the University of Melbourne, I started my career with Pitcher Partners where I gained an in depth understanding of GST, Stamp Duty and Fuel Tax Credits.
I specialise in providing high quality tax compliance and advisory services that meet the needs of my clients. Examples of the services I provide include preparation and review of Business Activity Statements, GST reviews and preparation of advices and objections in areas such as GST, Land Tax, Stamp Duty and Fuel Tax Credits. I also deal with the Australian Taxation Office and State Revenue Offices in relation to various client matters on a regular basis.
How long have you been affiliated with The Tax Institute?
I have been an affiliate with The Tax Institute since I joined Pitcher Partners Melbourne in 2008.
What does the Tax Awards mean to you, and more broadly, to the tax profession?
The Tax Adviser of the Year Awards celebrates not only technical excellence but also the contributions that a tax professional makes to the tax community as a whole. Through the Tax Awards, the tax community are made aware of the initiatives and positive changes being made to the tax community. Further, by recognising these achievements, hopefully more tax professionals would be inspired to think about new initiatives that would benefit themselves in their practice and to the tax community.
What are 5 main tips/tricks that you used for preparing your application?
- Have 5 seconds of courage to start the application (or talk to your supervisor that you wish to submit an application).
- Take time to review the work you have completed and list them down on a piece of paper.
- Speak to your supervisor or colleagues and find out if there is a particular thing about you that left a positive impression on them.
- Prepare a draft application and have someone read it for you and ask them for feedback.
- Allow sufficient time to prepare your application and set out a plan as to what you want to include, who you will need to speak to and what examples you will use to support your application.
What was it like to be named a finalists/winner in your category?
I was extremely honoured to be named as a finalist in my category and I was also very excited that I got to fly to the Gold Coast to attend the National Convention. Since the announcement I also had a lot of people visiting my LinkedIn profile and sending me messages. The exposure was fantastic!
What are 4 main reasons for applying for the Tax Awards?
- To be recognised for the initiatives or positive changes that one brings into his or her work;
- To inspire others to start thinking about their current practice and how they may improve the way they do or think about things;
- To meet and to learn from other tax practitioners at the annual convention;
- To consolidate and review what one has done and to use this opportunity to think about what other improvements can be done.
What do you believe put your application above the others?
In preparing for my application, I tried to provide sufficient support/evidence to each initiative or example included in the application. I also asked others to review my application and gave me feedback as to how I can make my application more successful.
How has applying for the Tax Awards benefitted you?
Through the discussions I had with others during my preparation process, I was able to identify my areas of strength and areas of weakness that I need to improve on. I was quite fortunate to receive honest feedback from the people I spoke to and I believe these conversations improved the relationship between myself and the people that have provided their assistance in my application.
What do you like to do when you’re not knee-deep in tax?
When I am not knee-deep in tax, I enjoy spending time with my family and taking photos of my son and my wife as I am very passionate about photography.
