Leading professional services firm Sinclair Wilson continues to engage in an ongoing process of renewal and development, with the appointment of three new young and energetic partners, Stephen Davies, Adam Smith and James Castley, as long term partners, Stephen Knight and Tony Davis retire from July 1, 2016.
Group Chairman Perry Cho is very upbeat about the change culture that Sinclair Wilson is embracing, reflecting the times themselves.
“We are committed to continuing to be at the leading edge of technology and technical expertise, so we need to bring young people through” explains Cho, “and they also have a particular relativity to younger clients or the younger family members of established clients. And I guess, by and large, they are vigorous and have new ideas which, on balance, is a good thing”.
“Stephen and Tony also appreciate the need for renewal and some years ago identified this year as their retirement date, although they will leave enduring legacies to Sinclair Wilson and the 
communities they have served since the late 1970’s. They leave great stability in the firm as they depart, Sinclair Wilson always being there in a familiar and reliably capable form for its clients. It’s been the same way since 1950 and why we have grown – we embrace change but don’t chop and change”.
Stephen Davies and James Castley have strong traditional tax and accounting backgrounds, their point of difference is being able to take a highly personal, very approachable and well immersed role in the family businesses they work for.
Adam Smith comes from a financial planning and investment advisory background, his admission as a partner reflecting his versatility and innate understanding of how business and investment decision-making can be highly related, for good reason.
It also reflects the convergence of the financial planning, superannuation, insurance and taxation and accounting/ auditing industries, driven in part by recent licensing changes brought by ASIC.
“Sinclair Wilson has always had a very strong financial planning and investment advisory arm, with our own AFSL licence, so we are in a very strong position to adapt to these changes through our current operating platform” explains group Chairman Perry Cho. “Such an integrated model will be of great benefit to our clients”.
After some early experience working in Melbourne, Stephen commenced with Sinclair Wilson in 1978, and became a partner in 1987. Though based in Warrnambool, Stephen also has a strong base of clients in Mortlake, many of whom he has serviced from the firm’s office in town.
Stephen cites new Principals James Castley, Stephen Davies and Adam Smith to reinforce the need for accountants and advisors to have sound business and life experience: “These three guys have strong connections with prominent local business families and have worked in Melbourne for a few years before joining Sinclair Wilson – you have to be well rounded”.
Stephen continues “we have been working on the smooth transition of files and clients for some time – which has been important to me as I have had a very close relationship with many clients – so they shouldn’t miss a beat with me retiring. The firm is big and strong, but remains committed to highly personalised service”.
It was a family link with Camperdown, that in 1983 saw Tony leave his audit career in Melbourne and return to the South West joining his father, Neville, at Robertson McKean O’Neill, which later joined up with Sinclair Wilson.
Such a “marriage” provided Camperdown clients with not just the specialist expertise that a larger practice can provide, but also improved systems and technology advancements.
Tony refers to topical matters to illustrate the point “the scope for this has been further increased with options such as Xero and other on-line and cloud applications”. Tony further enthuses “importantly, Sinclair Wilson has the strength in numbers, infrastructure and depth of smart young people to make this sort of thing a reality, and reliably so”.
Tony reminisces about “a thoroughly enjoyable career”, having worked with and met many “fantastic clients and staff”. Tony has also been heavily involved in community events in the Camperdown area, which he intends to continue in retirement. “And I suspect I will still help out at the office in Camperdown from time to time also, if required. I’m always keen to lend a helping hand”.
Sinclair Wilson’s succession plan has seen David Maher work alongside Tony at the Camperdown office for 14 years, becoming a partner 3 years ago. Apart from being a very technically strong accountant, the relationships that David has formed within the communities of Camperdown, where he works, and Mortlake, where he lives, complement and build on the extensive contributions that Tony and Stephen have already made in these areas.
Chairman of the Sinclair Wilson group, Perry Cho sums things up this way: “Stephen and Tony have been real contributors to the continued growth and development of Sinclair Wilson throughout South West Victoria. We are a truly regional firm spanning 11 offices linked via a fully networked computer system and video conferencing access. Both of these guys have consistently serviced many of these communities, particularly Camperdown and Mortlake, as well as Warrnambool and we are keen to sustain and build on their legacies there – it’s what we do and we do it through energetic and bright young people and constant renewal, while locking in knowledge and a stable culture. We don’t rest on our laurels or take our eye off the ball”.
Originally published in the Warrnambool Standard on Saturday July 2 2016.