Top 15 accounting firm Pitcher Partners is on the hunt for tax practice expertise after losing two tax partners in recent months.
The departure of Shane Cassey comes after a decision by former partner Mark Ceglinski to quit as a tax specialist to become head of corporate WA at Bell Potter Securities, replacing Peter Wallace who retired last year.
Mr Cassey will join KD Johns & Co, a boutique taxation specialist firm. Mr Cassey joins other former ex-Andersen directors – Keith Johns, Martina Crowley and Marc Worley – at his new firm.
Former Pitcher Partners insolvency expert Vince Smith has also quit the firm and is due to join Deloitte as an account director in consultancy.
That leaves Pitcher Partners with five partners in Perth, led by managing partner and insolvency specialist Bryan Hughes.
Mr Hughes said that, while the departure of three partners was a setback, notably in the tax area, the firm remained on a growth strategy and was looking to recruit.
He said the three partners each had different reasons for leaving, with Mr Smith and Mr Ceglinski both looking to change their career direction substantially.
“We have a number of options,” Mr Hughes said, noting that people could be moved interstate within the network if needed.
“Replacements from Melbourne are being put forward should we require them,” he said.
Mr Hughes added that he’d been in discussions with several potential recruits locally in recent weeks.
He said he was less concerned about the departure of Mr Smith, despite their long working relationship, because the Perth office had three partners in that area, which was too many.
“We were overweight in business recovery partners for the current market,” Mr Hughes said.
“Two partners can easily handle that for the next 12 months.”
Christopher Munday is the other insolvency specialist with the business.
The other Perth partners are Julie Strack, Nick Hollens and Matthew Woods.
