Michael Kirby AC CMG, former Justice of the High Court of Australia, has been one of Australia’s greatest leaders.  Also known as "the Great Dissenter", he continues to provoke, challenge and inspire. "We can get change, although we... read more

In January 2007 Karin Vosmansky’s first child, Robbie, arrived at 32 weeks, weighing a delicate 1.3kg. The premature newborn had breathing difficulties – and Vosmansky’s kidneys, liver and nervous system had begun to shut... read more

Few business women have captured the admiration and affection of the Australian public quite so completely as Ita Buttrose. A dominant figure in the country’s media landscape for almost five decades, and recently named Australian of the... read more

David Penklis FCPA has a massive task ahead of him. His job is to bring together the support services for six peacekeeping organisations with a budget totalling US$4 billion and comprising 74,000 people working in some of the world’s most... read more

When Leroy Yau migrated to Australia from Hong Kong as a child, it was just the beginning of his moves. Today, his resume not only includes studies in Australia and Hong Kong but roles with international accounting firms throughout Asia, including... read more

Green power. It’s the science of the future, and one tiny “nerdy” Melbourne firm with a strong green agenda is now the world’s technological leader in the field, designing lights that can last up to 30 years. LED lighting... read more

fiercely, dangerously competitive." Demographer Bernard Salt first showed a fascination with history before he turned 10. Rather than curiously quiz his parents for information about their past and how he came to be, Salt says, he cross-examined... read more

When the previous chief executive officer of the Sydney Opera House, Richard Evans, announced his resignation in February last year, little did he know his successor was standing beside him. Nor did she. Louise Herron, who was chair of the... read more

In 2006, when INTHEBLACK interviewed Katrina Excell, she was – pardon the pun – excelling in her role as financial controller at the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) and aspiring to a top executive role. Fast-forward six years and... read more

Tim Close confesses that he didn’t make a particularly good employee so it’s fortuitous that the 30-year-old father of three is successful at running his own accounting practice. His business, Close Financial Group, won the 2012... read more

In July 2006, Ryan Arblaster was enjoying his third year as a graduate accountant with mining company AngloGold Ashanti at Sunrise Dam – a gold mine located on the edge of the Great Victoria Desert, 700km north-east of Perth. More than six... read more

Adapting an existing business idea and delivering an improved offering sounds simple. In reality, it can be infinitely more difficult to achieve – David Scanlen and Michael Tate, the powerhouse brains behind Storage King, have succeeded in... read more

It takes courage to volunteer to be a Lifeline counsellor, especially when you are only 23, but Shakti Ram CPA wanted a challenge – and he has learned a lot during seven years with the counselling and support service in Canberra. “When... read more

When it came to career decisions, there was a time when Andrew McIntosh CPA believed the size of the employer definitely mattered. This notion saw him quit the local accounting firm in the Melbourne suburb of Blackburn – which he joined... read more

They said it couldn’t be done. But, remarkably, Daniel Flynn and his determined young Melbourne team of volunteers went ahead and did it anyway – diving headfirst into Australia’s A$600 million bottled-water market to help... read more

Some undergrads play touch footy. Some have a passion for travel. Sam Senior and James Robertson of the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) Business School in Brisbane are a bit different. As members of the QUT Business School... read more

Robbie Cooke joined Wotif.com in January 2006 as chief operating officer before taking the reins as CEO and managing director in October 2007. On joining the online travel retailer, he was immediately immersed in the formidable task of handling... read more

IN A 2005 SECRET BALLOT, planning and environment lawyer Sally Macindoe was elected to the board of international law firm Norton Rose (then known as Deacons) as the company’s first female representative. It was understandably a proud and... read more

When INTHEBLACK interviewed Murray Burton in 2006, he was 10 years into his role as executive director of Ferngrove winery and director at Galluccio Griggs, a public practice he joined in 1991 after completing a business degree at Curtin... read more

It may lack the glamour of counter-terrorism work portrayed on fictional television dramas such as Homeland and 24, but preventing terrorist attacks in Australia – and on Australian interests overseas – is a high priority for the... read more

A whistleblower, a champion horse trainer, a brewer, an inventor, a lord and a dame – CPA Congress had it all this year and was greeted with enthusiasm by delegates from Auckland to Perth and Singapore. More than 10,000 people attended... read more

Ten years ago, executive coach Rene Nathan sometimes felt a little unappreciated at the end of her working day. Although she enjoyed her role as a strategic planner to a growing list of Melbourne businesspeople, those same clients were somewhat... read more

“Good quality financial advice has the power to change lives,” says Matt Englund. Englund is responsible for the independently-owned advice businesses within BT Financial Group, which includes the Securitor and Licensee Select brands;... read more

Volunteering for a charity that offers therapy for abused children is not something entered into lightly. Justine Best, a CPA and partner of Brisbane accountancy firm Affinity Partners, knew this from the outset when she was asked to offer her... read more

Delano Sinniah CPA has a deep passion for cricket. When he was a boy at an Anglican boarding school, St John’s College Jaffna, in northern Sri Lanka – the fourth of his five brothers to go there – the young Sinniah proudly played... read more