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That’s a wrap on Season 5 of Accountants on Purpose! What an inspiring season with such an amazing group of people who have such a diverse range of experience, across many different organisations and industries, all across the world! As made evident this season, the job of a CFO or In-House is not just about revenue, costs and budgets. This season has been all about leadership and purpose and has emphasised the importance of enjoying what you do. We've learned many inspiring lessons from our guests that we want to share in this episode. Thank you to our sponsor, Chartered Accountants Australia & New Zealand for their support and a massive thank you to all of the guests and everyone who listened in to Season 5!

Sean Pearce, an Associate Director at SRG Partners, joins Sarah Bartholomeusz in the Season 5 Finale. Sean is a chartered accountant with over 18 years of experience across Big 4, listed organisations, SMEs, family-owned businesses and startups. He was previously the CFO of La Casa Del Formaggio and Water Utilities Australia, was a Senior Manager of Financial Planning & Analysis at Thomas Foods, as well as holding various roles at Elders. He has gained valuable experience in the food industry, financial services, agribusiness, consumer and industrial products. He is particularly skilled in CFO duties, due diligence, financial modelling, valuations, mergers and acquisitions, and divestments, financial reporting and analysis, project management, technology implementation, and much more.

In this episode, Sarah Bartholomeusz is joined by Amanda Cox, the Chief Financial & People Officer at Racing and Wagering Western Australia and previous executive at the West Coast Eagles Football Club. She is also a Fellow of both Chartered Accountants Australia & New Zealand and the Governance Institute of Australia. Not only that, she also serves as a non-executive director with Edge Employment Solutions, WA Institute of Sports and RPH Medical Research Foundation. Amanda is an experienced sports executive with more than 20 years of finance, people and culture, strategy, risk management and governance experience that helps her in her current role and the many community committees that she is a part of.

For this episode, Dexter Clarke sits down with Sarah Bartholomeusz and talks about his passion to be innovative, keeping the entrepreneurial spirit alive and maintaining a good balance of work and personal life. Dexter is currently the Chief Financial Officer of MotorServe, a business aiming at providing a one-stop shop for customers, including mechanical repairs and car servicing.  His mission and expertise is building world-class teams and businesses. As well as being a CFO, Dexter is also a runner, a father, a husband, a marketing whizz, and other random things not usually associated with accountants.

Stacey Quinn joins Sarah Bartholomeusz to talk about what being a virtual CFO entails, what motivates her to sit on multiple boards and committees, and being competitive - whether in board games or at life. Stacey is currently the manager of Moore Australia's Corporate Finance division, with her key areas of expertise being valuation, due diligence, and mergers and acquisitions. She also acts as virtual CFO and assists various clients with strategic directions, development of systems, policy and procedures, integration of technology for improved governance, and financial reporting to boards.  With a passion for equality, diversity and inclusion, Stacey acts as the chair for the SA/NT Regional Council for Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, as well as sitting on various other committees including those to better assist employment outcomes for First Nations people and those living with disabilities.

Anthony Stewart joins Sarah Bartholomeusz to talk about travel and what keeps his passion for work alive. Anthony is now the group CEO and previous CFO & CCO of Thomas Foods International. He loves to travel and see the world, which he did a lot for work, and being immersed in new cultures. He has global experience in consumer goods, manufacturing and distribution and has more than proved his business capabilities by driving change in fast-paced, challenging, and culturally-diverse environments across the various organizations he’s worked for. He also enjoys his work at Thomas Foods because every day brings something new and he is afforded opportunities to build things with substance and value on a large scale.

Frances is an experienced sustainability, finance and sustainable development professional with over 15 years' experience ALL over the world. She is currently an Operations Director at Conservation Capital and an Independent ESG Senior Consultant at ERIAS, specialising in nature-based solutions and conservation enterprises, public/private sector engagement, conservation finance, ESG, corporate sustainability and reporting, and carbon management and GHG accounting. This inspiring episode covers Frances’ multi-geographical and multi-industry experience and uncovers some valuable wisdom that we can all learn from. Her experience ranges from international development and financial inclusion - working with private sector, aid agency, and donor partners; financial services (Australian & US funds management); and auditing. It comes as no surprise that we need more people like Frances in today’s world!

In this episode, Sarah is joined by Brendan Rinaldi, Head of Health at ANZ, and previous State General Manager of Business Banking for ANZ in South Australia. He has a background in accounting, restructuring, banking & finance. He previously worked for PwC & KordaMentha before joining ANZ. Brendan has led large national and state teams over the past 4 years, focusing on a high performing culture and a values-based approach. He is passionate about developing and expanding on his leadership skills and bringing the best out in others. Having grown up on his family farm in the Riverina, he has strong views on ensuring a sustainable approach to banking and doing the right thing by customers and the community.

Laura Taylor is a Senior Accountant for Finance and Assets at SA Water. Laura is a Chartered Accountant with over 10 years' experience working within large corporations. Laura started her career in Brisbane, working there for 4.5 years, coming back to Adelaide for 6 months and then took her expertise to the United Kingdom where she gained valuable experience working with global brands. Bringing her experience and expertise back to Australia, Laura continues to have a successful career whilst continuously searching for ways to learn and grow as an accountant.

Leanne Allen joins Sarah Bartholomeusz to talk about what drives her, both metaphorically and literally! Leanne is the Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer of Commercial & General. Leanne loves fast cars, loud music and...numbers. She joined Commercial and General two years ago and has played an integral part in transforming their finance and operational processes to become rigorous systems reflective of a business that has changed and matured.   Amongst her many accomplishments, Leanne is passionate about giving back to the industry, currently a mentor for the 500 Women in Property program and Member on the SA Corporate Advisory Committee (Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand).   She is proud of Commercial & General's strong gender diversity across the organisation and thrives on the challenges that come with working in a large corporate structure.

Special Edition of Accountants on Purpose | Season 5 Launch Episode Ben Preston joins Sarah Bartholomeusz to talk about his unique journey to becoming an accomplished CFO. Following a series of very cold nights working in remote South Australia and a chance meeting a plan was put in place to embark on the journey to become an accountant. The “journey” included working as a mining labourer at Olympic Dam, a spot welder on the production line at Mitsubishi and an Accounts Payable clerk at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital. Ben Preston is now an accomplished CFO with many years of experience behind him as a CFO and prior to this working in both second tier and big four accounting firms. He is currently the CFO of the very popular family restaurant franchise, Fasta Pasta.

Professional service providers have a way to go in making a mark on gender equality and empowering women in the workplace, marketplace and community This season has been centred around Female Partners of accounting firms and their journeys. Our guests on the show have smashed through the glass ceiling to stand shoulder to shoulder with their male peers in the boardroom and the business world - not an easy undertaking even in this modern day and age. This episode is a reflection of the true strength and determination of these unstoppable women.