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BDO bolsters advisory and audit with two partner-level recruits

Appointments

A former KPMG US director plus a former Grant Thornton director bring extensive experience to the firm.

By Josh Needs 12 minute read

BDO Australia has bolstered its advisory and audit practices with two experienced recruits at partner level.

The firm said former KPMG director in both New Zealand and the US, Fiona Narielwalla, would join BDO’s Sydney office as an audit and assurance partner while Joanna Georgalis, previously with Grant Thornton, would join the advisory team in Melbourne. 

Managing partner of BDO’s Sydney office Grant Saxon said Ms Narielwalla would bring considerable knowledge and a strategic focus to the firm’s financial services practice. 

“Fiona’s appointment is testament to our enduring commitment to audit quality, ensuring our clients are confident in the assurance we provide now and into the future,” said Mr Saxon. 

“Fiona’s vast experience in the fintech and financial services industry and around audit innovation will be a great asset to our audit offering and growing client network.” 

Ms Narielwalla brought over 25 years’ experience as a global leader in the adoption of next-generation audit solutions and expertise in audit and assurance services to the fintech and financial services industry. 

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She joined BDO Australia after working with numerous audit innovation projects and having worked alongside multinational clients across several industries including, fintech, wealth management, funds management and banking.

A transformation and performance expert previously at Grant Thornton — where she led the development of the public sector and social services strategy for its consulting division — BDO said Ms Georgalis would be a much-needed addition to the firm and its Melbourne office. 

David Garvey, BDO’s Melbourne office managing partner, welcomed Ms Georgalis’s appointment and said the firm was experiencing increased demand for change management expertise.

“Joanna is a change management expert with deep capability in business transformation and performance improvement,” said Mr Garvey. 

“She is skilled at managing complex projects through the lenses of people, process and technology, delivering the best possible outcomes for organisations.” 

“Joanna has been published in the Australian Journal of Management for her thesis on resistance to change and is also a qualified Prosci practitioner. We look forward to offering Joanna’s highly skilled problem-solving ability to our growing client network.” 

Ms Georgalis’ expertise stemmed from a focus on organisations delivering services to the community, such as government agencies, health and aged care providers, and not-for-profit organisations. 

BDO Australia was founded in 1975 and has grown to become one of the largest in the BDO organisation with over 2,140 staff and more than 250 partners with offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane, Adelaide, Hobart, Cairns and the Sunshine Coast. 

 

Josh Needs

Josh Needs

AUTHOR

Josh Needs is a journalist at Accountants Daily and SMSF Adviser, which are the leading sources of news, strategy, and educational content for professionals in the accounting and SMSF sectors.

Josh studied journalism at the University of NSW and previously wrote news, feature articles and video reviews for Unsealed 4x4, a specialist offroad motoring website. Since joining the Momentum Media Team in 2022, Josh has written for Accountants Daily and SMSF Adviser.

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