Leading a team of more than 300 highly skilled professionals, Kelly+Partners’ corporate structure comprises two levels of management oversight. The Board and Senior Executive team is led by Founder, Executive Chairman and CEO Brett Kelly, and the individual operating businesses are managed by the Senior Client Directors / Owners in each location.
BBus, CA, MTax, DipFS, RTA, JP
Founder, Executive Chair, Chief Executive Officer
Brett is the founder and CEO of Kelly+Partners. He has more than 25 years commercial and professional accountancy experience, specialising in assisting private clients, private business owners and families.
He commenced his career as a Chartered Accountant with 5 years at Price Waterhouse, and then worked at 3 mid-sized accounting firms. In 2006, Brett founded Kelly+Partners with accounting businesses in North Sydney and the Central Coast, before building out the network to 22 businesses over 15 locations to date.
Brett is also the best-selling author of four books on life, business and wisdom.
BEc, CA
Independent Deputy Chairman and Non-Executive Director
Stephen has over 45 years experience in financial services across many senior leadership roles. He was Chief Financial Officer, Company Secretary and Manager of Investor Relations for AUB Group (formerly Austbrokers) from 2005 until 2015.
Prior to this, he was General Manager for ING Australia Holdings from 2002 to 2005 having joined ING’s predecessor company, Mercantile Mutual, in 1985. Over this 20 year period, Stephen held the position of Group Company Secretary, which included its subsidiary companies operating in the life and general insurance, investment management, funds management and banking sectors.
At the start of his career, he worked in the accountancy profession from 1971 to 1984. Since retiring as CFO, Stephen continues to represent AUB as a Director for a number of its subsidiaries and associates.
BBus, CA, FTIA, DipFP, RTA, JP
Executive Director
Paul is a Chartered Accountant with more than 17 years accounting experience specialising in the provision of accounting, compliance, tax and advisory services to private SMEs and their owners.
He commenced his career with Farrar & Company Chartered Accountants in 1998, where he worked for 10 years. Paul then joined Crowe Horwath in 2008 for a further 4 years.
He was a founding partner of Kelly Partners Norwest when the business was launched in 2012
B.COM, CA, M.COM, JP, DIPFP
Executive Director
Ada has more than 15 years professional accountancy experience. She has specialised in outsourced finance department services, personal business compliance, taxation and self managed super funds.
BCom, GAICD
Independent Non-Executive Director
Ryan is an experienced business technology executive with over 25 years of IT management experience. He has been Chief Information Officer (CIO) at Laing O’Rourke since 2012, including 3.5 years as the Global CIO. Ryan is responsible for all IT functions within Laing O’Rourke with a focus on strategic objectives, global alignment and delivering business value.
Prior to his current role, he held several senior IT management positions at Woolworths from 2008 to 2012. Earlier in his career, Ryan undertook various senior IT positions at financial, insurance, construction and retail operations globally.
He is also on the board of the Open Data Institute, a position he has held since 2014.
BA, Economics, JD
Non-Executive Independent Director
Lawrence A. Cunningham is an expert on corporate governance, culture, and structure. He is special counsel in corporate governance with Mayer Brown, professor emeritus in corporate governance of George Washington University and author of many related books, including The Essays of Warren Buffett: Lessons for Corporate America, in collaboration with Mr. Buffett; The AIG Story, with Hank Greenberg; and Quality Shareholders: How the Best Managers Attract and Keep Them. Mr Cunningham is Vice Chairman of the Board of Constellation Software Inc., a Toronto Stock Exchange company, and Director of the Markel Group, a New York Stock Exchange Company.