Michael Brennan
 Statement of claim
I have been a member of ARITA since 2007. I am a Registered Liquidator and Bankruptcy Trustee. I was admitted as a solicitor in 1999 and hold a current practice certificate issued by the Qld Law Society. I am fortunate, as I operate in the profession as an appointee, but I have also lived the different perspective that our advisors engage in the profession from.
Being based in Townsville, my firm knows the challenges that regional businesses face, and during my time on the Qld Division Committee I have tried to expand the service offerings of ARITA over mediums that allow remote access. Broadcasting the lunchtime Forums into Cairns and Townsville is one example of this growth. It is important that the Qld Division Committee continues to have representation from all demographics, across all geographic locations and firm sizes.
We are experiencing a horrific attack on our market by unlicensed advisors, coupled with the toughest regulatory oversight in generations. Now more than ever ARITA needs voices that are not afraid to call out parties on all fronts. I have been unwavering in my criticism of the regulators in their failure to break down the pre-insolvency industry and will continue to agitate for a fair playing field for us to operate in. We have earned the right to practice and advise clients in need of assistance when they are most vulnerable. It is time that the regulators turned their focus onto the black hats in the system.
Bio
Michael has presented at multiple professional educational events and in community forums on a variety of issues within the Insolvency Profession. He has also been a leader for a number of the ARITA Advanced Certification workshops.
Relevant information:
- Admitted as a solicitor in the Qld Supreme Court 1999 after 2 years articles
- Member Qld Law Society 1999 to present
- Commenced in the insolvency profession in 2000
- Grad Cert. Insolv Prof USQ 2005
- Professional Member of ARITA (then IPAA) 2007
- Registered Trustee in Bankruptcy 2008
- Registered & Official Liquidator 2009
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- Master of Professional Accounting 2011
- Member of Qld Law Society Insolvency Law Committee 2013 to present
- Member of Qld Divisional Committee of ARITA 2015 to present
- Qld Law Society Council Member 2016 to present
- Deputy Chair of Qld Divisional Committee of ARITA 2016 to present
- Member of ARITA SMP Committee 2017 to present
- Chair of the Townsville Business Development Centre Inc. 2018 to present
- Fellow of ARITA 2018
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Anthony Connelly
Statement of claim
I have served as a committee member for the Qld Division since 2015. As our firm's National Risk and Professional Practice Partner, I had considerable input with my senior personnel into the 4th edition of the ARITA Code and Practice Statements. I maintain a keen interest in the legal and regulatory matters that affect our profession and have responsibility for our firm's precedents, policies and quality assurance. I also coordinate our firm's national responses to debates and requests for input from government, regulators and ARITA.
I have assisted the Qld Division as a member of the turnaround sub-committee and presented on the topic of safe harbour at one of last year's Queensland forums.
I would be grateful for the opportunity to serve on the Qld Division Committee for a further term.
Bio
Anthony is a partner with McGrathNicol and has over 22 years' experience in advisory, restructuring and turnaround services. He is the partner in charge of the McGrathNicol Brisbane office and is also the firm's National Risk and Professional Practice Partner with responsibility for the firm's precedents, policies and quality assurance.
Anthony is a Fellow of ARITA and has served on the Qld Division Committee since 2015, and currently assists with the Turnaround sub-committee. He is a Registered Liquidator, a chartered accountant and a member of each of CAANZ, ARITA and TMA. Anthony has a commerce degree, a law degree and holds a Certificate IV in Government (Fraud Control) and Certificate IV in Government (Investigation).
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Chris Cook
 Statement of claim
I am extremely passionate about ARITA's mission 'to support insolvency and recovery professionals in their quest to restore the economic value of underperforming businesses and to assist financially challenged individuals'. I intend to make a meaningful contribution to ARITA's mission and role as much as possible.
In the 2019 calendar year, I assisted the Qld Division Committee by being Chair of the education sub-committee. I wish to continue to actively contribute to the committee through the Qld Division Committee and sub-committee for the 2020 year.
Bio
Chris is a Partner of Worrells with over 21 years' insolvency experience. Chris is a Registered Liquidator and Bankruptcy Trustee. Chris is also a Fellow of ARITA and has served ARITA in the following ways:
- member of the Qld Division Committee for 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019
- Chair of the education sub-committee for 2017, 2018 and 2019
- member of the code of conduct review sub-committee in 2018.
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Ian Dorey
 Statement of claim
I am a Partner of the global legal firm K&L Gates. I am based in Brisbane and I have been involved in the insolvency area for almost my entire legal career.
My career to date has involved working in a medium-sized Queensland-based firm, national firms, and a global firm, and I have been involved in secured recovery and insolvency work as well as unsecured insolvency work. I have acted for major banks and financial institutions as well as large and small insolvency firms. This has given me an insight into how insolvency practitioners operate and what challenges they face, regardless of the size of their practice. There have been many changes to the laws and practices during my career. I have enjoyed adapting to those changes and assisting insolvency practitioners navigate through those changes.
I bring a practical, commercial and balanced approach to my work and my involvement with ARITA. I have enjoyed contributing and 'giving back' to the profession during my time on the Qld Division Committee and would welcome the opportunity to continue to do so.
Bio
Ian has been a full member of ARITA since December 2001 and in 2017 he was made a Fellow of ARITA.
Ian's involvement with ARITA was as an active conference participant before he decided to become more involved, and was elected to the Qld Division Committee in 2013. During his time on the Committee he has been a member of the sub-committee responsible for organising the Division Conference and a member of the (now disbanded) Law Society liaison sub-committee. Ian has spoken at Division Conferences, both as a moderator for various panel sessions, and as a presenter on various topics. Ian has also had articles published in the ARITA Journal and has been a workshop leader for the ARITA insolvency courses.
Ian is also active with INSOL. He is currently Chair of the Global Editorial Committee for the INSOL Electronic Newsletter, having been a member of this committee for 4 years. Ian has also contributed to the INSOL Quarterly publication, INSOL World.
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Michael Fingland
Statement of claim
I have 22 years' of turnaround and restructuring experience and have played a key role in promoting the advancement of turnaround management which is a key strategic initiative of ARITA.
In 2005 I established Vantage Performance as a specialist turnaround management firm. We have completed some 173 engagements and we've been fortunate to have won a number of turnaround Awards. I have been a Chartered Accountant for 19 years and a member of TMA and ARITA for a number of years.
I am willing to put a significant amount of time and effort into advancing ARITA's strategic agenda.
Bio
Michael has served as a Qld State and National Board member of the TMA, and a Qld Division Committee member for 2018.
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Matthew Joiner
Statement of claim
Having worked in the insolvency industry for the last 30 years, I consider I am a worthy candidate to represent Queensland members to lobby for law reform and to further ARITA's ethical, professional and technical standards, in consultation with regulatory bodies and the Commonwealth Treasury.
Bio
Matthew is a Fellow of ARITA and has been a member of the Qld Division Committee for 3 years. He has assisted ARITA with its education program since 2000 by leading workshops for the Advanced Certification course. Matthew is a Registered Liquidator and a Registered Trustee in Bankruptcy. Matthew has acted as ARITA's representative on the selection committee (for applicants seeking to become Registered Trustees) on many occasions.
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Damien Lau
Statement of claim
I have been a long-time supporter of ARITA through its ongoing professional development courses and have attended numerous division, national and small practice conference run by ARITA. I strongly believe in the core values of ARITA and would like to give back to the organisation that has been instrumental in guiding me through my professional career. If I am successful in being elected to the committee I will be a very strong advocate for developing strategies to engage with ARITA’s younger membership base because they represent the future of our industry and it is important that our younger members become enthusiastic advocates and participants in the very important work ARITA performs.
I believe I can make a positive impact to ARITA through serving on the Qld Division Committee for 2020 and would welcome the opportunity should members see it fit to elect me to the committee.
Bio
Damien is a Registered Liquidator and a Director at Bentleys Corporate Recovery, with over 18 years' experience working in both boutique and national insolvency firms. He has undertaken recent engagements in a variety of industries including health and aged care; agribusiness; hospitality; ommercial and SME's. This is Damien's first time nominating for an ARITA committee.
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Tim Michael
Statement of claim
In an increasingly challenging environment, the role of ARITA and its division Committees is as important as ever. I take a collegiate approach to all practitioners and committee members, but none the less am prepared to be forthright about my views and opinions on issues I consider appropriate, in particular regarding poor practitioner conduct. The industry has and will continue to face many challenges that require committee members to have a service mindset of improving and protecting the industry as a whole.
In my capacity as Partner at KPMG I support ARITA's lunch time training sessions and take a table at ARITA's annual state conference dinner. I have presented at ARITA's lunchtime training sessions and the annual Queensland conference. As a committee member since 2012 I have witnessed first-hand the work and give back of the committee members protecting, preserving and improving industry practice. In 2016, together with Mark Wellard, I led ARITA's response to the development of Enforcement and Statutory Guidelines for the issue of CoRA EPO's under the Queensland Environmental Protection Act 1994. After much angst and frustration, the final Guideline issued, so far as it related to the position of insolvency and restructuring practitioners and turnaround advisors, was a vastly improved and acceptable framework that gives greater certainty to practitioners and advisors to financially stressed companies exposed to environmental contamination issues.
A committee's strength lies in its balance and diversity and being representative of the body of members, e.g. accountants/lawyers, large firm/small firm, male/female, specialist/broad -based firm representatives. I am a chartered accountant and party of KPMG, a large broad-based firm. (KPMG acquired the Australian practices of Ferrier Hodgson in June 2019)
Bio
Tim has been a member of ARITA for over 20 years (since 1998) and is proud to have been awarded fellowship of ARITA in recognition of long, diligent and unblemished membership. Tim is a registered liquidator and has 30 years' insolvency, restructuring and turnaround experience. Tim was the staff partner of the Brisbane office of Ferrier Hodgson for over 10 years and is intimate with the issues facing younger practitioners in the profession. |
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Daniel Moore
Statement of claim
 I wish to nominate for the Queensland Divisional Committee as I have positive issues to raise to benefit Queenslander practitioners. As a Professional Member of ARITA for over 20 years I believe my contributions will be valuable to the general debate and I will endeavour to put forward the interests of smaller and independent practise members. Also, Committees such as these need constant renewal to inject new thought and vigour into the process. As a Registered Trustee as well as a Registered Liquidator, I have the necessary breadth of experience to review the overall benefits and shortfalls of new agendas as they are proposed by Parliament and the Regulators.
If you wish me to represent you on the Qld Committee, I have proposals to table and promote to Legislators to enable us all to do a better job and achieve more for creditors and recommendations to Regulators to achieve greater harmony and co-operation in the profession. Another issue is to have ARITA encourage appointors to appoint where their asset is.
I look forward to representing Queensland members and their issues. As this election is first past the post, only vote for the members you specifically wish to be on the Qld Committee.
Bio
Daniel is a Registered Liquidator and Registered Trustee in Bankruptcy with 28 years of experience in insolvency. He has attained Fellowship of both accounting bodies. Daniel has worked with specialist and international firms in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Cairns. In addition to this, Daniel has experience conducting matters in Tasmania and regional areas of the eastern states of Australia.
Daniel is currently dealing with a personal insolvency matter with international assets to recover. He provides services in secured creditor recovery, corporate insolvency, business recovery, personal insolvency and investigative accounting. Daniel has been a member of the ARITA ISWG/Technical Working Group consultation panel for many years and deputy chair of the Qld Public Practise Committee for CPA Australia for six years. He was also on Bankruptcy Act reform committees with the Regulator. Daniel was a presenter at the ARITA SMP Conference.
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David O'Farrell
Statement of claim
I have been a member of ARITA since 1995, and am a past committee member, and vice-chairman, of the Qld Division.
I have been a committee member for the Queensland Division from 2007 to present (excluding 2018). During this time I:
- was a workshop leader for the insolvency education program for approximately 8 years;
- assisted with arranging various Queensland Division conferences and dinners, including acting as MC at various dinners;
- presented at Queensland Division conferences.
I have also assisted ARITA in other capacities including as a member of the Professional Conduct Committees, and regularly attend ARITA national conferences. Outside of ARITA, I regularly give presentations, and publishing material in relation to insolvency and restructuring topics, and in particular law reform.
Bio
David is a partner of HWL Ebsworth and has over 25 years' experience specialising in insolvency and restructuring. David has been a member of ARITA since 1995, having completed the insolvency education practice course at that time. He is a Fellow member of ARITA and has served continuously on the Queensland Division Committee from 2007 (shortly after relocating from Sydney to Brisbane) until now.
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Glen Oldham
 Statement of claim
I have been an ARITA professional member since 2007 and have served on the Queensland Committee for 7 years, the last 5 as Secretary. I represent the views of small practices/practitioners and also hold a position on ARITA's National Small Medium Practice Committee. I have also represented ARITA on committees constituted to consider Registered Liquidation applications in Queensland.
Bio
Glen has over 20 years' experience in insolvency and founded Oldhams Advisory in 2013.
| ARITA Involvement: |
Qualifications: |
- Professional member - 2007
- Qld Committee - March 2013 to present
- Qld Secretary - April 2015 to present
- National SMP Committee - August 2015 to present
- Advancement to Fellow - 2017
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- Fellow of ARITA
- Registered Liquidator
- Chartered Accountant
- Bachelor of Commerce
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Michael Owen
Statement of claim
I am a member of ARITA and have served on the Queensland Division Committee since 2017. During this time I have been an active member of the committee, contributing by participating in panel discussions at the Qld annual conference, sitting on the code review and education sub-committees, acting as mentor for the young professionals hosted events, as well as hosting an educational seminar. I believe I have made a positive contribution to the committee and am keen to continue to develop my involvement for the benefit of members and the profession as a whole.
Prior to joining the committee, I contributed to the profession over many years in a variety of ways including presentations, speaking engagements and lectures. I have a keen interest in continuing education and development opportunities for people working in the industry and would welcome the opportunity to continue my role on the Qld committee.
Bio
Michael is a Partner of PricewaterhouseCoopers Australia, based in the Brisbane office. He has over 25 years' experience providing specialist corporate advisory and recovery services and has been a registered liquidator since 2000. Michael has also held senior institutional banking roles.
| Qualifications: |
Memberships: |
- Fellow INSOL International
- Master of Applied Finance
- Chartered Accountant
- Bachelor of Commerce
- Registered Liquidator
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- FINSIA
- ARITA - Qld Division Committee member since 2017
- CAANZ
- TMA
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Peter Schmidt
Statement of claim
I have been a member of ARITA since 2001, and a member of the Qld Divisional Committee since 2011, Chairing that Committee from 2015 to 2019.
I was appointed to the Board of ARITA in 2015 and remain on the Board. I have also sat on the ARITA Professional Conduct Committee and Membership Committee since 2015, and I am currently Chair of that Committee. During this time I believe that I have contributed positively to the work ARITA does, and I have tried to do my bit to assist ARITA in undertaking the multitude of services it provides to its members.
I regularly present at ARITA events, including the last National Conference, and have hosted a number of ARITA events at our Brisbane premises. I have also conducted a number of the ARITA workshops for the various courses which ARITA provides to its members.
I believe that I have a lot to offer ARITA and its members as part of the Qld Divisional Committee, the ARITA Board and the ARITA Committees I sit on.
Bio
Peter is a partner at Norton Rose Fulbright Australia in the Financial Restructuring and Insolvency group. He has over 25 years' experience in commercial disputes, and insolvency & restructuring.
Peter acts for banks, financial institutions and insolvency accountants on all aspects of corporate turnaround and recovery, secured and unsecured debt management, and dispute resolution. Peter is often asked to give independent advice to Boards and individual Directors on issues that arise during the management of the Company. In more recent times Peter's focus has been on turnaround and restructuring from both the lender and the company side.
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Peter Smith
 Statement of claim
I am a leading commercial litigator and I have specialised in Insolvency and Restructuring for over 27 years. In 2019 I was recognised as Brisbane Lawyer of the Year for Insolvency and Reorganization by Best Lawyers. I am also recognised in Doyle's Guide as a pre-eminent Insolvency Practitioner. I have been an active Qld committee member for approximately 8 years.
Bio
After 20 years at Herbert Smith Freehills, Peter will commence at Johnson Winter Slattery as a Partner on 2 March 2020. He will continue to specialise in Insolvency and Restructuring, with a strong focus on the Qld Market.
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Kelly Trenfield
 Statement of claim
ARITA has an important role to play in shaping our profession and in upholding the values we believe should be maintained by its members. In order to achieve this the committee must represent those values and be diverse and reflective of ARITA's membership.
I take the responsibility entrusted with the position of a committee member seriously and endeavour to demonstrate my commitment if re-elected. I hope my ongoing involvement with the Queensland committee will help us promote the profession to junior members and allow me to continue to advocate and support other female practitioners.
Bio
Kelly has the following qualifications and qualities which place her in good stead for a position on the committee:
- She has served on the Queensland ARITA Committee since 2016 being appointed Chair of the Committee in 2019. Kelly has served on the National Board since 2019
- She is a Registered Liquidator and Bankruptcy Trustee, one of very few women to hold these qualifications
- She has practiced in the field of corporate and personal insolvency since 1994
- Kelly is a longstanding member of ARITA and was made a Fellow in 2017
- Apart from general participation in the operation of the Queensland ARITA committee, Kelly has been a part of the organising committee for the annual State Conference since 2017
- In addition, Kelly has led training sessions and presented at State Conferences, and has been the ARITA representative on various ASIC and AFSA registrations and disciplinary committees.
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