Crowe Horwath ups M&A, Tax and Private Equity firepower with two ex-‘Big Four’ appointments

Crowe Horwath, one of Australia’s leading accountancy firms and part of Findex, has expanded its Corporate Finance and Tax Advisory teams with two senior appointments, both with ‘Big Four’ provenance.

David Ward, a former Transaction Advisory Services Partner with EY and Trevor Pascall, a former Tax Partner with KPMG’s tax division, have been appointed as Corporate Finance and Tax Advisory Principals respectively.

Findex Global Head of Business Development, Peter Gardiner said that these two appointments were part of Crowe Horwath’s move to meet the increasing demand for corporate and tax advisory services across the firm’s national platform as part of the transition to offer all clients a comprehensive Family Office service.

“In short, the Family Office model involves providing clients with the opportunity to access a wide range of financial-related services from one trusted source at a competitive price.

“We are pleased to recruit such great talent and though they are based in Queensland, they will have a national focus.
“These appointments also reflect the increasing significance of Queensland within our network. The Sunshine State’s diverse range of agri-industries represents an ongoing opportunity for Crowe Horwath to further grow in the corporate finance and tax advisory space in this market.

“David and Trevor each bring a wealth of experience from large and trusted organisations; the kind of people we really need to partner with our clients and add value,” he said.

David Ward joins Crowe Horwath from Credo Advisory Partners, which he founded in July 2015 as an independent boutique corporate advisory firm specialising in the provision of Merger & Acquisition (M&A) advice. Prior to that he had a long career with EY Transaction Advisory Services as the head of its Queensland M&A operations.

“I believe my solid experience in transaction execution, particularly in the mid-market corporate and private equity sectors, can bring a lot to the table for Crowe Horwath,” added Ward.

Trevor Pascall was previously a Tax Partner at KPMG, dealing with the broad spectrum of tax matters from international through to SME tax issues. He was also the Lead Tax Partner for Energy & Natural Resources (ENR) in Queensland, chair of the KPMG National ENR Tax Technical & Training Committee and a member of the KPMG National Tax Management Services Group.

Pascall has also worked at the Australian Tax Office (ATO) where he held roles of Tax Counsel, Director of Complex Legal Recovery and was a Sydney ATO Executive Board Member.

“This brings an exciting change in my career – the next chapter – that effectively builds on my many years in tax.
Having started my career in the ATO and successfully transitioning to a Big Four professional firm, my objective is to leverage my significant and varied tax knowledge and skills through to the Crowe Horwath client base across the country.

I strongly believe in what Crowe Horwath, as part of Findex, is aiming to achieve through the Family Office and I’m excited to be a part of the journey.” Pascall said.