He joins the other four founding partners; Josh Cratchley, Patrick Casey, Sam Carroll and Joel Taylor.

Chief executive Josh Cratchley says Vaughan’s appointment is one of the most significant moments in the firm’s history.

“Walker Lane aims to be the long term home for the next generation of advisers, leaders and owners. For many advice businesses, succession is about helping founders leave the profession. But at Walker Lane, we have spent the past several years giving advisers, who still want to build and lead, a way to share in the ownership of the business they work in,” he says.

“We’ve known David since he first set up his practice, and we’ve supported his growth every step of the way,” Cratchley says. “What makes him special isn’t simply that he’s a good adviser, but one who has built a substantial business from nothing. He understands what we’re trying to build and sees the bigger picture. He shares our values and wants to help build the next growth chapter. That’s exactly the type of person we want to be in business with.”

“For Walker Lane, the appointment demonstrates that the business can grow beyond its founders through an expanding group of new leaders and owners. The goal was never to build a business owned by the founders forever but to build a business that is bigger than the sum of its parts. David becoming a partner is the first real sign that we’re moving towards that future,” Cratchley says.

“I first met Josh and Joel over a decade ago when I started my business, so while joining Walker Lane four years ago wasn’t a decision I made lightly, it was certainly a natural fit for us,” Vaughan adds. “Becoming an owner means I’m not just working in the business. I’ve got a say in where it goes and a responsibility to help get it there.

“I look forward to helping Walker Lane become one of the largest and most recognisable financial advice brands in Australia by the end of the decade,” says Vaughan.

Vaughan began his career in merchant banking before serving seven years in the Australian Defence Force with the 2nd Commando Regiment, formerly 4RAR (Commando), including deployments to Timor Leste and Afghanistan.

He moved into financial advice in 2014 and has since built a fast growing practice that has operated under the Walker Lane licence since 2022.

He holds a Master of Financial Planning (UNSW), a Bachelor of Commerce in Finance and Management (Deakin University), an SMSF Specialist Certificate (University of Adelaide), a Diploma of Financial Planning (Mentor Education), a Certificate IV in Finance and Mortgage Broking (Kaplan) and the Sydney Futures Exchange postgraduate Specialist Futures Certificate.

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