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Private Business Tax & Advisory

Private businesses are the engine room of the Australian economy. They cover all sectors, employ millions of people and are key to Australia’s reputation for stable, quality goods and services both domestically and internationally.

Grant Thornton helps its private clients make the right decisions for their business, their family and for themselves with advice that is holistic, practical and commercial.

We help mid-sized businesses and family groups manage the complexity of their taxation and financial reporting, and then look forward to the big picture – growing their business, growing their wealth and planning for their future via succession or business sale. Our passion for understanding our clients’ businesses goes beyond addressing technical issues to developing actionable growth recommendations.

Our private business experts work across the following main areas:

  • Business planning and strategy
  • Financial accounting and management reporting
  • Superannuation and SMSF
  • ATO audit support
  • Outsourced CFO and accounting services
  • Family business consulting
  • Taxation and structuring

What makes working in Private Business Tax & Advisory unique:

  • Variety of clients – Our clients are a broad range of private businesses (of all sizes, shapes and structures), family businesses and high net-worth individuals, spanning all major industries.
  • Relationship building – We support our clients on a recurring basis, giving us the opportunity to develop long-term relationships with our clients, often across multiple generations of their families.
  • Collaboration – Our Private Business Tax & Advisory team works closely with specialist expertise from other Service Lines (including Specialist Tax, Audit & Assurance and Financial Advisory) to ensure we deliver meaningful and robust solutions.

Joining Private Business Tax & Advisory as a graduate or vacationer will see you:

  • work closely with your clients to understand their business operations, structure, objectives and future plans
  •  develop a strong foundation in your technical knowledge by working on a range of accounting and tax compliance matters
  • preparing financial statements and tax returns
  • liaising with the ATO on behalf of your clients
  • compiling information and supporting the preparation of workpapers
  • providing support to the broader team on advisory engagements.

What we’re looking for from you:

  • Strong communication and interpersonal skills
  • The ability to work collaboratively with others
  • Curiosity and an appetite for learning
  • Initiative, resilience and adaptability

Our Private Business Tax & Advisory team is best suited to students majoring in Accounting and/or Tax.

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Meet Lachie

Name: Lachie Strathmore
Job Title: Senior Associate
Service Line: Private Business Tax & Advisory
University Attended: University of Melbourne
Degree qualification: Bachelor of Commerce
Year graduated: 2020

Lachie started as a graduate in March 2021, after completing a Bachelor of Commerce degree at University of Melbourne. After doing rotations in Audit during a vacationer program, Lachie decided to seek a position in Grant Thornton’s Private Business Tax & Advisory team. As of January 2023, Lachie was promoted to Senior Associate.

Working on mainly compliance matters, Lachie enjoys helping clients navigate and comply with their various tax obligations with the ATO. “I find it interesting understanding the bigger picture of a family group – from the main trading entity, to the various companies and trusts in the business structure, and then through to the individuals. There is a lot of variety in the different clients, and I work with lots of different people in my division,” says Lachie.

How have you been supported in development so far? Lachie says one of the great things about working at Grant Thornton is the opportunity for coaching and mentoring. “There are great systems in place, and all of the people are incredibly generous with their time and happy to help you. Whilst you are definitely thrown in the deep-end with all the technical knowledge of a new job, the people around you keep you afloat and make sure you are understanding and progressing. There is a constant feedback loop, and conversations about your own career progression are constant.”

So what’s the best thing about working at Grant Thornton? “How possible it is to make an impact if you take some initiative. I have taken an active role in designing new training sessions, particularly for the incoming graduates and vacationers. I was supported by people at all levels, and was never told to stay in my lane or just focus on the work I’d been given. If you have something you want to innovate, you can do it and have people support you.”

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