Staff Profiles

PETER MULQUEEN

Client Director

Peter is one of the founding partners of MGR Accountants that opened its doors in 1984.

Peter spends his days providing advice to clients on tax planning matters, business valuations and a wide range of business consulting issues. According to Peter, "No days are the same. Clients face new challenges all the time. Running a business in the digital age is totally different and the rate of technological change is accelerating. Marketing has also changed courtesy of social media and the internet and clients now want more than just tax returns and financial statements from their accountant."

Peter says, "We view the tax return as the start of the client process not the end and our client brief includes providing strategies and solutions to help clients grow their business, their profits and their wealth. As a consequence, the firm has evolved over the past 20 years and is now a full financial services firm offering additional services like financial planning, IT, auditing and marketing."

Peter belongs to a family that is in its fifth generation of funeral directing in the local Bendigo region and his specialist knowledge of the funeral industry has earnt him the 'expert' reputation. He presents at a number of industry association conferences and advises many funeral businesses throughout Australia.   Peter Mulqueen says, “I truly understand the industry and have first-hand knowledge of family expectations around funeral etiquette, the demands of being on call at unsociable hours and the need to always perform at your best. It can be a complex business having to cater to so many options regarding funeral arrangements, different religions, ethnicities and cultural traditions.”

"The firm's growth is in part due to the fact we care about our clients." Peter maintains that if you want to grow your business you need to have solid foundations which explains why he advocates you always, “begin with the end in mind”. As such, he insists clients have the right business structure (to protect their assets), the correct software (to minimize compliance costs) and an understanding of the four ways to grow a business. Peter’s objective with his clients is to solve their tax and financial problems, help them identify and capitalise on opportunities and ensure they avoid the pitfalls. “Our goal is to be very knowledgeable about our clients’ businesses and understand their specific industry issues. This helps us develop strategies and select the right tools to help them with their business planning and wealth creation plans.”

Professional Qualifications & Memberships

• Diploma of Business (Accounting) Degree
• Registered Tax Agent 
• Member – CPA Australia – Public Practice
• Member – National Tax and Accountants Association 
• Registered Self-Managed Super Fund Auditor

According to Peter the best thing about the firm is the loyal team who are committed to achieving the best outcomes for clients.

Outside of the office Peter enjoys spending time with his family, playing golf and table tennis. He is also on a number of committees and boards including:

• Work Director of OTIS Foundation (Retreats for people living with breast cancer)
• Member of Catholic College School Board
• Chair Catholic College Finance Committee
• Chair Holy Rosary Parish Council
  
  

STEPHEN GRIFFIN

Client Director

Stephen is one of the founding partners of MGR Accountants that opened its doors in 1984.

He is responsible for management systems and support, including compliance and Quality Assurance of MGR’s process systems. He is also responsible for business growth and expansion, staff and HR matters, cash flow and financing, new acquisitions, technical training and professional development.

Stephen is also an expert business adviser to enterprises across many industries; including Construction, Trades, Professional Services and Primary Production. He says, " I act as consultant and adviser to my clients, working with them to understand their business goals and help them achieve their organisational objectives. I have a particular speciality in the construction and earthmoving industries."

He specialises in matters such as business structures, systems development, growth, human resources, cash flow, profitability, grants, government subsidies and compliance consulting. Stephen has been involved in many of his clients starting out in business and becoming successful medium to large enterprises.

Professional Qualifications & Memberships

• Diploma of Business (Accounting)  
• Member - Institute of Company Directors  
• Member – CPA Australia – Public Practice Certificate  
• Member – Association of Tax and Management Accountants Ltd  
• Registered Tax Agent  
• Registered Self-Managed Super Fund Auditor

Outside the office Stephen is a keen Collingwood supporter.

ANTHONY CAPPY

Client Director

Anthony grew up in Castlemaine and graduated from Latrobe University (Bendigo Campus) in 1998. His first graduate position was with KPMG in Melbourne in early 1999. After working out that Melbourne life was not for him, he returned to regional Victoria and joined MGR in late 1999.

Anthony became a Partner of MGR in July 2009 and has vast experience and skill in providing advice regarding business structures, cash flow, profitability, tax and management consulting. He works with many small to medium enterprises and has developed expertise across several industries including the building trades, professional services, wholesale and retail, primary production, entertainment and hospitality.

Anthony enjoys being a 'go to' person for his clients. They contact him in relation to a broad range of business and taxation matters and he strives to deliver practical advice and solutions.

Professional Qualifications & Memberships

• Bachelor of Business (Accounting)
• Member – CPA Australia – Public Practice Certificate
• Registered Tax Agent

Anthony describes the best part of working MGR as, "The great firm culture, built on the back of a very friendly and approachable team".

Outside of work Anthony enjoys spending time with his young family, keeping fit, playing indoor cricket, going to the movies and travelling.

ANNEMARIE McCLURE

Client Director

Annemarie joined MGR in February 2011 after returning to Victoria after living in Perth for three years.

Her first accounting job was as an undergraduate accountant one day per week at a Melbourne firm. She juggled this position while studying her accounting degree at Swinburne University. Two years later Annemarie graduated and relocated to Perth where she worked for a mid-tier firm and commenced studying her CA.  After three years she completed her studies and required work experience and moved back to Victoria to join MGR.

She is responsible for assisting clients with their reporting obligations with the ATO and other industry bodies. Annemarie also assists in the preparation of business valuations and the provision of strategic business advice to both new and existing clients. This involves understanding a variety of businesses and the different challenges they face.

Professional Qualifications & Memberships 

• Bachelor of Business (Accounting)
• Member - Institute of Chartered Accountants 

Annemarie describes the best part about working at MGR as, "Management who are supportive of family life, flexible working arrangements, open lines of communication for career advancement." Outside of work she's a busy mother of two children. Annemarie is passionate about healthy wholesome food for her children and building memories to last them a lifetime.

KELLY MCDERMOTT

Client Manager

Kelly joined MGR in August 1995 when the firm was operating as Mulqueen Griffin Rogers & Lennox. Prior to that she worked for 6 months in another business owned by Stephen Griffin. She had completed 2 years of study at La Trobe University for her ‘Bachelor of Business’ but later completed her Accounting Degree as well as her CPA program while working full time.

Kelly is a Client Manager and also manages Peter Mulqueen’s team within the practice. She has worked solely under Peter's guidance for more than two decades and the majority of her work is the preparation of financial statements, tax returns, BAS lodgements and business valuations. Her team has a large number of clients in the funeral industry and they are situated up the east coast of Australia and South Australia. In addition to the compliance work she also assists with the preparation of valuations of funeral businesses. These valuations can be for a myriad of reasons including bank finance, marriage settlements and divorce, succession planning and sale of the business. Part of the process involves benchmarking the client's figures and comparing the results to industry averages and then providing advice to help improve results. Kelly says, "This is an extremely enjoyable and rewarding part of my job because in some instances we help turn financial results around in a very short period of time"

Kelly has presented at Australian Funeral Director Association Conferences specifically directing her knowledge to women working in the funeral services industry. She also regularly attends other industry body national conferences and is passionate about the funeral industry where she has developed many long standing professional relationships with clients. Kelly says, “Family Business relies heavily on the involvement of younger generations (particularly for succession). Participating in numerous Funeral Industry events has provided me with further insight into the industry, as well as guiding and assisting clients with financial improvement, transition or new acquisitions”.

Professional Qualifications & Memberships
•  Bachelor of Business (Accounting)
•  Member – CPA Australia

She describes the best part about working at MGR as, "The great relationships and ongoing professional development opportunities". Outside of work she is a member of the St Francis of the Fields School Board and she is actively involved with her children’s interests at ballet, tennis, basketball and swimming. In her spare time she enjoys renovating, cooking and gardening plus loves spending time with her family and friends.

KERRYN HAMILTON

Client Manager

Kerryn joined the firm in September 1991 after spending 5 years at a 'big 5' accounting firm in Melbourne. She is responsible for caring for a group of clients in various industry sectors including the medical professions, transport, primary production and other industries. She is passionate about ensuring clients maximise their profit potential and save tax if possible using the most appropriate business structure for their business.

Professional Qualifications & Memberships

• Bachelor of Business (Accounting)
• Member - Institute of Chartered Accountants

She says the best part of her job is, "Working with my wonderful clients" and outside the office she is actively involved with her son's football and tennis commitments. She is also the Treasurer for the local Hall committee at Emu Creek and enjoys helping her husband with farming pursuits.

Kerryn can also be found in front of the TV if tennis is being telecast and dreams of the next premiership for the Richmond football club in the AFL.

LACHLAN MARGRAIN

Client Manager

Lachlan joined the firm in February 2010 after working for a small public practice during his university studies where he completed his Bachelor of Commerce.

The majority of his work is with small to medium business clients in all types of business structures including sole traders, partnerships, trusts and companies. He is responsible for the preparation of financial statements and tax returns and also provides advisory services such as financial performance reviews, structure planning and reviews, benchmarking,  and business valuations.

Lachlan says, "I am passionate about working with both established and start-up clients to help develop and grow their businesses and assist to ease the compliance burden."

Professional Qualifications & Memberships

• Bachelor of Business (Commerce)
• Member – CPA Australia

He describes the best part of working at MGR as, "The broad variety of work and types of clients, the opportunities for professional growth and the best of all is the great camaraderie within the team."
Outside of work he is a keen but poor golfer. Lachlan is also a member of the MGR indoor cricket team and an all-round sports lover who follows Collingwood in the AFL and West Ham in the English Premier League. He loves to listen to Triple J and often goes to gigs with his friends and his favourite bands include The Wombats, Ball Park Music and Oasis.

THOMAS MEARS

Client Manager

Thomas joined MGR in December 2011 as part of an intership program that he completed during his second year university break. He continued to work part time at MGR after his internship concluded before commencing full time work in November 2012 after completing his Bachelor of Accounting at La Trobe University (Bendigo Campus).
He primarily works on small business clients where he's responsible for the preparation of business activity statements, financial statements and tax returns for various entities including sole traders, partnerships, trusts and companies. Thomas actively seeks out ways for clients to improve their bookkeeping skills so they can focus their attention on successfully managing and growing their business. He says, “Up to date, accurate bookkeeping also means we can spend more time providing value-added services to clients.” 

Professional Qualifications & Memberships
• Bachelor of Business (Accounting)
• Member – CPA Australia

According to Thomas, the best part about working at MGR is "the extensive staff pool of knowledge means finding the answer to a question often simply involves asking the right person." Outside the office he enjoys watching sport including the AFL where he supports Essendon, tennis and cricket. He also enjoys TV shows like Game of Thrones and tries to stay active by going to the gym and hopes to make a return to playing footy. He also enjoys playing card games like poker and going out for breakfast (best meal of the day!).