Biography: 
 
Bill Palmer is the Institute's Director Asia, responsible for driving the reach and influence of the Chartered Accountants brand in Asia.

From 2004 to 2009, Bill was the Institute’s General Manager, Standards and Public Affairs, where he was oversaw for the Institute’s technical and advocacy work, including professional and technical standards and quality review.

Prior to joining the Institute, Bill was a partner for 24 years with PricewaterhouseCoopers, practising in Indonesia, Australia and Singapore.

Biography: 
 
Yasser El-Ansary is the Tax Counsel at the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia. Yasser joined the Institute in January 2009 and has more than 14 years of experience in business and tax advisory roles.

Yasser is responsible for leading and developing the Institute’s taxation policy and is actively involved in lobbying the government and its agencies on tax issues. He also plays an active role in communicating important changes in the tax system to the Institute’s members as well as ensuring that the Institute is effectively participating in relevant consultation forums influencing the Australian tax system.

Prior to his current role, Yasser was the Group Tax Manager for Australand Holdings Ltd. He has also held positions at PricewaterhouseCoopers, the Federal Department of the Treasury and Rio Tinto.

Yasser holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the Australian National University and a Master of Taxation Law from the University of New South Wales.

Biography:  
 
Andrew Stringer was appointed to the position of Head of Audit for the division of Standards and Public Affairs at the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia in September 2006. He has over 30 years of experience in auditing, having worked for Deloitte in South Africa, before transferring to Canada and then Australia. He established his own company to consult in the areas of auditing and use of technologies in auditing, and over a ten year period provided services to the NSW Auditor-General’s Office and Audit New Zealand, as well as various internal audit groups.

Most recently he was the National Director, Audit Services for Horwath Australia for five years before joining the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia.

Andrew is a member of the Canadian and South African Institutes of Chartered Accountants, as well as the Institute of Internal Auditors in Australia.

Biography:  
 
Kerry Hicks was appointed as the Head of Reporting for the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia in 2007. With more than 20 years of experience in the accounting profession, Kerry provides strong leadership, technical competence and support in the area of reporting for the Institute.

Prior to her current role, Kerry was the Executive Director of the Technical Consulting Group with Ernst & Young. Kerry has developed expertise in the implementation of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) both in Australia and internationally, and more recently has focused on providing technical accounting support to small and medium sized entities.

Kerry is a results orientated strategic thinker who is focused on raising the profile of the Institute on financial and non-financial reporting issues. She plays a vital role in enabling the Institute to provide expert advice to assist members in dealing with the new regulatory environment.

Biography: 
 
Karen McWilliams was appointed as Manager of Chartered Accountants in Business for the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia in 2008. The new role was created as part of a sustained effort to represent and assist members working in business, with a particular focus on sustainability and climate change issues.

Prior to her role, Karen worked in statutory reporting at WorleyParsons Ltd, an ASX listed global professional services provider for two year. Karen also spent six years in audit and assurance with Deloitte in London and Ernst & Young in Sydney.

Karen is dedicated to consulting with member in business and advocating their specific requirements through submissions to government and appropriate bodies. Her role also assists members in business develop their career by providing a knowledge network so that they can keep up-to-date with emerging issues impacting their roles and responsibilities. 

Biography:  
 
Sheena Frenkel is the General Manger of the Chartered Accountants Program & Admissions division at the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia. Sheena is responsible for maintaining the Institute’s leadership position in education for the accounting profession and setting standards for Institute membership.

After some 14 years in senior executive development with the Australian Graduate School of Management, Sheena has a successful track record in working with leading Australian and multinational organisations. Her expertise is in postgraduate and post experience learning and development solutions aligned to the strategic goals of business.

Areas of research and special interest include: careers in accounting; graduate competencies and recruitment trends; development and mentoring strategies; the accounting skills shortage and migration trends.

Biography: 
 
Hugh is an experienced financial services senior manager, who has expertise in training, compliance and business development functions.
Prior to joining the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia in 2005 Hugh was National Training Manager, Financial Planning and Advice at Westpac Banking Corporation, where he has been employed for the past 18 years.

During his career with Westpac, he successfully held numerous key roles in the financial services arena, including posts as Head of Adviser and Planner Development NSW, Head of Business Development NSW and most recently as National Training Manager, Financial Planning and Advice. 

Biography:  
 
Sue commenced with Fell & Starkey (now Ernst & Young) Chartered Accountants in 1974 and worked as an auditor for three years. She became a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in 1977.

She then spent 10 years in Ernst & Whinney’s business services division with five of these years as a manager, providing accounting and taxation services to a wide range of medium sized businesses.

In 1987 she joined Boyd Tuckwell Lush (now Boyd Partners Limited) as a taxation specialist and has provided consulting services in all areas of taxation and superannuation, specialising in corporate tax, corporate restructuring and superannuation planning using privately administered superannuation funds.

In recent years Sue, who is the Chairman of Boyd Partners Limited, has focused on family business advising and capital raising, as well as taxation, and regards herself as a generalist with specialist skills. She has a strong interest in facilitating the buying and selling of businesses and enhancement of shareholder value.

Her client base consists largely of medium sized businesses (turnovers between $10m and $100m) in the manufacturing, transport, service, retail and wholesale industries, to which she provides a broad range of taxation, management and financial advice.

Sue has written The ABC of GST (published by Information Australia) which was listed in Business Review Weekly Top 10 Business Titles in April 2000 and The ABC of BAS. She has had articles published in various publications on taxation, family business and preparation of businesses for sale and frequently gives presentations of these topics for various organisations.

Biography: 
 
Michael Nazzari was appointed as the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia Victorian and Tasmanian General Manager in 1994.

Michael is particularly interested in ensuring members’ views are heard by their representatives and where possible translated into positive action or policy.

He is also keen to ensure that members see value for their membership in local services as well as through national policies and campaigns.

Prior to his current role Michael was the Victorian Manager of the Securities Institute and is the only Australian member of the American Society of Association Executives qualified to certified association executive status.
Michael is a former city of South Melbourne councilor and is married with three children.

Biography: 
 
Mark spent the first 13 years of his career in the advertising and marketing profession before moving to the Securities Institute of Australia (SIA) as Manager.

Having been with the SIA for six years he moved to the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia in April 2000.
Mark is the Institutes General Manager for South Australia and Northern Territory and is part of the senior management team.

Mark has a Bachelor of Business with a major in marketing and a Diploma in Direct Marketing.

Biography: 
 
Simon Grant is a Chartered Accountant and has been a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia since 1987. He was appointed General Manger for the Institute’s Queensland branch in November 2002 and is responsible for all issues affecting the
region’s members.

Simon previously worked at Deloitte’s Brisbane office for seven years as a Corporate Finance Director primarily involved in capital raising and due diligence to both private and public sector transactions. His practical experience gives Simon a real understanding of the needs of Chartered Accountants working in the profession.

He has also worked for seven years with a niche retail bank as head of credit and is very familiar with the role and issues of Chartered Accountants in business.

Simon was educated in Brisbane and lives in the city with his wife and three children.

Biography: 
 
Gary Arcus was appointed General Manager for the Institute’s West Australia branch in September 2008 and is responsible for advocating the interests of local members on both state and national issues.

Gary previously worked for the Chamber of Commerce & Industry (CCI) WA as Manager of Key Client Relations where he was responsible for managing the organisation’s training and apprenticeship programs. Prior to this role, Gary managed the CCI’s Registered Training Organisation.

Through his extensive experience in the management of training courses, Gary understands the role of member-based organisations and the rewarding career opportunities that training provides.

Gary holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) from University of West Australia and an Executive Masters of Business Administration from Curtin University.

Biography: 
 
Lisette Cochineas has enjoyed more than 12 years of experience in business development and general management and has expertise in event management, marketing and relationship management.

The Institute of Chartered Accountants appointed Lisette in October 2005. Prior to her appointment she worked for global organisations including the International Institute of Research where, as the National General Manager for Australia, she increased company profits through the strategic growth of business and product development, marketing initiatives and improved customer satisfaction.

Lisette also held the position of Business Development Manager for Smart Internet Technology CRC and was responsible for developing commercialisation strategies for new technologies and identifying and managing the licensing of intellectual property and patenting processes.

Lisette holds a Bachelor of Arts with a double major in Industrial Relations and Human Resource Management and Psychology (University of Sydney), a Master of Commerce (University of Sydney), a Professional Certificate in Commercialisation (Melbourne University Private) and.a Master of Research (Macquarie University).

Biography: 
 
Renee Le Grande joined the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia in 2005 and was appointed as the Institute of Chartered Accountants General Manager for Australian Capital Territory in 2007.

Prior to her current role, Renee was a General Manager for Media Monitors for five years. In addition, Renee worked at The Canberra Times for over 15 years in several senior management roles including marketing, circulation and advertising.

Renee is dedicated to ensuring the Australian Capital Territory members’ needs are met and represented appropriately. With a strong Government background she continues to administer and maintain relationships with Federal Departments, Ministers and corporate clients.

Although she has traveled overseas and lived in other parts of the world, Renee has spent the majority of her time living and working in Canberra, therefore giving her a strong grasp of the Canberra market.
Renee is a member of the Australian Business Ltd, Chamber of Commerce and Australian Institute of Management and media entertainment and arts alliance.