I am the youngest of 4 siblings and have been very fortunate to have grown up in a stable and supportive family environment. I continue to have a very close relationship with my two brothers and twin sister, one brother and sister living in Sydney and the other brother in the UK.

I went to school in St Albans, Hertfordshire, UK, and then did Engineering at Exeter University.  I was always a keen squash player and at Exeter I captained the squash team for two years and won the University cup (once). After getting my engineering degree I joined an accountancy firm (now part of Deloitte) in Bristol and became a Chartered Accountant. 

I met Sarah on a trip to London in 1991 to attend a study weekend as part of my insolvency course. I was immediately attracted to her obviously independent spirit and the fact that she was evidently very smart (she was working as a PA for three directors of one of the world’s leading merchant banks). That Sarah was also a real stunner had nothing to do with it. The next six months was spent courting from halfway across the country, with us taking it in turns to visit each other every two weeks or so, before I managed to snag a secondment to London so that I could see (a lot!) more of her. I was lucky enough to be appointed as a manager in what at the time was the largest insolvency administration in the world (Bank of Credit and Commerce International SA). 

We had a ball in London for a couple of years and got engaged in early 1994 and married in September, later that year. 

We left London in 1995, and after an incredible year travelling across the world, we arrived in Sydney in the middle of 1996. We arrived with two flat tyred bicycles (the airlines make you deflate them), no pump, no money, nowhere to live and no jobs.  All that meant to us was no pressure, no expectations and starting with a clean slate. I soon got a job as the acting financial controller in the Sydney-based office of the Australia and New Zealand head franchise of a successful global franchise brand, but we soon realised that this wasn’t going to provide the lifestyle for which we had moved to Australia. 

After making various enquiries around the country I was fortunate enough to be introduced to John Sheahan and in 1997 found myself working with John at his specialist insolvency practice, in Adelaide. After taking my Australian insolvency exams and then applying for and becoming a registered liquidator and trustee I was brought in as a partner of the practice in 1999. A few years later John generously suggested that it would be a better practice if we were equal partners.  I gratefully accepted and from 2004 was part of a very successful business, focusing on complex commercial litigation. We have had a lot of fun over the years and I have been privileged to work with some of the best and brightest people around. 

Life with Sarah has never been dull and over the years we have managed to fit in some fairly harebrained adventures, including cycling from Paris to Monte Carlo, trekking in the Himalayas and driving a tuk tuk across India (for charity), to name a few. 

I’m no philosopher, but I’ve always held the belief that the only thing of true value to us throughout our lives is our experiences. Sarah and I are now heading off into the unknown with that single objective.