Even though we’re an industry that relies on facts and formulas, we hope it’s no surprise to you that our most valuable assets are our people. At Leadenhall, we take pride in our focus on attracting a diverse range of talent, developing our people and creating clear career pathways.
Internal Leadenhall promotions
Leadenhall Director Richard Norris notes “Developing career paths and promoting our people internally has worked out well for us, and we’re pleased that we’ve grown the business enough to continue to provide these opportunities for our people. We’ve recently celebrated not just one but two internal promotions, Chern Fung Yee and Hamed Tabasi. Well-earned and our congratulations to both.”
Chern Fung Yee, Associate Director at Leadenhall
Chern Fung Yee, or Fung as he’s known around the office, has been a valued part of the Leadenhall team since July 2016. Since then, he’s progressed to the role of Manager and now recently to Associate Director. Fung began his career in financial audit, spending over five years in that field and qualifying as a CPA before joining Leadenhall.
“Fung joined the team not knowing a great deal about our business, and he’s really applied himself. He’s worked hard to develop his technical skills, and has a strong focus on client service. One of Fung’s points of difference is his investment back in the next generation of our team,” says Norris.
At Leadenhall, Fung has assisted with providing advice covering a broad range of valuation disciplines including valuations for financial reporting and for taxation purposes, preparation of IERs and valuation advice to assist with dispute resolution as well as the evaluation of M&A and other capital raising transactions.
What do you like about working in the industry?
“One thing I enjoy is the problem solving aspect of business valuations which involves developing an understanding of our clients’ businesses, the risks that they face and their value drivers. Often, this involves pulling together a range of data points from various sources, including discussions with our clients. Contextualising these different (and sometimes, conflicting) pieces of information is a challenge I enjoy.”
And what do you like about working at Leadenhall?
“I’ve been encouraged to pursue further professional development, obtaining a Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance last year. I also appreciate Leadenhall’s collaborative work culture where the team works towards shared outcomes.”
Hamed Tabasi, Manager at Leadenhall
Hamed Tabasi joined the Leadenhall team in October 2017 as a Senior Valuation Analyst. Recently, it’s with pleasure that we appointed Hamed to the role of Manager.
“Hamed is a great fit and addition to our team. His work ethic is outstanding and he’s invested a lot of effort towards developing good communication skills. Hamed is proactive and happy to help his teammates – if he sees an area where he can add value, he’s the first to put his hand up to assist,” adds Norris.
What’s drawn you to a career in our industry?
“At the end of my bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering, I found out that I’m interested in financial markets and the reasons behind market fluctuations. Encouraged by one of the professors, I decided to study Financial Management in post graduate at University of Tehran. Eagerness to know more about international financial markets incentivised me to gain more insights by completing Chartered Financial Analyst and Financial Risk Manager qualifications. Before moving to Australia, I gained eight years of experience in a financial institution.
“Being engaged in valuation of different businesses is a privilege – you can learn about different companies around Australia, and gain an understanding of different industries.”
What do you like about working at Leadenhall and living in Australia?
“Living in Australia is lucky for people like me who enjoy camping and the outdoors. I also enjoy mountain trekking, but I need to go further out of Sydney for that.
I am continuing to learning more about finance and accounting as Leadenhall has encouraged me and provided the opportunity to study towards being a Chartered Accountant. This November I will celebrate my third anniversary working at Leadenhall which coincides with Melbourne Cup Day.
When you work at Leadenhall, you have a good confidence that you can do the job because you know that you are supported by the team. I personally gained valuable skills and knowledge since the first day working at Leadenhall. My primary focus is valuation of options and debt instruments, however I leveraged my skills through valuation of businesses and purchasing price allocation from time to time. There are lots of news things to learn at Leadenhall.”
Leadenhall Internships
One thing you may not know is that we also have a strong internship program. We’re proud to note that many of our interns continue on to form a career in business valuation or corporate finance. We’re pleased to see them go from strength to strength, and whether they pursue a role within Leadenhall or across the broader industry we often stay closely connected.
Rather than telling you our perspective on why these interns were interested in a corporate finance or business valuation career, we thought we’d share some comments directly from some of our current and former interns who were kind enough to share their thoughts.
Raymond Han, Investment Banking Analyst at Credit Suisse in Hong Kong
Why were you interested in a career in valuations/corporate finance?
“In my opinion, there is no escaping valuations in the finance industry, as it forms the critical factor underpinning many key corporate decisions, whether it be identifying overvalued and undervalued business divisions, negotiating an acquisition or pricing a stock offering. In addition to having strong demand drivers, the valuations industry inherently reduces risk by being resistant to cyclical downturns, during which an increased demand for business revaluations arises.
“I would suggest others to seriously consider either a career in corporate valuations or obtaining experience in the field, as it is a great industry that equips you with the skills essential to thrive, no matter what you pursue in business.”
Why did you choose Leadenhall to begin your career?
“Heading into my third year of university, I was eager to see how financial concepts I learned in class were applied in the corporate sphere, and Leadenhall stood out as a perfect fit. Being one of the very few specialist valuation firms in Australia, Leadenhall offered a rare opportunity to develop my technical skillset in building financial forecasts and valuation models to a professional level.
“From my first day in office, I was surrounded by friendly colleagues who have been eager to teach me the ropes, and were willing to provide me with client-facing work. I loved the atmosphere of trust within the firm – provided you can prove you deliver, the senior leaders would give you increased responsibility. From initially updating discount rates, I found myself working on entire valuation engagements within a few months, which has been a dynamic and rewarding learning experience. I would definitely recommend others to apply to Leadenhall, as it is a rare way to gain specialist valuations experience, to work alongside and learn from a team of highly supportive and driven colleagues.”
Mathuraesh Nirmalarajan, Investment Banking Intern at Deutsche Bank
What was your interest in the valuation/corporate finance industry?
“I was drawn to the industry because I wanted to develop my ability to apply mathematical analysis to the real world through financial modelling. I enjoy challenging work and a steep learning curve. An industry internship enables me to gain an understanding of how businesses we interact with every day work, and learn more about the variety of clients and the nuances of working with them.”
And why Leadenhall?
“I chose Leadenhall primarily because of their reputation for professionalism. The high work-flow at Leadenhall creates an environment that is constantly engaging and enables me to learn about a variety of new industries and clients. The smaller team size enables me to take on more responsibility at a junior level and creates a lot of opportunities to learn. I feel I’ve gained more experience working across a variety of different industries than I perhaps would have at another firm.”
Adriel Woo, M&A Analyst at InfoTrack
Why were you drawn to this industry?
“The key thing that drew me to corporate finance and valuations broadly was the opportunity to do meaningful work for and gain exposure to a variety of different clients (both size and sector). Whether it be valuing stock options, evaluating the fairness of or advising on a transaction, all these things are important and can be transformational to a company’s future – the opportunity to work on and be privy to the behind-the-scenes of transactions sounded like a space that was exciting and interesting to work in.”
Why did you choose Leadenhall?
I first heard about Leadenhall through a couple of past interns at the firm, they all had told me very positive things about their experience at the firm, namely the positive team culture, willingness of the team to teach/guide and the great exposure to corporate finance. Having this background along with meeting a couple of the guys at the firm the key aspects that personally attracted me to Leadenhall were:
- The exposure and introduction I would get to the corporate finance space broadly (given I didn’t have any prior experience at the time)
- Willingness of the team to teach concepts from ground zero
- Increasing responsibility I would get as I got up to speed – I was able to tangibly see how I was contributing to a project and how I could enhance my skillset.
Mathew Hildebrand – Macquarie University Accounting Co-op Scholar and current Leadenhall Intern
Why were you drawn to the business valuation/corporate finance industry, and why Leadenhall?
“Leadenhall provides an excellent opportunity to gain exposure to corporate finance and accelerate learning whilst at university. Since joining Leadenhall in December 2019, I have been able to develop a foundational knowledge of business valuation and enhance my competency across a range of software programs. The ability to apply these skill sets across a range of industries and professions was a key driver for working in corporate finance.
“As an organisation, Leadenhall provides the benefits of a smaller organisation such as mentorship and diversity in the tasks undertaken, whilst dealing with high-profile clients. As an intern, I have felt like a valued member of the team, working directly with all levels of management and being included in various social events. The supportive and friendly culture at Leadenhall has eased the transition into the workforce and allowed me to grow in my knowledge of core valuation concepts. I have also benefitted from the diverse client base, where I have been exposed to a variety of industries and valuation techniques. I am incredibly glad to be working at Leadenhall and look forward to the many opportunities it continues to present.”
Questions about a career in business valuation at Leadenhall?
If you’d like to find out more what a career or internship with Leadenhall is like, or for any existing opportunities, contact us here.
