Our People

Jason is a Chartered Accountant (CA) and Tax Agent with degrees in both Law (Honours Class 1) and Commerce from the University of New England where he has also tutored and lectured in a number of subjects including Taxation Law.

As an Accountant Authorised Representative of Count Financial Limited, Jason is fully licenced to provide advice on Self-Managed Superannuation Funds (SMSFs).

He is also one of less than 300 CA SMSF Specialists in Australia with advanced knowledge & understanding of SMSF regulation, contributions rules, investment standards and taxation concessions. He advises on a full range of complex SMSF strategies and incorporates this into comprehensive wealth plans for his clients.

Phil grew up in Armidale and attended the University of New England, graduating with a Bachelor of Financial Administration in 1988. He spent 12 months working at Roberts & Morrow before leaving to join a Sydney based firm where he gained valuable experience in the audit sector and was admitted to the Institute of Chartered Accountants in 1991. Phil returned to Roberts & Morrow in June 1992 and was admitted as a partner in 1998.

Phil and his team provide general taxation and business advisory services and specialise in generating management reports to assist clients in making well informed business decisions. This is achieved by focusing on his clients’ accounting processes, systems and internal controls. Phil believes that when these are in place, business owners are able to spend more of their valuable time identifying and dealing with the key strategic issues facing their business.

His underlying approach is to look at a client’s whole financial situation and well being – not just at their business – to ensure the focus is on maximising wealth creation and protecting their financial security.

Phil is a keen sports fan who enjoys following the NRL, participating in a range of sports including running and spending time with his family.

Phil Gream is an Accountant Authorised Representative of Count Financial Limited.

Jane began her working and accounting career in 1986 with a firm in Sydney where she gained valuable experience in the areas of taxation, business management & primary production before travelling extensively overseas. Upon her return from overseas she settled back in Glen Innes near to where her parents now reside.

Jane completed a Bachelor of Management (Communication) from the Orange Agricultural College in 1999 and a Bachelor of Financial Administration at the University of New England in 2001.

In July 2000 Jane joined the Roberts & Morrow team in Glen Innes and became a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in 2004. In 2008 Jane became a partner of Roberts & Morrow.

Primary production has played a large part in Jane’s personal and professional life. With many agricultural clients, Jane’s advisory work is underpinned by a focus on maintaining and growing client wealth and ensuring they have properly structured succession and estate plans in place.

Having also been a small business owner & manager, Jane understands the complexities of running a business and believes firmly that hard work and high quality advice are critical to business success.

Jane is married with three children and she and her husband Brad continue to run a cattle and fat lamb property at Dundee.

Jane Newsome is an Accountant Authorised Representative of Count Financial Limited.

Sam was born in Glen Innes and completed a Bachelor of Financial Administration at the University of New England in 1997. After initially training as an accountant in Moree, he joined Roberts & Morrow in May 2000 . In June 2003 Sam relocated back to Glen Innes where he became a Partner of the firm. He now operates from both the Glen Innes and Armidale offices with his client work.

Sam prides himself on his ability to communicate complex information in simple terms to his clients and believes in finding unique ways to develop good business strategies. Sam’s approach is down to earth and he appreciates the chance to communicate with all sorts of personalities.

Sam is a keen sports fan, particularly of rugby union and cricket, however he is willing to hold a discussion on most sports. Sam is well known locally due to his family connection with Notley’s Wool Store and for his contribution to rugby union and cricket teams.

In his spare time, Sam and his wife Alex are busy looking after their three young girls and Sam enjoys playing rugby for the local Barbarian’s rugby union team.

Sam Notley is an Accountant Authorised Representative of Count Financial Limited.

Michelle graduated from the University of New England with a Bachelor of Economics degree and a Diploma in Financial Management in 1987.

Michelle worked in the Audit Division of an international accounting practice in Sydney for eight years before returning to Armidale in 1993 to establish a specialist audit division at another local accounting practice in Armidale.

She was admitted as a Partner of Roberts & Morrow in 2009 where she leads the Audit & Advisory Division. Michelle’s team specialise in providing advice across many industries including; self managed superannuation audit, aged care, registered clubs, co-operative research centres and not-for-profit organisations.

The team offers advice in: analysis & design of tailored financial reporting; preparation & presentation of customised staff and governance training; systems reviews and related controls recommendations; getting clients ‘audit ready’ and the preparation of government funding submissions.

Michelle is passionate about helping the not-for-profit sector and finding opportunities for those organisations to acquire new skills. She believes that her key strengths are plain English communication of complex financial information and providing coaching & mentoring to business managers with non-financial backgrounds.

Outside the office Michelle is actively involved in a number of not-for-profit community organisations and her favourite pastime is spending time with her family as they pursue their interests in tennis and horse riding.

Joel graduated with a Bachelor of Financial Administration from the University of New England in 2000.

Joel joined Roberts & Morrow in September 1999 and was admitted as a Chartered Accountant in 2003. In 2008, Joel was admitted to partnership. His areas of special interest include small business management and accounting, income tax, superannuation and government assistance.

Coming from a family with a very successful small business background gives Joel an understanding of the issues involved in running them. Small business owners need to address many attributes such as human resources, finance, capital management and WHS just to name a few. This is where Joel believes obtaining assistance from a professional practice is crucial to the success of every small business.

Joel is a keen fisherman and golfer and has started competing in fun runs and marathons. He is also involved in the management of several local charities and organisations. He enjoys spending time with wife Jane and their three sons; Nicholas, Oliver and James.

Joel Weier is an Accountant Authorised Representative of Count Financial Limited.

Nathan has lived in Armidale for 27 years. After finishing secondary school and travelling overseas, he attended the University of New England to study a Bachelor of Commerce Degree.

Working at a local Chartered Accounting firm in Armidale whilst on university holidays at the end of 2005 started his career in the accounting industry, maintaining a focus on provision of accounting and business advice to primary producers. In 2010 Nathan joined Roberts & Morrow as a senior accountant working for Partner Simon Croft and was admitted as a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in 2012.

He has a keen interest in primary production taxation advice and experience in providing advice on blended businesses with complex structures, Nathan provides taxation and business advice in plain language to ensure clients understand his advice. He believes the most important thing in a client/accountant relationship is communication.

In his own time Nathan spends time at home in his garden with his partner Victoria or travelling around the country to catch up with friends and family.

Nathan Gilbody is an Accountant Authorised Representative of Count Financial Limited.

Chris graduated with a Bachelor of Agricultural Economics from the University of New England in 2000 as well as a Graduate Diploma in Financial Management in 2006.

Chris had previously worked for a number of years with Roberts & Morrow and was admitted as a Chartered Accountant in 2009.

Chris along with his growing family relocated to Tamworth and became a partner with a local firm in 2011 which later became known as Plante Davis Chartered Accountants. Chris maintained his close working relationship with Roberts & Morrow during these years and is now proud to be part of the Roberts & Morrow group after merging the businesses in 2016.

Chris grew up locally on the family farm and has both an agricultural and commercial background. He is dedicated to delivering accurate, high quality, progressive and reliable advice to his clients. 

Chris and his wife Louise are kept busy raising their three young sons and enjoy travelling and spending time with their family.

Tanya graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Newcastle in 1998. During her university studies she gained early experience as a cadet accountant with a local Newcastle accounting firm. Upon completion of her degree, Tanya relocated to Tamworth to be closer to her home town of Narrabri.

Tanya was admitted as a Chartered Accountant in 2004 and in 2016 became an Australian Financial Services Licence (AFSL) Holder. Her professional experience includes; business services, agribusiness, taxation, tax planning and self-managed superannuation funds.

Tanya became a partner of a local Tamworth firm in 2012 which later became known as Plante Davis Chartered Accountants. Looking to expand the services available to their client base, Plante Davis merged with Roberts & Morrow in 2016.

Tanya provides a personal approach and works hard to deliver solutions to improve the quality of her client’s businesses and ultimately their lives. She understands the demands on professionals and business owners and works hard to deliver solutions to help take the worry of taxation and accounting out of business operations.

A proud mother of two, Tanya enjoys spending time with her husband Joseph and their daughters.

Tanya Bagster is an Accountant Authorised Representative of Count Financial Limited.

Annette graduated with a Bachelor of Financial Administration from the University of New England in 1994 and joined a local Tamworth based accounting firm. Annette was admitted as a Chartered Accountant in 1998 and in 2007 she was admitted as a partner of the firm now known as Plante Davis Chartered Accountants. Plante Davis merged with Roberts & Morrow in 2016 to provide an even greater range of professional services to their client base.

Annette grew up in Tamworth and is committed to her local community. She is passionate about building strong and viable businesses in the region.

Annette has developed a strong community client base and strives to provide a personal and professional service. Her areas of interest include; taxation, GST and small business.

Annette understands the requirements of the changing business environment today and endeavours to provide reliable and common sense advice to her clients.

Annette’s family, including her husband Raymond and two children, are keen sportspeople and her weekends are often full with various family sporting activities.

Clint joined Roberts & Morrow over 10 years ago in the Business Services division. During this time he has gained experience in many technical areas and developed a keen interest in practice management software and business management strategies, with a unique expertise in MYOB AccountRight and Essentials products. In 2011 Clint was admitted as a member of the Chartered Accountants Australia & New Zealand and in the same year he became a MYOB Certified Consultant positioning him as a key point of contact with clients who are looking to set up an efficient system to ensure accuracy with data processing. In 2015 Clint was made an Associate and in 2017 he was appointed a Partner of the firm.

Clint grew up in Armidale and attended the University of New England, completing a Bachelor of Commerce in 2009. He is a keen sportsman involved with the local Armidale Cycling & Squash clubs as well as various other sporting activities. Clint and his wife Kimberely are passionate about the local community, involved in various charity events such as the Tour de Rocks and Tour de North West.

Carolyn joined Roberts & Morrow in 2007 as our Chief Financial Officer. Her role is to manage the ongoing financial and administrative functions of the firm, ensuring quality reliable information is available to the Partners. In addition Carolyn is involved in the firms quality assurance processes and assists in a number of external audits.

Before joining Roberts & Morrow, Carolyn was employed as a senior director of the Australian National Audit Office for 7 years and has had significant experience with federal government entities, clubs and not for profit organisations.

Carolyn holds a Bachelor of Financial Administration from the University of New England. She is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants and CPA Australia.

Carolyn holds positions on the NERAM Ltd board and the Armidale Dumaresq Audit Committee.

Matthew is a Chartered Accountant (CA) and completed his Bachelor of Economics at the University of Sydney in 2006.

He commenced his accounting career in the business services division of a boutique chartered accounting firm in Sydney. In 2014 Matthew joined Plante Davis Chartered Accountants in Tamworth as a Senior Manager and was made an Associate of the firm prior to the firm’s merger with Roberts & Morrow in 2016.

Matthew brings a passionate and professional approach to his work specialising in tax advisory and planning for small to medium sized businesses. He works meticulously with his clients and their management team to deliver successful and effective results, achieving positive outcomes in areas such as taxation advice, asset protection, succession planning, business management, cash flow and budget forecasting.

Matthew grew up in Tamworth and has strong family ties to this region. He is a keen sportsman, particularly passionate about rugby and golf. In his spare time, Matthew and his wife Tara enjoy travelling and spending time with friends.

Alistair has worked in the Accounting, Superannuation, Taxation and Business Advisory sectors for over 20 years. He has developed a specialisation in Self Managed Superannuation Funds through his extensive experience in the field and accreditation as an SMSF Association Specialist Advisor.

He has worked on all sides of superannuation from assisting employers and businesses meet their obligations, assisting individuals to make the most of the superannuation system, working on APRA regulated funds to assisting trustees on all facets of Self Managed Superannuation Funds. His extensive practical experience and education enables him to assist client in meeting their obligations, avoid pitfalls and make the most of superannuation opportunities.

Alistair Galbraith is an Accountant Authorised Representative of Count Financial Limited.

Jason is a Chartered Accountant (CA) and Tax Agent with degrees in both Law (Honours Class 1) and Commerce from the University of New England where he has also tutored and lectured in a number of subjects including Taxation Law.

One of less than 300 CA SMSF Specialists in Australia, Jason has advanced knowledge & understanding of SMSF regulation, contributions rules, investment standards and taxation concessions. He advises on a full range of complex SMSF strategies and incorporates this into comprehensive wealth plans for his clients.

Jason Simmonds is an Accountant Authorised Representative of Count Financial Limited.

Paul is a solicitor of the Supreme Court of New South Wales with undergraduate degrees in both Law and Financial Administration from the University of New England and a Master of Laws degree from the University of Sydney.  Paul has over 16 years’ experience as a specialist in taxation and has attained the designation of “Chartered Tax Adviser” from the Taxation Institute of Australia.

He commenced his career in the taxation division of one of the Big 4 accounting firms in Sydney in 1998.  He became a specialist tax lawyer with a mid-tier law firm before taking up a Senior Associate position with a boutique taxation advisory firm in 2009.   In 2012 Paul accepted the Tax Specialist position with Roberts & Morrow. As part of that role he heads up the Specialist Tax and Estate Planning team which specialises in advising clients on business succession and estate planning issues.

Self-managed superannuation funds are becoming increasingly significant within private client groups.  Tax effective utilisation of SMSFs during one’s lifetime and appropriate strategies for passing control of the wealth held in an SMSF on death is therefore a key focus of Paul’s estate planning advice.  As a Tax Specialist working in an accounting practice, Paul brings a different skillset to superannuation problems, opportunities and strategies.  He is therefore well placed to advise, not only on tax aspects of superannuation, but on how the superannuation aspects interact with the client’s broader estate planning intentions.

Michelle is a Chartered Accountant (CA), an ASIC registered SMSF auditor and a registered company auditor with an Economics degree and a Diploma in Financial Management from the University of New England.

An audit specialist with over 20 years experience in auditing self managed superannuation funds, Michelle’s experience allows the firm to consider the audit implications of complex transactions prior to advising clients.

Michelle works together with business services Partners to audit the majority of the firms 400 self managed superannuation funds. Michelle’s particular interest is in ensuring that the financial reports of each fund are transparent and they met the specific needs of the Trustees.

As part of our commitment to quality Michelle regularly attends SMSF specific focus groups and forums with other industry experts. This networking allows her to stay abreast of the current developments in the growth sector.

Karina attended the University of New England where she obtained her undergraduate degrees in Financial Administration and Law. Whilst finishing her studies Karina began working at Roberts & Morrow in 2005.

Karina was admitted as a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in 2010 and then furthered her knowledge by completing a Master of Applied Taxation from the University of New South Wales in 2013. She chose to focus her Masters study on superannuation, having completed modules on self-managed superannuation fund law and taxation of superannuation.

Her experience is predominantly in taxation and business services. However having demonstrated a keen interest in assisting with complex taxation matters Karina recently joined the Specialist Tax and Estate Planning team. She now supports Paul Williams by performing legal research and preparing advices on all topics of taxation and superannuation law.

Paul grew up in Moree before attending the University of New England where he obtained his undergraduate degrees in Financial Administration and Law.

He commenced his career in the taxation division of one of the Big 4 accounting firms in Sydney in 1998. He was admitted as a legal practitioner of the Supreme Court of New South Wales in 2000. He became a specialist tax lawyer with a mid-tier law firm before taking up a Senior Associate position with a boutique taxation advisory firm in 2009. Whilst working in Sydney, Paul furthered his tax knowledge by gaining a Master of Laws degree from the University of Sydney.

Paul and his family took the opportunity to make a ‘tree change’ from Sydney to Armidale in 2012 to enable him to accept the Tax Specialist position with Roberts & Morrow. As part of that role he heads up the Specialist Tax and Estate Planning team which specialises in advising clients on business succession and estate planning issues.

Paul is a specialist taxation advisor who has attained the designation of “Chartered Tax Adviser” from the Taxation Institute of Australia. He provides thorough, detailed and considered analysis of the taxation implications of a wide range of transactions and prides himself on being able to communicate complex ideas in a way that is easy for clients to understand.

Away from work he loves spending time with his wife Emma and their three children Alannah, Jacob and Oliver and he is a keen soccer player who also enjoys cycling.

Karina grew up in Coffs Harbour before attending the University of New England where she obtained her undergraduate degrees in Financial Administration and Law. Whilst finishing her studies Karina began working at Roberts & Morrow in 2005.

Karina was admitted as a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in 2010 and then furthered her knowledge by completing a Master of Applied Taxation from the University of New South Wales in 2013. She chose to focus her Masters study on superannuation, having completed modules on self-managed superannuation fund law and taxation of superannuation.

Her experience is predominantly in taxation and business services. However having demonstrated a keen interest in assisting with complex taxation matters Karina recently joined the Specialist Tax and Estate Planning team. She now supports Paul Williams by performing legal research and preparing advices on all topics of taxation and superannuation law.

Karina juggles her professional responsibilities with her family life, where she loves spending time with her husband Damien and their two young daughters Hayley and Emily.

Kyle’s family has a long association with the New England region with his grandfather operating Pearson’s Sawmill in Guyra.

Kyle joined Roberts & Morrow in 1991, graduating shortly after from The University of New England. He qualified as a Certified Financial Planner in 1998 having first gained a sound background in tax as a Chartered Accountant. He became a Partner of Roberts & Morrow in 2009.

Kyle leads the Roberts & Morrow Financial Planning team offering clients a unique approach to investing focusing on direct shares, property and income securities. Kyle’s clients benefit from tailored investment strategies that are transparent, tax effective and regularly reviewed to incorporate changed circumstances and goals.

Kyle enjoys spending time with his wife Jenny and his out of work interests include sport, forensic ballistics and studying & collecting ammunition.

David worked as a financial planner in Brisbane for two years before joining Roberts & Morrow in 2014. David has 6 years’ experience in the superannuation industry and is passionate about the field of superannuation. He is accredited in providing financial advice for self managed superannuation funds, investment, life insurance and is our specialist in the area of aged care advice.

In his spare time, David enjoys spending time with his family and watching rugby union, especially his home team the New Zealand All Blacks.