Chairman`s message

2008 was another successful year for BDO Kendalls.  Our growth rate was again in double figures and we maintained our position in the Australian marketplace as the largest independent firm of accountants and business advisers with an established international network outside of the Big 4.

We continue to develop our offerings based on the needs of our clients and our own successes are testament to these involvements.  Some of these successes are highlighted below.

• For the third year in a row, BDO Kendalls has been the leading provider of Independent Expert’s Reports to ASX Listed companies. 
• Our corporate partnership with Austrade continues to provide valuable international expertise to both domestic and overseas clients.
• Our Graduate Recruitment campaign “New Faces” won the AAGE Award for the best print marketing segment.
• We continue to produce proprietary industry benchmark studies in areas such as Fraud, A-REIT, and Corporate Governance.

Future Outlook

There is no doubt that 2009 and beyond will be a challenging business environment for most organisations.  Although the duration of the economic downturn is unknown, there is still strong evidence of the optimism typical of our Australian culture.

This is reminiscent of the quote made famous by John F Kennedy – “The Chinese use two brush strokes to write the word crisis: one brush stroke stands for danger, the other for opportunity. “

As accountants and advisers who have seen a number of similar economic cycles, our focus will remain firmly on helping our clients minimise the dangers and to help them realise relevant opportunities that emerge. 

So regardless of the business environment, for BDO Kendalls it will be business as usual.  Our focus remains, as always, on our clients’ needs  – their distinctively different needs drive our distinctively different approach.

Russell Heywood-Smith
National Chairman