Kathy Robertson

Executive summary

Kathy is an Audit & Assurance Partner with BDO in Melbourne, where she leads the Melbourne office Manufacturing, Wholesale & Distribution Practice. Kathy joined BDO in 2015 after relocating to Australia from the United States. With 20 years of experience across national and regional firms in both the US and Australia, she brings a rare combination of international perspective, technical depth, and real-world sector insight.

Having built her career in the manufacturing heartland of the American Midwest, Kathy developed a deep, practical understanding of industrial businesses long before specialising in the sector in Australia. This foundation and working closely with manufacturers, distributors and family-owned operations, continues to shape her commercially grounded, no-nonsense approach to audit today.

She specialises in complex group audits, multi-entity consolidations, and cross-border structures. Kathy works with ASX-listed entities, large private and unlisted public companies, and family office and private equity groups - often in environments involving acquisitions, rapid growth, and evolving governance expectations. Clients value her ability to understand operational realities on the factory floor as well as the reporting expectations in the boardroom.

As an Audit Partner, Kathy is hands-on and highly engaged. She leads teams with clarity and discipline, ensuring audits are well planned, efficiently executed, and delivered without last-minute surprises. Her ‘no surprises’ philosophy means issues are identified early, communicated clearly, and resolved collaboratively.

Kathy recently completed the AICD Company Directors Course, bringing a strong understanding of Board and Audit Committee responsibilities to her role. She frames her communication and recommendations with directors in mind, focusing on oversight, risk, accountability, and long-term value creation. This perspective enables her to engage confidently at Board level and provide insights that go beyond compliance to strengthen governance and decision-making.

Known for her calm authority and pragmatic judgement, Kathy builds trusted relationships with both management and Boards. Her goal is simple: to deliver an audit that is rigorous, efficient, and genuinely value-adding, giving directors and stakeholders confidence when it matters most.

Expertise

• External audit and review
• International business and group audit
• Management and leadership
• Preparing statutory financial reports
• Agreed-upon procedures
• Mergers and acquisitions
• Complex consolidations
• Electronic data analysis
• Manufacturing, wholesale, and distribution
• Family office and private equity groups

Experience

• ASX-listed and public interest entities - signing partner, component audit partner and quality control partner
• US-listed entities - group reporting services to a wide range of Australian-based components of US-listed entities. Quality control partner for foreign private issue under PCAOB standards
• Private companies - client leader on a broad range of private entities, including family-owned groups, private equity-backed businesses, and start-ups
• Complex consolidations - in-depth knowledge of consolidation principles, intercompany transactions, eliminations and sub-consolidations
• Audit engagement - ensuring smooth and timely completion, maintaining connections with the engagement team, manager, and client across all elements of the audit through to completion.

Qualifications and affiliations

• Bachelor of Science (Business Administration)
• Registered Company Auditor, ASIC
• Approved Overseas Auditor, New Zealand Companies Office
• Chartered Accountant, CA ANZ
• Certified Public Accountant, USA (registered in Missouri, Colorado, and Wisconsin)
• Company Directors Course - Australian Institute of Company Directors