TMA Education Day (QLD)

Meredith Bennett

Partner, Ashurst

Meredith specialises in litigation and dispute resolution. She assists clients to resolve complex disputes and regulatory matters, with particular experience in the resources, government, financial and professional services industries. Meredith has advised Australian and international companies on various contractual disputes, negligence claims, joint venture obligations, consumer protection disputes and administrative law matters. Meredith has regularly advised clients with respect to Royal Commissions, Boards of Inquiry and Parliamentary Inquiries as well as advising clients through regulatory investigations and prosecutions, as well as internal investigations.

Meredith also specialises in insolvency and debt recovery and advises insolvency practitioners and financial institutions.

Kevin Higgins

Client Director, Vantage Performance

Kevin, a CPA, brings more than 18 years of corporate restructuring experience under his belt. He has proven himself to be a proactive and successful Chief Restructuring Officer; having led start-up, turnaround and high growth organisations.

He has worked on a number of assignments across a range of industry sectors, both locally and nationally. Kevin’s advisory and restructuring experience includes independent business reviews, development and implementation of financial restructuring, recapitalisation and refinancing strategies.

Kevin’s passion for collaborating with clients to develop robust strategies and assist clients to stay on track during the implementation phase makes him well-qualified to lead Strategy & Execution services nationally.

Prior to joining Vantage Performance Kevin worked for two national corporate recovery firms, which included a secondment to Perth, where he played a key role in establishing the practice in Western Australia.

Will Gooderson

Adjunct Lecturer, University of Tasmania

William Gooderson is a high-performance coach and speaker who has worked across Australia and the Asia Pacific region providing coaching and workshops to multiple public and private sector organisations. He focuses on training around personal well-being, building resilience in self and others, leading high performing teams in complex environments, and overcoming cultural challenges in the workplace. William’s experience has been developed over two decades that included: serving as a British Army officer, paratrooper, and engineer, across Europe and the Middle East leading large multinational teams in both the special forces and human intelligence communities; and working in the Australian private and public sectors developing leaders and team’s capabilities on the skills required to lead self and others, whilst adapting to the challenges of evolving workforces and a hybrid pandemic environment. William is an Adjunct Lecturer on resilience at the University of Tasmania’s school of medicine.​

Mark Holland

Partner, McGrathNicol

Mark has more than 13 years’ experience as a restructuring, turnaround and financial advisory specialist. He has worked with private sector companies, listed groups, government, lenders and legal advisors during periods of financial challenge, distress and change.

Mark is a Registered Liquidator and delivers insightful and practical advice derived from extensive experience undertaking independent business reviews, operational restructuring, risk management, financial advisory, formal insolvency appointments and distressed M&A engagements. High profile engagements include the restructuring and divestment of RCR Tomlinson’s upgrades and maintenance division, the administration of Brisbane’s AirportLinkM7 tunnel and restructure and subsequent sale of sports apparel company BLK.

Mark has worked across a broad range of industries including construction, government, hospitality, infrastructure, mining, property, renewable energy and retail.

Ann Watson (Moderator)

Special Counsel, Hall&Wilcox

Ann is a dispute resolution Special Counsel with a particular focus on restructuring and insolvency, corporate workouts and banking and debt recovery. Commercially minded, Ann focuses on reaching straight forward solutions in a timely manner.

Ann provides advice to companies and their directors on restructuring and insolvency matters and also advises administrators, liquidators, receivers, trustees in bankruptcy and Government and regulatory bodies. During her career she has also acted for financiers and credit providers, including each of Australia’s top four banks, on matters involving enforcement of securities, lender-led restructuring, asset and debt recovery and loss minimisation.

Ann’s experience includes working for small to medium sized businesses as well as publically listed entities within a number of sectors including retail, property, mining and resources. Ann assists her clients in both an advisory and litigious capacity, often running a matter from the early stages through to a negotiated out of court resolution or successfully prosecuting contested litigation.

Her technical knowledge covers complex corporate insolvency, restructuring and workouts, and consumer lending and credit as well as complicated issues involving the Personal Property Securities Act.