BDO Australia has appointed two additional partners, Hellen Thomas and Nabil Hossain, to its Canberra office.

The new partners are set to bolster BDO’s advisory capabilities for public sector clients in the region.

BDO Canberra lead partner Paul McDougall said: “The appointment of Hellen and Nabil brings a great depth of experience and enhanced skill base to our local presence in Canberra,” said Mr McDougall.”

“We really have the best of both worlds in local knowledge and presence in Canberra, the scale of a national office network, as well as the ability to draw on expertise from across BDO’s global network.”

McDougall added: “We also have another significant Defence partner and staff hires to bolster our Defence advisory capabilities. More details will follow soon on that appointment.”

Nabil Hossain will be responsible for CFO advisory services, bringing his expertise in areas such as business case development, government funding and charging models, budgeting, cost management, ERP implementations, agency funding model reviews, and finance function improvement.

His role is stated to be crucial in providing strategic financial guidance to public sector entities.

Hellen Thomas will work closely with public sector clients, focusing on risk advisory services. With her experience, she aims to enhance BDO’s capabilities in cyber security, governance, risk, and assurance.

Thomas’s background spans various sectors, including government, higher education, energy, and utilities, equipping her with a comprehensive understanding of organisational challenges.

The appointments come as BDO’s board, chaired by non-executive director David Fagan, prepares to meet in Canberra.

The meeting will address growth opportunities for advisory services and assess the talent pipeline and hiring potential in the region.

Fagan highlighted that BDO’s expansion into Canberra last year capitalises on a robust public sector practice, which accounts for approximately 20% of the firm’s revenue in Australia.

Fagan said: “We have demonstrable capability in the work we do for the public sector, and we’re excited to bring that expertise and further grow our team in Canberra.”

“We’re committed to building a lasting presence in Canberra. We are making significant investments in our people and premises; the team has been very successful to date since we opened our new office in Civic last year.”

“Hellen and Nabil’s appointment is the first of more planned for our Canberra office in the coming months since Paul McDougall and Ridhish Arora, joined the firm last year.”

“Our board is excited to convene in Canberra this week, we plan to meet a number of key clients and people across the Canberra community in addition to conducting our Board meeting on 26 June 2025.”

BDO Australia has recently appointed David Garvey as the new chief executive partner, effective at the end of 2025.

Additionally, in April 2025, the firm welcomed four new partners, Patrick Burke, Patrice Farmer, Adam Quigley, and Stefanie Bradley, across Australia.