opportunities:
from A-Z
Our value to your business
AZ NGA is Australia’s leading professional services advisory group.
We offer flexible solutions for every stage of your business journey, whether you’re seeking:
A merger with a like-minded business: Where you retain equity and continue to actively contribute, while benefiting from added scale and capability.
A strategic partnership: To work alongside your team, challenging each other and offering advice, expertise, and support.
An outright sale: With a competitive valuation from a reputable group that will look after your clients, your people and your legacy.
The stats
companies
locations
transactions
The benefits of our network
SME Leadership and governance
We offer a framework that enhances — not replaces — entrepreneurial autonomy. Our partners focus on day-to-day operations, while AZ NGA supports through the Centres of Excellence, strategic planning, and performance oversight.
Each firm regularly reviews goals, targets, and KPIs, with AZ NGA actively involved in guiding business performance.
Entrepreneurial succession
We understand that succession is more than an exit — it’s a legacy. Our Entrepreneurial Succession model is designed for business owners who want to transition at their pace, protect what they’ve built, and empower the next generation to lead with confidence. We offer structured yet flexible succession pathways.
Fast & flexible access to capital
We provide fast, flexible access to capital through a syndicated debt facility supported by global financial partners, alongside equity backing from our global partners, Azimut and Oaktree Capital Management. This combination enables transformational mergers and acquisitions, empowering firms to scale quickly, negotiate confidently, and pursue sustainable growth — all without the limitations of traditional funding models.
Protection
Whatever challenges lie ahead, be they personal or professional, we can provide practical support including issues and crisis management, business coaching and the facilitation of conflict resolution.
At every stage of the business life cycle, we are here to provide guidance.
Community
Our partners are united by common values and a shared vision to collectively build a stronger AZ NGA.
Across the AZ NGA network, we are looking for opportunities to share costs, capabilities and customers. Our people generously share their experiences, insights and best ideas.
Our collective advantage
By joining AZ NGA, firms gain more than capital. You join a network that shares ideas, opens doors, and builds enduring businesses.
Together, we deliver today’s results while shaping tomorrow’s opportunities.
Hear from our partner firms
Nigel Plowman
AZ NGA is highly commercial and easy to work with. They are open to every idea that makes sense and nothing is too much trouble.
We’ve always been firm believers of organic growth but we wanted to supplement that with M&A on an opportunistic basis.
Nigel Plowman’s chance encounter with the principal of an accounting firm owned by AZ NGA led to a meeting with AZ NGA Chief Executive Officer Paul Barrett.
Over the next six months, Plowman and AZ NGA held numerous talks, resulting in AZ NGA’s 2018 acquisition of Plowman’s accounting and advisory firm, McKinley Plowman.
“I wasn’t looking to retire any time soon but my partners and I needed capital funding for growth and a solution to help key staff buy into the business,” Plowman said.
Since joining AZ NGA, McKinley Plowman has completed four additional acquisitions with another in the pipeline. Two staff members have participated in AZ NGA’s Future Leaders’ program and gone on to become equity owners.
Hear from our partner firms
Tim Brown
Warnnambool’s wannabe accountant turned AZ NGA future leader
Accounting and finance graduate, Tim Brown started his career with Commonwealth Financial Planning in 2012. By 2019, when the bank turned off ongoing service fees and terminated ongoing service arrangements, he had built a loyal, sizable clientbase. The decision left him at a loose end.
Brown eventually joined Easton in 2020. A year later, Easton and business partner Lisa McPherson merged their business with Harvest Wealth, also part of the AZ NGA network.
Harvest Wealth backed Brown’s candidacy to AZ NGA’s Future Leader’s program, which aims to recognise, retain, and reward the next generation of business owners.
“Right now, I’m an employed planner but my goal is to transition to business owner in the next 12-24 months,” Brown says.
“When it comes to providing financial advice, my technical skills are excellent, but I need business acumen too in order to become a more rounded professional.”
“For young people who are enthusiastic about financial advice and want to be a leader in this emerging profession, AZ NGA provides a clear pathway and the support you need to get to where you want to go.”
Hear from our partner firms
Brett Schatto
Brett Schatto, Founder and CEO of Pride Advice, was only 44 years old when AZ NGA approached him in 2014 about an equity partnership
At the time, succession was the furthest thing from his mind.
In May 2015, Pride Advice became the second business to join AZ NGA. So far on the journey, Pride Advice has completed two acquisitions and almost tripled its revenue.
“Like it or not, advice is now a profession and business owners need the skills to run a professional services business. If they don’t have them, then they need to partner with a strong, experienced organisation to assist them,” Schatto says.
Hear from our partner firms
Michael Furness
Michael describes his personality as ‘’engaging’’ and his management style as “conservative”.
As the General Manager of Farrow Hughes Mulcahy (FHM), a financial advisory firm that manages the wealth of retirees and pre-retirees, being conservative is a good thing but he still wants to be challenged and stretched.
The firm’s strategic partnership with AZ NGA guarantees that.
From their first interaction, AZ NGA has continuously challenged Furness and the group’s founding partners, Michael Farrow, Craig Hughes and Daniel Mulcahy, to think big and act decisively to secure their future.
“We’re constantly challenged to increase our capability and capacity. We’ve been presented with a number of potential acquisitions and AZ NGA is able to arrange capital funding but our default position is, we’re successful, we’ve built in a level of comfort and our team culture drives us so any change has got to be compelling,” Furness says.
“We like being asked the question. We know we will be supported no matter which way we go.”
Hear from our partner firms
Lisa McPherson
“With a large network of businesses all going through the same challenges, we don’t have to go through things alone. AZ NGA has insights and ready-made solutions.”
“I feel great about the future because the industry is changing for the better, my business partners and I are all on the same page, and we’re backed by AZ NGA.” |
The majority of small-to-medium enterprises (SME) will never acquire or merge with another company. At most, business owners may be involved in one transaction in their lifetime.
In the space of five years, Lisa McPherson has participated in a string of acquisitions, mergers and demergers to finally arrive at a place she describes as “golden”.
“I feel great about the future because the industry is changing for the better, my business partners and I are all on the same page, and we’re backed by AZ NGA to achieve everything we want to achieve,” she said.
“With AZ NGA, if you have an idea or you want to do something, they’ll help you make it happen, provided it makes commercial sense.”
Hear from our partner firms
Matt Tuohey
We needed another voice at the table so things could get done.
We needed someone with experience dealing with complex shareholder relationships to help us work through our issues and bring about a resolution.
As an equal partner in a financial planning business, Matt Tuohey realised he needed to separate from his former business partner to achieve his career aspirations.
After a decade together, the duo found their views on how to take the business forward differing but both parties needed to agree on plans to progress. That consensus was rare, requiring a circuit breaker.
Relief came in the form of AZ NGA, which acquired Harvest Wealth in November 2015.
AZ NGA facilitated the smooth succession of Matt’s former business partner and a merger with another business in the AZ NGA network.
Today Matt and his business partners share a common vision and approach to delivering excellent advice and building a business of significant capital value.
Our organisation
afs
ags
aspire
Blackwood
blueprint
Catalina
certe
cranage
dunsford
edge
ejm
eureka
farrow hughes
financial LP
foster
fwa
ga
gfg
miq
nestworth
oreon
pfg
precept
psk
hurwitz
kellaway
lifestyle
matthew
mp+
mtp
ontrack
ottavo
people+partners
pride
priority advisory group
RI advice
Rose partners
scm
sterling
strat one
sfp
tempus
treysta
the wealth designers
varria
vbp
wealthmed
yarra lane
What
people say about us...
The framework for growth
CEO, Pride Advice, Adelaide
An exciting & certain future
Financial Adviser & Partner, Harvest Wealth, Geelong
Experience, scale and collaboration
CEO, McKinley Plowman, Perth
Solved our succession issues
General Manager, Farrow Hughes Mulcahy
Clear pathway and support
Financial Adviser, Blackwood Advisory, Geelong
Support to make things happen
Partner and Adviser, Blackwood Advisory, SHEPPARTON
United in vision, values & purpose
Partner and Adviser, Blackwood Advisory, Mildura
Pipedream to reality in 18 months
Partner and Adviser, Financial Lifestyle Partners, Melbourne