Mark was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year but unfortunately the cancer had spread. It is with great sadness that Mark passed away peacefully early this morning, Wednesday 9 August 2017.
Mark started his career in the mail room of Arthur Andersen & Co. After moving into the Financial Consulting (Audit) practice, he rose rapidly through the ranks, eventually becoming the signing partner on numerous high profile audits, including the global News Corporation audit.
In the late 1980s Mark saw an opportunity to offer his financial skills in the context of commercial disputes. In the process, he founded the first specialist Forensic practice in Australia. Mark led the Andersen Forensic practice for 15 years. In that time, he hired and mentored many who would later become Australia’s leading forensic practitioners. When Andersen merged with Ernst & Young in 2002, Mark handed over leadership of the practice to Owain Stone, remaining as part of the team. Mark joined KordaMentha as a Senior Consultant in 2013.
Mark will be remembered for many things. Through his example and his mentoring, Mark was instrumental in forming the culture of the teams in which he worked. He treated all of us as his equal, in the process challenging us to offer our best. He constantly diverted attention from himself (he would have hated to read this email) and always had time to listen and offer simple but practical advice.
Mark will also be remembered for his activities away from the work environment. He was passionate about ‘football’, organising and playing in numerous teams and competitions both in Sydney and around the globe. (His team, Ipswich Town, had a rare win overnight. Mark would have been pleased.) He also played tennis, inviting many others to join his weekly tennis club. For more than a decade he had been a member of the board of Cerebral Palsy Australia, and was an energetic sponsor and participant in their annual ‘Steptember’ fund raising appeal. Mark was awarded an Order of Australia for his work with Cerebral Palsy Australia.
The family are planning a private cremation, which will be followed in the next couple of weeks with a ‘cheerful farewell’.
