Our Staff Stories
Gaz Saman – Business Services Manager
Business services manager Gaz Saman quips that he feels like he has embraced a rejuvenating professional sea change.
Having joined Joondalup based McKinley Plowman in April 2010, Gaz, who once worked in a near-city accounting practice, basks in a professional role that allows him to achieve the work-life balance that once eluded him.
No longer hampered by two hours of commuting to get to and from work each day, he now finds plenty of time for his family life and personal interests.
“I live just five minutes away from the office, so life is very different these days,” Gaz says.
“I was driving an hour each way to work everyday and by the end of each week I’d be exhausted.”
Married with four children, Gaz brings more than 20 years experience as an accountant and business services manager in
Born in
“We fell in love with the place when we came here on a holiday in 2006,” Gaz says.
“We loved the lifestyle and with
“My adult children remain in the
Gaz says his role at McKinley Plowman is professionally challenging and satisfying with staff enjoying a supportive and inclusive team, first class facilities and rewards such as overseas trips, staff functions and use of a gymnasium.
“It’s been an eye-opener with regards to the culture of this place,” Gaz says.
“I have never really found a workplace culture that is as flexible and inclusive as this before."
“While we work hard there are systems in place to help us work effectively and this makes for a far less stressful working life.”
Gaz lists his passions as his family, achieving excellence for his clients, taking his daughters to athletics, weight training, rugby and soccer.
Ross Puglisi – Business Services Manager
Nurturing success for business.
Working closely with business owners to add value and nurture their success represents a consistent professional reward for business services manager, Ross Puglisi.
Hailing from a long line of accountants in his family, Ross, who joined McKinley Plowman in April 2010, says he is imbued with an awareness of how good professional advice can make an enormous difference to a business owner’s success.
Ross says while professional advice is always shaped by the core goals of asset protection, tax planning and accommodating future growth, his role as business services manager also allows him to partner clients to fast track them towards their goals.
"It’s very rewarding to do work that goes beyond the traditional accounting practices of looking at what has happened in the business and just preparing the financials,” Ross says.
“These aspects of accounting are extremely important, but it’s great to be in a role that allows you to add value and analyse this financial knowledge to identify which areas of the business need improving.”
Ross says in acting as a business coach he shows clients which areas of their business can be improved and how they can introduce systems to generate efficiencies and gain more personal freedom.
He says after working closely with clients he often finds they reflect on how much they are unaware of and how making changes in some areas of their business can make a positive difference to their bottom line.
For example, he has just shown a new client how utilising a different business structure will deliver a tax saving of almost $75,000.
“This capital can now be put back into the business which in turn will help the client reach their goals a lot faster,” Ross says.
“I find it enormously satisfying to play a part in a business owner’s success and I look forward to doing this for a lot more business owners.”
Ross, who has over a decade’s experience in the profession, holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Curtin University of Technology and is an Associate member of CPA Australia.
Married with one child, his interests include Australian Football League, soccer, boxing and travelling.
