Message from the Audit Focus Group Chair

Despite economic volatility, dampened business investment and socioeconomic challenges, William Buck has continued to grow and evolve our audit and assurance practices across Australia and New Zealand in 2022.

Testament to this have been our efforts to actively generate new ideas to be more effective in our ways of working, promote new leaders from within and advance our audit methodology and systems. As part of our continued growth and evolution, I was honoured to accept the role of Chair of the Audit Focus Group which was successfully led by Leo Tutt AM for over a decade. I sincerely thank Leo for his strong leadership and dedication. Leo supported William Buck in building a technically robust audit framework that enables our practitioners to deliver high quality assurance services to our clients. I am also grateful for Leo’s role in advancing the audit discipline across William Buck.

A significant achievement over the last twelve months has been the increased activity of our Audit Methodology Committee (AMC). The AMC consists of audit directors from across the group that collaborate on methodology matters. The purpose of the AMC is to further the quality and effectiveness of our audit procedures, systems and overall methodology by improving processes, and providing our auditors with technical and practical learnings to continuously improve our client services.

With borders open again, secondments of auditors from our Praxity international alliance of firms across North America, South America, Europe, Africa and Asia have enabled us to meet increased demands. Likewise, our Praxity membership has enabled our senior auditors to gain invaluable personal and professional development globally and support our fellow Praxity firms during their peak seasons.

Our current focus is on the implementation of Auditing Standard ASQM 1 Quality Management for Firms that Perform Audits or Reviews of Financial Reports and Other Financial Information, or Other Assurance or Related Services Engagements. Having a seamless application of this standard across all that we do in our audit practices at William Buck is our highest priority.

We look forward to continuing to serve our clients with distinction, delivering high quality audit and assurance services, and we remain committed to continuously improving the quality of our services.

Grant Martinella Chair Audit Focus Group