Leadership Team

Martin Phelan

Martin joined the firm in 1990 and became a partner/director in 1999. He has a Bachelor of Commerce and a Masters of Taxation from the University of Melbourne and qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1983. Martin is also a Chartered Tax Advisor of the Taxation Institute of Australia.

Martin is a member of the Worldwide Board of BKR International and the former Chair of the Asia-Pacific Regional Board.

Martin has extensive experience advising business owners and managers in the areas of taxation, business structures, purchase and sale of businesses, financing, succession and estate planning. He has assisted clients in preparing consulting and executive employment agreements, including setting performance targets and equity participation reward structures.

His industry experience extends across manufacturing, import, wholesale and distribution, export, service businesses and property investment.

Specialist Areas

• Specialist tax services
• Domestic and international tax law
• Corporate & SME Transactions
• Valuations, Cash Flows & Budgeting

Qualifications

• Master of Taxation
• Bachelor of Commerce
• Chartered Accountant ANZ
• Chartered Tax Adviser
• Registered Tax Agent
• Public Practice Certificate Chartered Accountants Australia & New Zealand

Professional Memberships

• Chartered Accountants ANZ
• Tax Institute of Australia

• +61 3 9274 0603
• +61 421 386 998
• mphelan@wwadvantage.com.au

Paul Marini

Paul is a Tax Specialist with over twenty-five years’ experience, who holds a Master of Tax from the University of Melbourne Law School. His primary focus is on tax compliance and consulting for domestic and international clients across a variety of industries including manufacturing, information technology, building and construction, forestry, publishing, finance and private investment.

He acts as a professional advisor to a broad range of clients including Australian subsidiaries and branches of foreign companies, ASX listed companies, private corporate groups, not for profit and government organisations, family owned business and investment entities. He is also the lead Partner of our Expatriate Tax and Relocation Advisory Services.

Paul is a regular speaker at seminars for clients and our national accounting association as well as being responsible for internal training of staff. He has also presented for Chartered Accountants Australia & New Zealand. He is involved in writing tax articles and is a contributing author of:

• The SMART Tax Handbook
• The Not for Profit Board & Management Guide

He also holds the following positions:

• Chair of the Walker Wayland National Tax Practice Group
• Head of the Walker Wayland National Tax Advisory Team
• Australian Tax Advisor for an International Network of Law Firms
• Member of the BKR International Tax and Expatriate Tax Committees

Specialist Areas

• Specialist Tax Services
• Corporate Tax
• Domestic and International
• Tax Law
• Expatriate and Relocation Advisory

Qualifications

• Master of Tax
• Bachelor of Business (Accountancy)
• Chartered Accountant
• Chartered Tax Adviser
• Registered Tax Agent
• Public Practice Certificate Chartered Accountants ANZ

Professional Memberships

• Chartered Accountants ANZ
• Tax Institute of Australia
• International Fiscal Association
• International Tax Planning Association

• +61 3 9274 0643
• +61 424 136 051
• pmarini@wwadvantage.com.au

Philip MacIsaac

Philip MacIsaac is an experienced tax and business adviser who works closely with business owners, private groups and corporate clients on the financial and strategic decisions that shape their businesses.

His experience spans Big Four accounting, medium-sized accounting practices and senior corporate, finance and taxation roles, giving him a perspective that extends well beyond traditional compliance. Philip understands both the technical issues businesses face and the commercial realities behind them.

Since joining Walker Wayland Advantage in 2017, Philip has advised clients across a broad range of taxation and business matters, from choosing the right structure for a growing business through to acquisitions, sales, financing, succession and estate planning.

A significant part of Philip’s work involves helping business owners make sense of complex decisions. That can mean reviewing whether an existing structure remains appropriate, assessing the taxation implications of a proposed transaction, planning the purchase or sale of a business, considering funding options or preparing for the eventual transfer of ownership to the next generation.

His breadth of experience is particularly valuable when a decision crosses several areas at once. A business sale, for example, is rarely simply a tax question. It can involve business structures, financing, asset protection, succession, personal wealth and estate planning. Philip helps clients consider those issues together rather than treating each one in isolation.

He also works with clients over the longer term, helping them adapt their financial and taxation strategies as their businesses, families and circumstances change.

Philip holds a Bachelor of Business from RMIT and a Graduate Diploma in Tax Laws from Monash University. He is a Chartered Accountant, CPA and Chartered Tax Adviser with The Tax Institute, and is an associate member of the Financial Planning Association.

Outside professional practice, Philip has a long association with cricket and community sport. He served as Treasurer of Taverners Victoria for 10 years and continues to serve on its general committee, bringing his financial, governance and organisational experience to the charity’s work supporting participation in sport.

A lifelong cricketer and experienced community sports administrator, Philip’s involvement with Taverners reflects the same approach he brings to his professional relationships: understanding the broader objective, contributing practical expertise and building relationships over the long term.

For Philip, good advice is not simply about identifying what the rules allow. It is about understanding what the client is trying to achieve, considering the implications of the available choices and helping them make a well-informed commercial decision.

Specialist Areas

• Specialist Tax Services
• Corporate & SME Transactions.
• Domestic and international tax law
• Not for Profit sector
• SMSF

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Business (Acc)
• Certified Practising Accountant (Tax)
• Chartered Accountant ANZ
• Chartered Tax Adviser
• Graduate Diploma in Financial Planning
• Graduate Diploma in Taxation Laws
• Public Practice Certificate, Chartered Accountants ANZ
• Registered Tax Agent

Professional Memberships

• Financial Planning Association of Australia
• CPA Australia
• Chartered Accountants ANZ
• Tax Institute of Australia

• +61 3 9274 0620
• +61 408 466 606
• pmacisaac@wwadvantage.com.au

Awais Ur Rehman

Awais is a Partner and Head of Audit and Risk Advisory at Walker Wayland Melbourne. He has extensive audit and advisory experience in Australia and Overseas, mainly working for Big 4 and 2nd Tier accounting firms.

Awais is a seasoned professional in providing external audit, compliance risk management and corporate governance services to a broad range of clients in both the private and public sectors. His clients come from a wide range of industries and comprise SMEs to large public & private reporting entities in industries such as:

• Consumer and industrial markets
• Manufacturing
• AFSL Licence holders
• Not-for-profits and Charities
• Aboriginal and Indigenous Corporations
• Technology
• Public sector and education

Awais’s role includes helping clients meet their regulatory obligations and assisting Audit Committees, Boards and Executive Management to extinguish their financial reporting and corporate governance responsibilities. Awais enjoy working with senior management to develop cost-effective and practical solutions to issues. His continuous value-add philosophy helps his clients grow and develop contemporary systems and processes.

Awais has also served as an independent board member on various organisations in roles such as Treasurer, Finance and Infrastructure Committee and as Audit Committee member. He loves to give back to the profession and the community and does that by mentoring students and professionals associated with CA ANZ and ACCA programs and providing pro bono professional services to charities.

Specialist Areas

• Statutory external audits
• IFRSs implementation
• Group consolidation
• Financial accounting and reporting advice
• Due diligence and compliance reviews
• Risk Advice and process reviews
• Grants acquittal reporting

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Applied Accounting
• Grad Dip of  Chartered Accounting
• Registered Company Auditor
• External Examiner- Law Institute of Victoria
• Approved Overseas Auditor (New Zealand)

Professional Memberships

• Chartered Accountants ANZ
• Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (UK)
• International Mergers & Acquisitions Expert (IM&A)
• Mergers & Acquisitions Professional (M&AP)

• +61 3 9274 0700
• aurrehman@wwadvantage.com.au

Tracey Brown-Thomas

Tracey joined the firm in 2023 and has more than 25 years of senior and partner experience in public practice.   She has a Bachelor of Economics from Monash University and is a qualified Chartered Accountant and Fellow of CPA Australia.

Tracey has extensive experience in a wide area of Taxation and Accounting, including capital gains tax issues and various rollover strategies, FBT & GST and has advised family groups, business owners and high-net-worth individuals.   Tracey values the relationships and trust she builds with clients and enjoys the challenge of delivering practical and efficient solutions to tax issues.

Tracey has developed in-depth knowledge of all aspects of Self-Managed Super Funds (SMSF) and associated wealth accumulation strategies and has achieved the specialisation of CA SMSF Specialist, she has also undertaken further studies to become an Accredited Mental Health First Aider.

Specialist Areas

• Specialist Tax Services
• Corporate & SME Transactions
• Superannuation
• Tax and Accounting Compliance
• Advising Health Professionals

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Economics
• Chartered Accountant
• CPA Australia – Fellow
• CA SMSF Specialist
• Registered Tax Agent
• Registered ASIC SMSF Auditor
• Public Practice Certificate Chartered Accountants ANZ
• Accredited Mental Health First Aider

Professional Memberships

• CPA Australia
• Chartered Accountants ANZ

• +61 3 9274 0600
• tbrown-thomas@wwadvantage.com.au

Shane Mak

Shane has more than 10 years of experience in audit and assurance, risk management, control, and compliance in both private and public companies.

Shane has previously worked with KPMG, EY, and Deloitte.

Shane has experience performing and managing external audits for clients of various industries including large public and private for and not-for-profit clients. These industries include:

• Consumer and industrial products
• Manufacturing
• Insurance brokers
• Upstream/Downstream Oil and Gas
• Exploration Mining
• Advertising
• Construction
• Fast Moving Consumer Goods
• IT Consulting
• Charities
• Foundations

Specialist Areas

• External audit
• Reviews of financial reports
• Accounting and Audit & Assurance Standards
• Data Analytics
• Consolidation
• Impairment Assessment
• Accounting Systems

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Commerce
• Chartered Accountant

Professional Membership

• CPA Australia

• +61 3 9274 0603
• smak@wwadvantage.com.au