Career Summary & Experience

As a Chartered Accountant and business success expert with many years of hands-on experience, Darren has been proactively involved in shaping financial success for local business owners and individuals throughout Central Queensland.

He often gets involved when other accountants cannot solve businesses or financial issues, or overcome key challenges, and he finds real world and timely solutions for his business clients. His commitment and expertise is shown by recently undertaken sales training to further enhance his business skills, and his placing in the top 5% of Australian students in the tax module during his Chartered Accountant study.

Darren invests his time getting to know and understand his clients in order to find the best way forward for their business’s long-term prosperity. He also runs training sessions for Kennas clients and business associations covering leadership, marketing, personal development, business success and of course tax planning and tax control.

Darren maintains a keen interest in the community, working with many not for profit organisations to strengthen their financial governance and accounts management. At present, Darren is president of Rockhampton Cricket, a director of Central Queensland Indigenous Development, on the audit and risk management committee for Capricorn Enterprise and treasurer for Gracemere Sports Club.

These days, staying with the changing times, the black pen is increasingly set aside for the fun of drawing and sending diagrams on his laptop. And while he’s proud of Kennas’ tradition of service, he’s enjoying partnering with clients along their financial journeys and looking to a future Kennas that remains solidly invested in the people of Central Queensland.

If you’re looking for expert input to take your business to the next level, make an appointment to sit down with Darren to see ways Kennas may be able to assist.

Career Summary & Experience

Helen is one of Kennas’ agribusiness specialists, but also brings to the table expertise in SMSF management, succession and estate planning and audit. Her depth of knowledge and wealth of financial experience has proven to be a vital boost to many client’s businesses, freeing them up to concentrate on doing their best work on the land.

Helen’s husband is a 4^th generation landowner and current property manager – so she intimately understands the highs and lows of the rural economy. Over her career, spanning more than 35 years, she’s helped generations of families make the most of every aspect of their farm businesses. Recently studying alongside her son, Helen completed the Resource Consulting Services ‘Grazing for Profit’ School, learning much about holistic farming practice. She’s also an accredited expert in farm accounting using Phoenix.

One of the biggest challenges Helen sees facing farming businesses is succession planning. Traditional ‘rules’ apply less often, and the passing of the baton can be a difficult journey – one which Helen has gone through with many clients, lending her experience and skills while respecting the emotions and dynamics of each family circumstance.

She is a member of several rural industry associations including Agforce and is on the board of the Queensland Regional and Remote Women’s networking group. Helen also writes in the ‘Words for Wisdom’ section in Queensland Country Life.

Helen travels frequently to catch up with clients on the land and enjoys those ‘over a cuppa’ conversations even more than phone calls. People say Helen is easy to talk to at any level – and that’s one of the reasons for her success at Kennas, since accounting and financial advice is best served alongside enduring relationships. In her free time, you’ll find Helen getting her hands dirty in the garden, alongside her golden retriever and other working dogs.

If you’d like to talk to Helen about your circumstances to see how Kennas can come alongside you to improve your financial future, call today to make a time to sit down and talk.

Career Summary & Experience

In a career spanning over two decades to date, Andrew has worked up through the ranks, starting in accounting. He still very much enjoys all aspects of management accounting, tax preparation and business advisory aspects of the business and has added financial planning and an impressive depth of experience in this field to his portfolio since 2010.

His experience and acumen have benefited a wide range of clients from all sectors and industries. Building relationships with clients over long years of providing financial advice on wealth creation right through to estate and retirement planning is a very satisfying part of Andrew’s career.

A natural leader and sportsperson since school days, Andrew might have become a career hockey player if Kennas had not snapped him up after completing his undergraduate Business degree. To this day, a love of sports keeps Andrew on the hockey and touch football grounds with local Rockhampton teams and not too long ago, a stint with the Australian Masters Hockey team.

All his three children are heavily involved in sports at all levels, so time away from work very often involves travel with the family to tournaments and competitions as well as coaching junior teams from time to time. Any downtime will find Andrew watching sports, even going as far as the Athens and Beijing Olympics – a highlight in any sports buff’s life.

Andrew is very optimistic about the future of Kennas – he knows that no matter how much technology becomes part of everyday tasks, people still need that assurance of face-to-face advice. If there’s one thing he has learned it’s that the finance sector is more about client involvement, problem-solving and communication, and less about being at a desk with a calculator and computer.

Andrew’s always keen to sit down with people to discuss how Kennas’ services can help get them to their financial goals faster. If you’d like to schedule a time, call the office today.

Career Summary & Experience

The inner workings of business and economics has been a life-long interest for Peter. Since beginning his career at Kennas in 2004, he gains enormous satisfaction in becoming ‘part of the furniture’ around many Central Queensland family businesses and enterprises. Peter enjoys getting into the nitty-gritty of his clients’ operations to get a thorough understanding from the ground up and brings high levels of clarity and objective foresight based on top level qualifications, to advising and guiding his clients to financial success.

Peter partners with his clients for the long term, advising small and medium enterprises across industrial, resource and rural sectors how to grow their businesses through financial budgeting, reporting and monitoring. Acting as as an external financial adviser, similar to a CFO, Peter brings innovative solution-based thinking to operational financial matters.

Peter also heads up the team of Xero experts at Kennas, helping clients help themselves to make the most of the opportunities that technological advances and cloud computing can bring to the table.

Peter supposes that in a movie about his life, Adam Sandler would be the actor to play the lead role. The plot would centre around a hard-working family guy who loves a laugh, loves the beach on weekends, is a dedicated motor racing enthusiast and loves to travel to new places – particularly if a motor racing event is part of the itinerary.

Kennas are known for their community involvement, and Peter gives his time regularly to the Salvation Army’s Red Shield Appeal and is on the board of Access Recreation.

Peter loves to work with people who want him involved very regularly and who value advice and input to help them achieve their business and life goals. And with continuous change a daily reality in the business environment, having Peter’s expertise and experience on standby has proven valuable many times over.

If you need Peter on your team to take you to the next level of financial success, call today to make a time to talk.

Career Summary & Experience

As a Director of Kennas Financial Services Pty Ltd, Brent is responsible for the development and delivery of innovative and individually tailored financial planning, specialising in rural, health, and high net worth clients, as well as working with many small business owners. Brent is also one of the few local Accredited Aged Care Professionals and is able to offer specialist advice and strategies for the best outcomes.

Brent’s entrepreneurial skills in providing high level strategic advice, financial review and guidance across the full spectrum of financial planning and wealth management have been developed over a decade of providing financial advice and service to Central Queenslanders. He is solutions-focused and understands it pays to think outside the box. His motto is to make a great plan and stick to it – and only worry about things when they actually happen.

While his young family thinks that ‘Dad plays with money all day’, Brent knows that the business is not about being a bean counter, and that focusing on people, not products is key. He is committed to building and servicing long-term relationships and gains great satisfaction from helping clients demystify and unjumble the complexities of the industry and become more confident and at peace with their financial situation.

In addition to his passion for financial planning and helping clients fulfil lifelong objectives, Brent enjoys golf, soccer and spending time with his family (not in that order). Family adventures invariably involves visits to zoos and parks, as the children love animals.

Brent’s unquestionable ethics and deep insights into financial markets and key industry issues set him apart in the financial planning industry. As one of Kennas’ business owners he is dedicated to continuing the Kennas legacy, keeping the firm relevant and growing in changing times.

Brent is the only listed Financial Planner in Central Queensland who is both a Certified Financial Planner CFP® and Life Risk Specialist, so these qualifications ensure you receive the best possible advice for your situation. Call to make a time to discuss your financial goals today.

Career Summary & Experience