ACCOUNTING firm PPB’s convoluted history in Perth took another turn last week when advisory practitioner Jeff Herbert rejoined the company as a partner after operating his own consultancy for two years. The move is the latest in Perth’s insolvency sector, which is undergoing a restructuring on the back of new business generated from the global financial meltdown. Mr Herbert has merged his business, Calyx Consulting, with PPB’s national partnership, and joins Simon Theobald who has been a partner since August 2007. “Jeff’s appointment to PPB is a big boost for us locally and nationally,” Mr Theobald said. Mr Herbert said his return to the firm was a result of the expected growth in the insolvency sector in WA. PPB’s chairman Bill Moss said the move also signalled the firm’s shift in focus in the current market, with PPB looking to increase its services and build a presence in new markets. Up until nearly three years ago, PPB was an organisation of state partnerships which operated autonomously under the overarching PPB banner. During 2006, managing partners Mel Ashton and Mr Herbert left the firm, leaving three partners – Simon Read, Andrew Birch and Cliff Rocke – to continue PPB’s operations in Perth. The remaining PPB partners carried on at the firm until it merged with McGrathNicol on July 30 2007. In August last year, Mr Theobald became a partner of the ‘new’ PPB which was not part of the McGrathNicol merger. Other recent moves in the industry have included Mr Ashton’s new consulting role at KPMG and Vince Smith’s shift from Deloitte to Ernst & Young
