Forensic Accounting & Business Valuations 

A boutique firm exclusively providing independent forensic accounting and valuation services.

Profile

Michelle Jennings-JonesDirector

michellej@gowerjones.com.au


Career Summary

  • 2018 – Present
    Director, GowerJones Forensic Accountants Pty Limited
  • 2009 – 2018
    Director, GowerJones & Co Pty Limited
  • 2003 – 2009
    Director, GCA Gower & Co Pty Limited
  • 2002 - 2003
    Senior Manager, GCA Gower & Co
  • 2000 - 2002
    Senior Manager, PKF
  • 1995 - 2000
    Manager, Grant Thornton
  • 1989 - 1995
    Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu / Duesburys (a predecessor firm of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu)

Experience

Michelle commenced her career in 1989 as an auditor and continued in this role until 2002. Michelle’s audit experience includes managing the audits of public, private and foreign owned companies operating in the mining, manufacturing, publishing, telecommunications, construction, wholesale, retail and franchise industries. During this time Michelle was also involved in commercial transactions including initial public offerings and capital raisings and the preparation of due diligence and independent accountant’s reports.

In 2002, utilising her audit, financial, analytical and investigations experience, Michelle specialised in forensic accounting and business valuations. During the period 2002 to date Michelle has frequently been instructed:

- as the independent expert on commercial litigations and arbitration matters, providing evidence in the Federal Court and Supreme Court of NSW on numerous occasions;

- as the consulting expert to assist the legal team throughout the litigation process, including:

  • assisting with discovery of relevant financial documents;
  • assisting in drafting the accounting aspects and particulars for statements of claims, cross claims;
  • quantifying alternate loss scenarios; testing assumptions;
  • critiquing independent expert accounting reports;
  • attending mediation;
  • assisting counsel with cross examination of accounting experts,
  • preparing auditors and directors for public examination;

- as the jointly appointed or Court appointed expert in disputes between parties.

Michelle is regularly engaged to provide independent expert opinions or consulting services in respect to the application of Accounting Standards and Auditing Standards, public company financial statement disclosure and accounting for transactions in respect of audit negligence and directors liability matters.

In most recent years Michelle has been instructed on litigation matters concerning:

Michelle is one of the few independent audit experts and is regularly instructed by lawyers acting for either the applicant or the defendant to provide her expert opinion on audit negligence claims. In recent years these matters have included:

  • Consulting expert in respect of the 2014 – 2015 audits of publicly listed electronic retail group (2017 -2019)
  • Independent expert report in respect of the 2004 - 2007 audits of a mortgage lending entity (2018)
  • Independent expert report in respect of the 2009 – 2012 audits of a mortgage lending entity (2017)
  • Consulting expert in respect of the 2012 – 2014 audits of a stock broking firm (2017)
  • Independent expert report in respect of the conduct of an accountant in advice provided to clients (2017)
  • Independent expert report in respect of the 2004 - 2014 audits of a Strata Plan (2016)

Michelle provides independent expert and consulting services in respect to the application of Accounting Standards, public company financial statement disclosure and accounting for transactions. In recent years these matters have included:

  • Independent expert in respect of the application of Australian Accounting Standards in the 30 June 2009 and 2010 Annual Report of a publicly listed entity operating in the forestry industry and restatement of those accounts (2019)
  • Consulting expert in respect of the application of AASB 101, AASB 102, AASB 108, AASB 1031, AASB 134, AASB 139 in the accounts of a publicly listed electronic retail group (2017 -2019)
  • Arbitration report in respect of the application of AASB 116 to costs capitalized in the infrastructure pricing for coal mining companies (2018)
  • Independent expert report opining on the application of AASB 101 and AASB 1031 in respect to the recognition of transactions by an entity concerning the payment of secret commissions (2018)
  • Independent expert report opining on the application of Section 286 of the Corporations Act and Generally Accepted Accounting Principles in respect to transactions incorrectly recorded in the general ledger of various group entities in the professional services industry and restatement of the profits/losses of those entities (2017)
  • Independent expert report opining on the quantification of loss arising from a claim for loss of opportunity (2018)
  • Consulting expert in respect of quantification of loss claimed against the directors of a publicly listed electronic retail group (2017-2019)
  • Independent expert opining on the quantification of loss arising from a claim for misrepresentation (2017)
  • Independent expert opining on the quantification of loss claimed by an entity operating in retail (2017) 
  • Independent expert report opining on a claim for unsubstantiated costs and “falsified entries” and restatement of claim for loss (2017)
  • Fraud investigation tracing flow of client monies through numerous client accounts to the financial planners’ bank accounts, together with determination of financial planner’s use of client monies, restatement of each client’s financial position (2017);
  • Forensic investigation on behalf of the Board of a publicly listed entity in respect to the recording of transactions comprising the entity’s largest asset and recoverability of that asset (2016). 

Qualifications and Memberships

  • FCA Chartered Accountants Australia + New Zealand (CAANZ)
  • CA Forensic Accounting Specialist
  • Registered Company Auditor, No. 278573
  • Certificate of Public Practice 2003
  • Bachelor of Business – Accounting Major, University of Technology, Sydney

Please contact Michelle Jennings-Jones for a copy of her curriculum vitae.