BDO Australia pulls former KPMG Australia partner out of retirement, appoints new national government leader

BDO Australia has welcomed David Kwong (pictured, left) as the firm’s new government and public sector national leader, and Phil Thornley (pictured, right) as partner in its consulting team in Melbourne.

Leading BDO Australia’s national approach to its government and public sector clients, Kwong will work to connect expertise across all states and territories, including the dedicated Canberra team.

Kwong comes in following Peter Sheehan’s service as former government and public sector national lead, to continue to provide key governance responsibilities within this division’s national operations.

Prior to his appointment as national leader this month, Kwong served as partner at the firm from early February after his time as managing director at FTI Consulting.

Thornley joined the firm as partner, coming out of retirement after his fourteen-year stint with KPMG Australia. Before joining the Big Four firm in 2012, Thornley served as executive director of APAC operations at MDS Lavastorm Analytics since 2005, and was project manager at Martin Daws Systems between 1996 and 2006.

Throughout his career, Thornley has amassed experience across the telecommunications, energy and utilities, and insurance sectors, focusing on helping large corporates and mid-market organisations improve revenue performance, reduce costs and manage risk, and possesses expertise in revenue assurance, regulatory and compliance analytics, and customer and revenue analytics.

In his role as partner, Thornley will focus on high-value applications for generative AI and practical AI adoption, implementing the data foundations and governance to guide the transformation.

Thornley aims to deliver measurable outcomes for clients through AI to provide a value-add for the firm.

“Most organisations don’t need another platform. They need to find ways to increase revenue, meet their regulatory obligations with confidence and make better decisions faster,” Thornley said.

“I start with the business problem, not the technology, and work closely with executives to identify the outcomes that matter most,” he said.

“The opportunity at BDO is to continue building a data and AI practice that puts client outcomes first. BDO’s strong relationships across audit, tax and advisory, together with its collaborative, partner-led culture, provide a strong foundation to deliver real value for clients,” Thornley said.

Jason de Boer, BDO Melbourne office managing partner, said that Thornley’s experience brings a valuable addition to the broader services of the firm, as well as the consulting team.

“Phil brings extensive experience in helping organisations tackle complex business challenges through the practical application of data and AI,” de Boer said.

“Businesses are increasingly looking beyond the technology itself to understand how these investments can deliver measurable value, whether that’s improving revenue, managing regulatory obligations or making better-informed decisions.”