WINA is delighted to shine the spotlight on Suelen McCallum, Partner at dVT Group, Registered Liquidator and Certified Business Valuer. With over 40 years’ experience across insolvency, restructuring, valuations and investigations, Suelen is a respected leader known for her integrity, depth of expertise, and commitment to mentoring
Q. How did you choose a career in insolvency/restructuring?
I found myself working for an insolvency firm in administration, and fell in love with the nature of the work – until then I had never even heard of the word insolvency.
Q. How did you get to where you are today?
Hard work and perseverance – in doing the work, networking, building a reputation, and working with good people. You are only as good as the people around you.
Q. What advice would you provide to your younger self?
Look for challenges, because you can shine in those. Get a good mentor (or two) and never be afraid to ask questions or opinions of others. Build a strong team around you – and not just in your office.
Q. What has been your most memorable moment during your career?
Probably doing the investigation and reporting that led to the conviction and imprisonment of Stuart Ariff. It was one of the hardest tasks I had undertaken, because it made me so uncomfortable investigating a colleague and uncovering the wrongs, but at the same time I knew it was the right thing to do.
Another memorable moment was more academic – being the inaugural top student of the TMA/UTS Certified Turnaround Professional program back in 2010.
Q. What is one thing you know now that you wish you had known earlier in your career?
I don’t know that it would have made any difference to my decision to continue working in insolvency and restructuring, but I think one of the hardest skills to learn in this field is the ability to deal with matters in a consistently commercial and pragmatic manner.
You can get on your soapbox about many issues in insolvency, and with good reason, but in the real world you need to deal with jobs with the best outcome in mind. Sometimes that doesn’t align with how you might want to see a matter conclude.
There are many times I have wanted to see individuals held accountable for their actions, but more often than not I faced barriers of costs, time and evidence. You learn to live with it.
Q. What is an interesting fact about you?
As well as being a Registered Liquidator I am also a Registered Business Valuer – both skillsets complement each other!
Q. What made you get your Liquidator’s ticket?
I got my ticket somewhat late in my career, as I had taken some time off to have children, and then also developed the consulting arm of the dVT Group, so getting registered dropped down a bit on my priority list.
However, one of my partners was ill for some time and we needed another appointee, so that was the push I needed. I certainly don’t regret it. It was a challenge, and a bit daunting becoming an appointee, but I had been doing insolvency for so long that it quickly became the obvious next step. It also helped that by that time my children were more independent and I could focus more on the role.
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WINA is delighted to shine the spotlight on Suelen McCallum, Partner at dVT Group, Registered Liquidator and Certified Business Valuer. With over 40 years’ experience across insolvency, restructuring, valuations and investigations, Suelen is a respected leader known for her integrity, depth of expertise, and commitment to mentoring
Q. How did you choose a career in insolvency/restructuring?
I found myself working for an insolvency firm in administration, and fell in love with the nature of the work – until then I had never even heard of the word insolvency.
Q. How did you get to where you are today?
Hard work and perseverance – in doing the work, networking, building a reputation, and working with good people. You are only as good as the people around you.
Q. What advice would you provide to your younger self?
Look for challenges, because you can shine in those. Get a good mentor (or two) and never be afraid to ask questions or opinions of others. Build a strong team around you – and not just in your office.
Q. What has been your most memorable moment during your career?
Probably doing the investigation and reporting that led to the conviction and imprisonment of Stuart Ariff. It was one of the hardest tasks I had undertaken, because it made me so uncomfortable investigating a colleague and uncovering the wrongs, but at the same time I knew it was the right thing to do.
Another memorable moment was more academic – being the inaugural top student of the TMA/UTS Certified Turnaround Professional program back in 2010.
Q. What is one thing you know now that you wish you had known earlier in your career?
I don’t know that it would have made any difference to my decision to continue working in insolvency and restructuring, but I think one of the hardest skills to learn in this field is the ability to deal with matters in a consistently commercial and pragmatic manner.
You can get on your soapbox about many issues in insolvency, and with good reason, but in the real world you need to deal with jobs with the best outcome in mind. Sometimes that doesn’t align with how you might want to see a matter conclude.
There are many times I have wanted to see individuals held accountable for their actions, but more often than not I faced barriers of costs, time and evidence. You learn to live with it.
Q. What is an interesting fact about you?
As well as being a Registered Liquidator I am also a Registered Business Valuer – both skillsets complement each other!
Q. What made you get your Liquidator’s ticket?
I got my ticket somewhat late in my career, as I had taken some time off to have children, and then also developed the consulting arm of the dVT Group, so getting registered dropped down a bit on my priority list.
However, one of my partners was ill for some time and we needed another appointee, so that was the push I needed. I certainly don’t regret it. It was a challenge, and a bit daunting becoming an appointee, but I had been doing insolvency for so long that it quickly became the obvious next step. It also helped that by that time my children were more independent and I could focus more on the role.