McGrathNicol

The Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) has received almost 85,000 cybercrime reports in the past 12 months, or one every six minutes. As threat groups increasingly target sensitive data, Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) 7:30 Report interviewed Partner Darren Hopkins to share the current ransomware drivers.   McGrathNicol has tracked the threat of ransomware and business leaders’ attitudes to ransom payments over a five-year period. We look forward to sharing the results from our 2025 Ransomware Report in partnership with YouGov soon.   Watch the full story below, with thanks to Myles Houlbrook-Walk.  https://lnkd.in/ds4JR_bE

McGrathNicol is proud to have seven cyber experts speaking at this year’s CyberCon Melbourne 2025, discussing big issues from threat actor psychology to leveraging security intelligence as a strategic business asset. Join Partners Darren Hopkins and Blare Sutton and the team, as they share their expertise and work collaboratively with the industry to achieve the Federal Government’s vision of Australia as a world cyber security leader by 2030.  To find out more details from the program, click the Australian Information Security Association (AISA) CyberCon Melbourne link below:  https://lnkd.in/g9aJTyGZ

With almost half of organisations expecting cyber threats to increase, we are committed to working collaboratively with government and industry to share intelligence. Last week, McGrathNicol hosted a Risk and Security panel event in Sydney featuring keynote speaker Steph Way, acting Assistant Secretary for the Cyber Security Preparedness and Response Branch within the National Office of Cyber Security. Steph shared the Federal Government’s response to the evolving cyber threat landscape, strategic initiatives and progress on the 2030 Australian Cyber Security Strategy. An engaging panel discussion was further moderated by John Karabin (Chief Cyber Strategist, McGrathNicol), and featured Gretchen Cooke (Non-Executive Director TelstraSuper), Jen Stockwell (National Security and Geopolitical Principal Telstra) and Matt Grant (Partner, McGrathNicol). 

As builders and developers navigate economic uncertainty and policy-driven housing and infrastructure targets, proactive risk management becomes even more critical. Partners Sean Wiles and Matthew Hutton feature in this month’s Build Australia magazine, sharing their tips on assessing and managing counterparty risk. This includes evaluating a counterparty’s financial health, historical performance, legal standing, operational capacity, management capability and reputation. Read the full article in Build Australia below. https://lnkd.in/gzkq-qUX

The Westpac Consumer Sentiment Index has fallen to a six-month low, declining by 3.5% to 92.1 from 95.4 in September. Sentiment has now fallen back to firmly pessimistic, however the October and November sales periods may still provide retailers with a boost because consumers have shown a response to sales and value in recent years, despite broader concerns. Speaking with Juliette Saly, Partner Jason Ireland discussed how multi platform retailers are leveraging both instore experiences and heavy online discounting to reach their target audiences. “The ABS stats clearly showed households will respond to sales periods. It’s up to retailers to offer discounts and bespoke, targeted promotions to encourage consumers to do their Christmas shopping a little earlier.” Watch the full interview on ausbiz below. 

We are pleased to welcome Alex Kealley to the McGrathNicol partnership as a Deals Partner, based in Perth. With deep technical experience guiding clients through corporate transactions, complex mergers and acquisitions, and strategic partnerships, Alex is recognised in the market for his commercial acumen. “Alex’s appointment further strengthens our Deals capability as we invest in building our mid-market corporate finance solutions to clients, both nationally and internationally,” commented Head of Deals, Andrew Fressl. Read more about Alex here: https://lnkd.in/gdu5WiTN

Partners Sara Deady and Matt Fehon AM feature in Australian Institute of Company Directors magazine, discussing third-party risk and accountability. Legal liability does not end at your company’s doorstep. Courts and regulators increasingly view failure to manage third-party risks, whether cyber, legal, environmental or ethical, as a failure of corporate governance. Read the full article in this month’s Company Director.  https://lnkd.in/gZdf6teR

Partner Janine Thompson features in the latest Litigation & Dispute Resolution Guide, exploring data challenges in litigation. “Dedicating resources to the retention and security of data becomes counterproductive if the data being protected is not fit for purpose. Poor quality and incomplete data management is fuelling disputes as diverse as ESG disclosure, regulatory compliance, contractual issues and employee entitlements.” Further data security and risk management insights can be found in our McGrathNicol Risk and Security Report 2025: https://lnkd.in/gMW7c6kH

McGrathNicol recently hosted a Founder Network event, bringing together founders and business leaders for an evening of networking, drinks, and discussion. It was a pleasure to connect a dynamic group of business leaders and provide an opportunity to hear firsthand from successful founders as they shared their journeys. The highlight of the evening was a panel hosted by Corporate Advisory Partner Gordon Morrison, featuring: ▪️ Sam Riley, Co-founder and former CEO of Ansarada and Co-founder and current CEO of Drova ▪️ Paul Bloxham, Chief Economist and Managing Director, HSBC Global Investment Research ▪️ Selina Gerner, Deals & Performance Partner, McGrathNicol  Thank you to our panellists for their valuable insights, to Hang 10 Distillery and Angullong Wines for providing refreshments, and to everyone who joined us for the night.

McGrathNicol supported the inaugural Rural and Remote Bursary by sponsoring four recipients to attend the Ageing Australia 2025 conferences in their states. “Each of these providers play a critical role in their communities, and it's important for them to connect with the industry to have their ideas heard. Through the McGrathNicol bursary, we wanted to help remove the barrier of travel and increase representation of regional and rural leaders,” commented Partner Selina Gerner. Read the article on page 24 of Aged Care Today, including insights from this year’s bursary recipients.  https://lnkd.in/gkJANw22