Darren Halpin is the Managing Director of Halpin Partners.

Darren has over 28 years of experience in public practice, business transformation and entrepreneurial ventures.

Darren works with clients across all sectors from mining to construction, agriculture, recruitment and retail, at all stages of business from startups to well-established enterprises.  Darren is able to quickly identify opportunities for business growth and to develop strategies to harness the potential and maximise returns for his clients. A true business partner, Darren takes a genuine interest in his clients and their success.  With expertise in business strategy, business transformation/turnarounds, business development, tax effective structuring, succession planning and deal management, Darren delivers real and tangible outcomes for his clients.

With a passion for innovation and entrepreneurialism, one of Darren’s core strengths is being able to identify business opportunities and then transforming those opportunities into successful business ventures.
It is in recognition of Darren’s achievements and contributions to his clients that he now sits on the Board of Directors for a number of privately held companies across a range of industries where he provides direction with a focus on financial and general business strategy.

Darren has been instrumental to the growth of Halpin Partners.  The business began as a family business and it has been important to Darren that the family culture continues and is actively nurtured.  Also important to Darren is his sense of corporate responsibility and as a result, Halpin Partners actively supports charities, schools and other activities within the Cairns and Innisfail regions.

Darren and Noelle have four children, so creating balance is important and one of the outcomes that Darren delivers to his clients.  Darren believes in working hard and playing hard and he brings this approach to business.

Noelle Halpin is the Group Financial Controller for Halpin Partners.

A CPA with a Bachelor of Business and over 23 years experience, Noelle is responsible for the financial management of Halpin Partners and associated businesses.

Noelle is an active participant in the Cairns business community, supporting Women in Business and other Cairns-based business groups, as well as an active supporter of the Cairns Crocs Triathlon Club. Noelle believes in corporate responsibility and as a result, Halpin Partners is an active supporter of charities, schools and other causes within the Cairns and Innisfail regions.

Darren and Noelle have four small children, so creating balance in life is important and is one of the outcomes that Halpin Partners seeks to deliver to clients.

Shaun is a Business Advisory Specialist.

With over 21 years of experience providing specialist tax and advisory services to businesses across the property, construction, hospitality, manufacturing and tourism sectors, Shaun is now pursuing his passion for proactively assisting businesses to become more productive and more profitable.

A big picture thinker and with experience working with small to medium-sized business seeking to expand operations, optimise productivity and profitability, or to address tax or operational issues, Shaun has the knowledge and skills required to identify new opportunities and to fix emergent, business-threatening problems.

Servicing businesses in Cairns and throughout North Queensland from Mt Isa and Townsville and north to the Cape, Shaun enjoys tackling the issues that other accountants are not trained or experienced in handling, so that he can assist clients to develop solutions and strengthen their businesses into the future.

Chris is a Business Advisory specialist and has over 28 years of experience in client and business advising in Australia and England.

Chris provides clients with advice on taxation and business planning, business acquisitions, franchising and other advisory services.

Chris has a Master’s degree in Commerce, a B.Bus, is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants and is a CPA. He joined the Halpin Partners team in 2010, is based in the Cairns office and travels regularly to Innisfail and throughout Queensland to service our clients.

Alison joined Halpin Partners in 2011 and is based in the Cairns office.

Alison has been advising clients for more than 28 years and specializes in the preparation of financial statements, income tax returns, and tax and business planning for SMEs.

With a client base extending from Cape York to Sydney, Alison has an in-depth understanding of many industries, including tourism, retail, construction, education, consulting and health.

Christa provides business advice and manages client compliance obligations. Christa has been advising clients for over 15 years, specializing in the preparation of financial statements and taxation planning.

Based in the Cairns office, Christa travels regularly to surrounding areas and Mt Isa to provide advice and support to our clients across many industries including retail, construction and mining.

Christa joined Halpin Partners in 2008, holds a B.Com and is a CPA.

Lola is a Superannuation and Self Managed Superannuation Fund (SMSF) specialist and has over 28 years’ experience in the field.

The SMSF sector is a complex and constantly changing environment. Lola provides specialist support to our clients and manages complex queries and structures.

Born and raised in Innisfail, Lola joined the Halpin Partners team in 1997. Lola is a qualified CPA and holds a B.Com. She is based in the Innisfail office and provides specialist support to our clients throughout Queensland.

Ken is a Business Advisory Specialist and has over 18 years experience in client advising.

Ken has a wealth of knowledge and experience across many industries and disciplines.

Ken’s expertise in financial modelling provides clients with unique insights into the performance of their business and enables clients to understand the possible impacts of major decisions before those decisions are made.

Ken joined the Halpin Partners team in 2012 and holds an Associate Bachelor of Commerce. He is based in the Cairns office and travels regularly to support the needs of our clients.

Carrianne is a client compliance specialist with over 23 years’ experience working with small to medium businesses in the preparation and management of financial statements and tax returns.

Based in Cairns, Carrianne has a diverse client base with industries including civil engineering and construction, tourism operators, medical practitioners and other professional services.

Carrianne has a B.Bus and joined the Halpin Partners team in 2010.

Jay has over 15 years of experience and works with clients across a broad range of industries including construction, retail, wholesale trade, solar services and medical services. Specialising in the preparation of financial statements and tax compliance, Jay holds a Master of Accounting degree and is a member of CPA Australia.

Jay is originally from India, moved to Brisbane in 2005 to study. Prior to joining Halpin Partners, Jay worked as a Financial Accountant at a large electrical wholesale company in Brisbane. He Joined Halpin Partners in November 2020.

Toni has over 20 years of experience and works with clients across a broad range of industries including tourism, medical services, primary production and construction.

Specialising in the preparation of financial statements and tax compliance, Toni holds a Bachelor of Commerce and is a member of CPA Australia.

Toni is a born and bred Cairns local and joined Halpin Partners in December 2020.

A born-and-bred local, Daniel joined Halpin Partners in 2022 and is based in the Cairns office. He has been working as an accountant in Cairns since 2018 when he returned to the area midway through completing his university studies.

Imraan is a seasoned professional accountant and business consultant with over 10 years’ experience at senior executive management level. Extensive experience in financial management, cash flow management, financial reporting, tax reporting, planning and lodgements, board reporting & managing the complete accounting and finance function.

Imraan has been consulting in financial business management and taxation which includes strategic planning, financial forecasts, organisational budget development & management, corporate finance including financial analysis, statistical analysis, tax planning and financial policy development. 

More recently Imraan specialises in the management and preparation of financial statements, income tax returns and tax and business planning for SME’s

Luke is a Senior Client Accountant responsible for preparation of financial statements, income tax returns as well as all other compliance needs.

Being a Cairns local Luke completed his Bachelor of Commerce Majoring in Accounting locally at James Cook University. He is also currently completing his Post Graduate Diploma to become a Chartered Accountant with Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand.

Luke has 9 years experience across Tax, External Audit & Business Advisory roles. He loves working closely with business owners to foster a relationship and achieve great outcomes.

Luke joined the Halpin Partners team in October 2023.

Benita is a Client Accountant responsible for assisting with the preparation of financial statements, income tax returns and tax compliance.  Benita completed her Bachelor of Business (Accountancy) in June 2019 from Queensland University of Technology and has commenced her Certified Practicing Accountants Program.

Benita worked at a firm in Brisbane for two years before moving to Cairns and joining the Halpin Partners team in May 2022.

Born in Cairns, Eve started working as an Accountant in 2020 whilst finishing studies at James Cook University. Eve is currently assisting with and drafting income tax returns, financial statements and tax compliance.

She started working at Halpin Partners in January 2023 and has commenced her CPA programme.

With seven years’ experience in securities portfolio design, financial analysis and business recovery and insolvency, Sarah now works closely with Director Shaun Donaldson in providing advisory services to businesses across the property, construction, hospitality, manufacturing and tourism sectors.

With invaluable knowledge gained in the restructuring, turnaround and insolvency space, Sarah now directs her expertise into transforming good businesses into great businesses.

Sarah joined the Halpin team in 2021 and has a Bachelor of Business, Bachelor of Commerce and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants.

James is a Senior Executive who has a unique blend of leadership skills, bringing innovation and rigorous risk management to every role. With over 30 years’ experience in commerce, consulting and tertiary education at board, CEO and senior executive levels.

His ability to strategically grow businesses through a focus on people, service, innovation and focused implementation has seen him achieve several national awards and many examples of industry leading growth throughout his career.

James manages the strategic growth projects within Halpin Partners working closely with Darren.

Amy is our Office Manager and has been with us for 12 years. Amy keeps the business running smoothly on a daily basis by organising, overseeing and coordinating all office operations and procedures. Amy also manages the marketing area of the business and assists with numerous bookkeeping duties.

Prior to starting at Halpin Partners Amy worked in the film industry on the Gold Coast. She also has administration experience in the real estate, hospitality and corporate services industries.

Sarah is the Group Financial Controller for Halpin Partners associated businesses. Sarah has over 20 years of experience across a range of industries including aviation, medical, mining, aquaculture and FMCG.

As Executive Assistant to Darren Halpin, Managing Director, Kerrie manages the day-to-day diary movements and email management for Darren Halpin whilst managing the corporate compliance of the nearly 700 companies we look after.

She is also responsible for client restructuring, setting up of all new entities, general bookkeeping, and providing general administrative support to both the business advisory and accounting teams.

Prior to starting at Halpin Partners 12 years ago she worked in the tourism and hospitality industry.

EXPERTISE

• Oversees Managing Director’s schedule
• Manages corporate compliance of clients
• Coordinate travel schedules and itineraries
• Client restructuring
• Administrative support

QUALIFICATIONS

• Certificate IV Bookkeeping
• Diploma of Accounting
• Justice of the Peace

Renee is the SMSF Client Manager at Halpin Partners and has over 11 years’ experience in the SMSF field.

The SMSF sector is a complex and constantly changing environment. Renee provides specialist support to new and existing SMSF clients.

Renee has lived in Cairns for 20 years and joined the Halpin Partners team in 2012. She is based in our Cairns office and provides support to all of our clients.

Kelly is our Client Services Assistant whose role includes client tax administrative duties as required by our Client Managers. Within this role Kelly works closely with all clients ensuring effective control over all their administrative requirements.

Kelly has lived in Cairns for over 14 years and joined the Halpin Partners team in 2012. She is based in our Cairns office and provides support to all of our clients.

EXPERTISE

• Oversees clients’ administrative requirements
• Manages clients’ tax administrative matters
• Offers client support

Nicky is our Client Services Assistant whose role includes client tax administrative duties as required by our Client Managers. Within this role Nicky works closely with all clients ensuring effective control over all their administrative requirements.

Nicky is Cairns born and bred and joined the Halpin Partners team in 2022. She is based in our Cairns office and provides support to all of our clients.

EXPERTISE

• Oversees clients’ administrative requirements
• Manages clients’ tax administrative matters
• Offers client support

As Administration Officer Meg assists with daily administration tasks for our clients and the team. As well as Admin Officer Meg is the SMSF Assistant. Within this role Meg works closely with our superannuation team providing general administrative support.

Prior to starting at Halpin Partners Meg lived and travelled overseas, before returning home to Cairns. She joined the team in November 2021.

As Administration Officer/Receptionist, Mia greets all our visitors with a warm welcome. Along with assisting in administration duties, she oversees all the mail and manages the boardroom and meeting room schedules. She also provides tea and coffee to all of our team members and clients.

Mia is Cairns born and bred and joined the Halpin Partners team in June 2022.