HWP hosted a presentation and panel discussion with David Naphtali & Andy Gowers (Founders – Vest Advisory), Catherine Gale (Managing Director – Resolve Conflict Family Lawyers & Mediators), and Juliet O’Brien ( Senior Associate – Hall & Wilcox). The discussion will be facilitated by Damon Kitney.
The dinner was held at Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club on the 21st of February 2024.
David Naphtali
David grew up in and around successful family businesses. His formal career as a lawyer began at Mallesons Stephen Jaques, specialising in advising clients on the development and financing of large-scale infrastructure projects. He moved to Hong Kong in 2002 with his wife Kelly.
During his time in Hong Kong, David founded of Madison Pacific Trust – a successful, specialised provider of Corporate Trust services. David and his partners grew the business from two staff in Hong Kong, to a team of over 40, with offices in Hong Kong, Singapore, London and the Cayman Islands. Madison Pacific focused primarily on Debt Capital Markets and leveraged transactions more generally. In 2018 Madison Pacific was sold to Tricor Group, owned by Permira Funds.
Due to his background and experience, David was involved in a number of complicated inheritance and succession matters. These experiences motivated David to found Vest Advisory, together with Andy and Michael, to help other families avoid the same difficult, traumatic (and often expensive) scenarios he encountered during his time at Madison Pacific.
David returned to Australia in 2021 with his family which had, over the 20 years in Hong Kong, swelled to include 3 children (all of whom he is pleased to say are passionate Richmond supporters) and a dog named Dusty – for the obvious reason.
David has a BA and LLB (Hons) from Deakin University and is admitted to practice in both Australia and Hong Kong.
Andy Gowers
Andy applies learnings from the competitive worlds of elite team sport and business, to help Vest Advisory’s family and business owner clients with succession and inheritance advice.
After 12 years in the Australian Football League as a player with both the Hawthorn and Brisbane Football Clubs, yielding 140 games and a premiership in 1991 with the Hawks, Andy was appointed Hawthorn’s Director of Football, serving between 2014-2017, encompassing the famous ‘3-peat’ era.
In December 2022, Andy was elected President of the Hawthorn Football Club.
Andy completed a Bachelor of Business from David Syme Business School (Monash University) during his playing days, and later, a Diploma of Financial Services. He established Time Advice – a boutique financial services and wealth management business – in 2011, with a former ANZ Business Banking colleague. During this time, Andy worked closely with hundreds of individuals, families and businesses, as they navigated their wealth management and succession plans. The business was successfully sold in 2021.
Andy now specialises in succession and inheritance advice. He is a strong advocate for business and entrepreneurship, and a regular presenter and speaker at industry and sporting events. Andy enjoys his role as a trusted confidante, coach and mentor for many successful business owners and emerging leaders.
He is an avid golfer and cyclist, and is an ambassador for the Amy Gillett Foundation, Australia’s leading cyclist safety organisation. Andy has been a passionate supporter of FightMND for 10 years, and has served on committees and advisory groups for local sporting and community organisations.
Andy is married to Anna, has 3 adult children, Tom, Cate and Bill, and a grand-daughter Stella.
Catherine Gale
Catherine Gale is the Managing Director of Resolve Conflict Lawyers and Mediators, a boutique Melbourne based family law firm. Catherine graduated from the University of Melbourne Law School and is a Nationally accredited Mediator (NMAS) and accredited Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner (FDRP). Catherine has 40 years’ experience helping family law clients reach mutually acceptable solutions.
Catherine founded Resolve Conflict Family Lawyers & Mediators in 2008 to provide client focused outcomes in family law with an emphasis on amicable conflict resolution wherever possible.
The firm has grown to 11 lawyers plus support staff and is located in the heart of the legal precinct – Collins Street, Melbourne CBD.
In 2012 Catherine served as President of the Law Council of Australia being only the third woman to do so in the Law Council’s history. Catherine is also a former President of the Law Institute of Victoria and is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Catherine is the author of two books on family law, has extensive teaching experience within the profession both around Australia and Internationally and is a former lecturer at Monash University.
Juliet O’Brien
Juliet has over 20 years’ of wide-ranging experience working in the legal profession. Prior to joining Hall & Wilcox she worked at other large law firms in Melbourne and then as a senior in-house counsel at one of Australia’s largest corporations for several years, providing commercial, litigious and trade practices advice.
Juliet now specialises in helping clients work through and achieve their estate and succession planning goals.
Juliet is particularly interested in helping individuals, couples and families with their personal succession planning and providing advice to them as they navigate this process. This includes the preparation of Wills, powers of attorney, letters of wishes, preparing documents to deal with superannuation upon death and also the future control of their trusts. Juliet is focused on assisting her clients through what can often be a sensitive and challenging process.
Juliet also has experience working with vulnerable beneficiaries, whether because of a disability or some other form of vulnerability, particularly in relation to the establishment of special disability trusts.
Juliet has worked with a broad range of clients, from those with young families to some of Australia’s largest family groups, as well as business owners and people transitioning into retirement. Her experience at Hall & Wilcox, coupled with her own life experience in raising her own family has provided Juliet with a practical insight into a broad range of issues that can arise at all stages in life.
Damon Kitney
Damon Kitney has spent almost three decades in financial journalism, including 16 years at the AFR and 12 years as Victorian business editor at The Australian.
He specialises in writing the untold personal stories of the nation’s richest and most private people and now has his own writing and advisory business, DMK Publishing.
He has published three books – “The Price of Fortune: The Untold Story of being James Packer; “The Inner Sanctum”, and “The Fortune Tellers”.
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