Financial Planning Leadership Team - Medical

Simon Farmer

Managing Director, Walshs Financial Planning

Simon Farmer has been a Financial Adviser since 2001 and the Managing Director and founding partner of Walshs Financial Planning since 2006. Simon manages Walshs most senior financial planning clients and has a thorough understanding of all investment asset classes, superannuation, personal insurances and family trusts and business entities.

Simon is a regular speaker on financial matters for the Royal Australian College of Surgeons as well as various other medical associations. He has a Bachelor of Business, Advanced Diploma in Financial Planning, a Certified Financial Planner (CFP), an SMSF accredited adviser and a Cert IV in Mortgage Broking.

Matt Gellweiler

Director – Financial Planning

Matt is a Financial Adviser who has been providing both strategic and practical advice with Walshs since 2015. This has been primarily for medical practitioners, doctors in training, as well as consultants in the early stages of their specialisation. Matt provides advice across the areas of Property, Equities, Lending, Insurance, Superannuation and Salary Packaging. As well as providing specialist financial advice for his clients, Matt is also a qualified and actively practicing Mortgage Broker.

Matt holds a Bachelor of Commerce, an Advanced Diploma of Financial Planning and a Diploma in Finance and Mortgage Broking.

Peter Hodgson

Director – Financial Planning

Peter Hodgson is a Director and Financial Adviser at Walshs, having worked in the industry since 2013. He specializes in the financial planning needs of medical professionals in both public and private practice. Peter knows first-hand the journey of a medical professional, having seen his wife’s career progression from medical student to specialist. He prides himself on building long-term relationships with clients throughout their career as their trusted advisor. Peter regularly presents at financial educational events for RACS, QORA and medical schools across Queensland.

Peter holds a Master of Financial Planning, Bachelor of Business, Certificate IV in Finance and Mortgage Broking. He is a member of the Financial Planning Association of Australia and the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Peter provides specialist advice on asset structuring and progression, as well as individualised financial advice strategies to meet his clients’ objectives, including property, risk, superannuation, and investments.

Naomi Beggs

HR Manager

Naomi has been working at Walshs Practice since 2015 and has worked in a variety of divisions of the business. Naomi is passionate about ensuring all of the Walshs Team feel supported and have a positive experience working at Walshs. She does this by implementing her skills as a counsellor and drawing on her experience working at Walshs.

Naomi became HR Manager in 2022 and is an ACA Level 2 Counsellor, who holds a Master of Counselling and Bachelor of Behavioural Science (Psychology) from QUT.

Annabelle Clare

General Manager

Annabelle joined the administration team at Walshs in 2016 and has since worked in client services; personal assistant roles to Hugh Walsh and Stewart McLeod; as well as leading the administration team. Annabelle moved into the Practice Management role in 2019 where she works with the leadership team in facets of people and operations management.

Annabelle is passionate about people and business leadership, as well as ensuring the provision of excellence in client service for the clients of Walshs. She draws on her extensive knowledge in business operations as a previous business owner. Annabelle holds a Bachelor of Built Environment (Interior Design) from Queensland University of Technology, Cert IV in Business Management, Diploma of Business, and a Diploma of Leadership and Management. Annabelle commenced a Master of Business Administration in 2021 and became General Manager of Walshs in 2022.

Advice Team

Simon Farmer

Managing Director, Walshs Financial Planning

Simon Farmer has been a Financial Adviser since 2001 and the Managing Director and founding partner of Walshs Financial Planning since 2006. Simon manages Walshs most senior financial planning clients and has a thorough understanding of all investment asset classes, superannuation, personal insurances and family trusts and business entities.

Simon is a regular speaker on financial matters for the Royal Australian College of Surgeons as well as various other medical associations. He has a Bachelor of Business, Advanced Diploma in Financial Planning, a Certified Financial Planner (CFP), an SMSF accredited adviser and a Cert IV in Mortgage Broking.

Matt Gellweiler

Director – Financial Planning

Matt is a Financial Adviser who has been providing both strategic and practical advice with Walshs since 2015. This has been primarily for medical practitioners, doctors in training, as well as consultants in the early stages of their specialisation. Matt provides advice across the areas of Property, Equities, Lending, Insurance, Superannuation and Salary Packaging. As well as providing specialist financial advice for his clients, Matt is also a qualified and actively practicing Mortgage Broker.

Matt holds a Bachelor of Commerce, an Advanced Diploma of Financial Planning and a Diploma in Finance and Mortgage Broking.

Peter Hodgson

Director – Financial Planning

Peter Hodgson is a Director and Financial Adviser at Walshs, having worked in the industry since 2013. He specializes in the financial planning needs of medical professionals in both public and private practice. Peter knows first-hand the journey of a medical professional, having seen his wife’s career progression from medical student to specialist. He prides himself on building long-term relationships with clients throughout their career as their trusted advisor. Peter regularly presents at financial educational events for RACS, QORA and medical schools across Queensland.

Peter holds a Master of Financial Planning, Bachelor of Business, Certificate IV in Finance and Mortgage Broking. He is a member of the Financial Planning Association of Australia and the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Peter provides specialist advice on asset structuring and progression, as well as individualised financial advice strategies to meet his clients’ objectives, including property, risk, superannuation, and investments.

Daniel James

Financial Adviser

Daniel is a Financial Adviser at Walshs, having worked in the industry since 2015. He specialises in the financial planning needs of new and existing junior doctor clients to Walshs. Daniel provides advice on asset structuring and progression, as well as individualised financial advice to meet his clients’ objectives such as buying property, tailored personal insurance advice, superannuation, and investment strategies.

Daniel holds a Master of Financial Planning Degree, and a Certificate IV in Finance and Mortgage Broking.

Seton Samson

Financial Adviser

Seton is a Financial Adviser at Walshs, providing advice since 2017. He specialises in the financial planning needs of new and existing junior doctor clients to Walshs. Seton provides advice across the areas of cashflow, investment strategies, lending, salary packaging, insurance, and superannuation.
Seton is focussed on building long-term relationships in order to help his clients achieve their financial goals and feel more informed and confident with their decisions.
Seton holds a Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in accounting and finance, and a Graduate Diploma in Financial Planning.

Kirby Jamieson

Personal Risk Specialist Adviser

Kirby Jamieson is a Financial Adviser at Walshs, specialising in insurance advice. Kirby provides tailored personal insurance advice to a wide range of clients, with a focus on complex strategies. With more than nine years’ experience in the financial planning industry, Kirby leads a team of four dedicated insurance staff within the Walshs insurance division.

Kirby holds a Bachelor of Business, Advanced Diploma in Financial Planning, and has successfully completed the FASEA adviser exam.

Kelly Rooney

Advice and Compliance Specialist

Kelly joined the Paraplanning team at Walshs in 2022 with over 20 years of experience in the Financial Planning industry. Kelly brings her knowledge of compliance and passion for solutions to encourage an efficient and productive atmosphere.
Kelly holds a Graduate Diploma of Financial Planning.

Tyson Rech

Financial Adviser

Tyson has been working with Walshs since 2019 spending the first two years specialising in taxation for medical professionals. He has since transitioned to the financial planning division as a Financial Planner. Tyson is passionate about delivering great results for his clients and enjoys opportunities to connect with clients to drive great outcomes.

Tyson holds a Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in accounting and finance, a Bachelor of Business Management, majoring in marketing and a Graduate Diploma in Financial Planning.

Christian Carbone

Junior Paraplanner

Joining Walshs in 2023, Christian comes from a background as a financial planning assistant, where he handled the preparation of comprehensive financial planning advice support documentation and implemented insurance and investment advice
He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business (Finance) and IT (Information Systems) and aims to use his extensive advice implementation experience to benefit Walshs clients.

Lending Team

Donna Sutherland

Manager Walshs Mortgage Broking and Finance

Donna is the manager of the Walshs Mortgage Broking team, first starting with the firm in 2004. Donna is focused on helping clients find the best solution for their lending needs, from homes to medical practices.

Donna holds a Diploma of Finance and Mortgage Broking a Diploma of Financial Markets, a Graduate Certificate in Financial Planning, and a Certificate in Governance and Risk Management. Donna is a JP and an affiliated member of the Governance Institute of Australia.

Darole Evans

Mortgage Broker

Darole started as a Loan Manager with Walshs in 2022, he comes with 34 years’ experience in the Banking and Finance industry throughout Australia, with extensive experience in Consumer Banking and Commercial Banking throughout that time.
Darole holds a Diploma of Business, a Cert IV in Finance and Mortgage Broking and a Diploma of Finance and Mortgage Broking Management.
Darole has a customer focus and understanding to be able to assist customers with all their finance needs.

Karen Holmes

Mortgage Broker

Karen has worked in the mortgage and finance industry as a Mortgage Broker for the past 21 years and owned a mortgage brokering franchise for over 20 years. Karen’s success comes from putting her clients first, her passion is providing clients with the right lender and loan structure to best suit their needs.
Karen holds a Cert IV in mortgage brokering and a Diploma of Finance.

Grace Lee

Mortgage Broker

Grace has been working in Financial Services since 2003, holds Diploma of Finance and Mortgage Broking Management, Advanced Diploma of Marketing and a Bachelor of Literature and Foreign Languages. She has been looking after her clients with integrity and professionalism over 19 years. Her passion is to assist clients to find the most suitable lending solution using her broad industry knowledge and experiences.
Grace is a member of The Finance Brokers Association of Australia.

Carolyn Duffy

Lending Client Service Coordinator

Carolyn has been working at Walshs since 2017 and has over 20 years’ experience in administration. Carolyn is always willing to take on new roles and develop her skills to ensure our clients receive the best service possible. She is always able to assist the team with any questions or tasks, and is instrumental in ensuring the business runs smoothly.

Taylah Wetherspoon

Lending Client Service Coordinator

Taylah started with Walshs Financial Planning in December of 2022 as a Client Service Coordinator for the Lending Team. Taylah has work in the finance industry for just under 2 years, previously she comes from a background of management in the hospitality industry in which sparked her passion for an exceptional client experience.

Taylah has just begun her Cert IV in Finance & Mortgage Broking continuing to build on her knowledge in providing Clients with the appropriate lending solution and fulfilling their dreams of owning a home.

Tarni Underhill

Lending Client Service Coordinator

Tarni holds a Bachelor of Business where she majored in Human Resource Management and Marketing. Part of the Walshs team since 2019, Tarni has recently moved into our expanding Lending team where she is looks forward to assisting Walshs clients with their home, commercial and asset loan applications.

Insurance Team

Kirby Jamieson

Personal Risk Specialist Adviser

Kirby Jamieson is a financial advisor at Walshs, specialising in insurance advice. Kirby provides tailored personal insurance advice to a wide range of clients, with a focus on complex strategies. With more than nine years’ experience in the financial planning industry, Kirby leads a team of four dedicated insurance staff within the Walshs insurance division.

Kirby holds a Bachelor of Business, Advanced Diploma in Financial Planning, and has successfully completed the FASEA adviser exam.

Lynn Tan

Implementation and Retention Team Leader

With a Bachelor in Science - Pathology, along with her experience in the insurance sector, Lynn’s unique skillset allows her to understand and support our clients, providing them with a great insurance experience. Driven by attaining the best outcomes for Walshs clients, she takes pride in providing exceptional ongoing service, direction, and transparency throughout the process from preassessment, right through to claims.

Matt Ilot

Risk Service Officer

Matt joined Walshs in 2022 with over 14 years of experience in the financial services industry. Most recently ten Matt spent 10 years with BT/Westpac with the last 5 being in their Insurance Distribution team.

Luke Hallam

Client Service Coordinator

Luke has been working at Walshs as part of our insurance team since August 2022.
With a passion for learning and working in a collaborative team, he plans to continue to develop his skills to ensure Walshs clients are provided with the best service possible.

Salary Packaging Team

Keehly Peters

Salary Packaging Manager

Keehly has been working at Walshs since 2018 and stepped into the role of salary packaging manager in 2020.

She is always thinking of ways to improve processes to make them easier for clients to engage with our services and is passionate about positive client experiences.

Kai Halvorsen

Salary Packaging Assistant

Kai joined Walshs in 2022, bringing with her a decade of experience in customer service roles across multiple industries including knowledge in salary packaging. She has a passion for customer experience and always strives to provide friendly and efficient client interactions. Kai has a diploma in Entertainment Business Management and brings a keen attention to detail and an enthusiasm for knowledge growth into her role at Walshs.

Luanne Cowan

Salary Packaging Assistant

Luanne joined Walshs in 2023 to work in the Salary Packaging team. A passionate people person, Luanne strives to always maintain positive client relationships. She holds a Diploma in Applied Aesthetics from her time in the beauty industry and enjoys applying her client relationship building experience into her salary packaging role. Luanne looks forward to furthering her professional development with Walshs.

Investments Team

Tim McAllister

Investment Analyst

Tim McAllister has been with Walshs as an Investment Analyst since 2020. As an integral part of the financial planning and analysis team within the finance department he provides research and analysis for the Walshs Investment Committee, as well as actively reviewing our clients’ portfolios.
Tim graduated from The University of Queensland with a Bachelor of Advanced Finance and Economics (First Class Honours) in 2023.

Lynsey McDonald

Investment Administration Manager

Lynsey joined the Walshs team in 2023 as Investment Administration Manager. With over 18 years’ experience in banking and Financial Services. Lynsey has a passion for delivering high quality service to both her clients and team.

Keiha Harper

Investment Administration Assistant

Keiha started with Walshs Financial Planning in 2020 as an administrator for the Salary Packaging Team. Keiha has brought energy and enthusiasm to her role by focusing on her passions of client service.
Keiha has come from a background of management in the Hospitality industry and draws on her knowledge to provide an exceptional client experience.

Administration Team

Abbey Noakes

E.A. to Simon Farmer

Abbey joined the Walshs team in 2020 as Simon Farmer’s personal assistant. Abbey’s passion is client service and enjoys developing client relationships to ensure ongoing excellence in service for all clients.

Abbey draws on her vast experience from having worked in client service for over 9 years in a range of industries, where her focus was on great communication and providing an exceptional client experience. Abbey became Simon's Executive Assistant in 2022.

Ashleigh Kane

Client Service Co-Ordinator

Ashleigh joined Walshs in 2022. She has been in many roles that have relied heavily on organisation and has learnt how to use this to yield the best results for clients and customers. As Daniel James’ Client Service Co-Ordinator, she has paired her organisation with her willingness to learn to provide holistic care to his clients.

Lucy Gaul

P.A. to Matthew Gellweiler

Lucy started at Walshs in November 2021. Before starting at Walshs she has worked in a sales over 7 years where she learnt how to build and foster great customer relationships. Lucy has been able to bring these skills into her role as PA for Matthew Gellweiler to ensure a supportive client experience, and positive relationships are built.

Caitlin Hird

Client Service Co-Ordinator

Caitlin started at Walshs in December 2022 as Client Services Coordinator, primarily for Insurance Advice. Caitlin has worked in a variety of roles that has required her to communicate effectively with clients and organise busy schedules. Caitlin has an eye for detail and prides herself on efficiency in her work and providing the best experience for all clients.

Marissa Walsh

P.A. to Peter Hodgson

Marissa joined the team at Walshs in 2020 as Client Services Officer to Peter Hodgson. Marissa has over 8 years of experience in the customer service industry and has brought her high attention to detail and problem-solving skills to her role.

Louis Hughes

Client Service Coordinator

Louis joined the team at Walshs in 2023

Darcy Hardwick

Administration Assistant

Darcy joined the Walshs team in 2023 and is currently studying a Bachelor of Economics. With a passion for assisting clients and collaborating with team members to achieve successful outcomes, he plans to develop these even skills further in his role and is also relishing applying real world experience into his study.

Charlotte Watson

Receptionist & Client Concierge

Charlotte who prefers to be known as Charlie, joined the Walshs team in 2023 as the receptionist and client concierge for Walshs.
Charlie has a background in the childcare industry and has brought her bubbly, caring and people focused personality to the Walshs team. Charlie enjoys working at the front of the business, welcoming our clients and has learned quickly about the financial services industry where she now assists the Walshs team in various administrative and marketing tasks.

Andrea Finley

Marketing and Sponsorships Manager

Andrea joined the Walshs team in 2022 as Marketing Officer. With over 15 years experience in marketing, advertising and communications she takes pride in drafting creative marketing solutions. Andrea has diplomas in both media communication and hospitality and tourism and is driven by a love of writing. She has developed engaging content for newspapers, magazines, radio, television and online campaigns and enjoys building collaborative relationships and initiatives that benefit Walshs' clients.