Advertisement

10 minutes with… BDO Partner Daniella Biagi

Business Insight sat down with BDO Partner Daniella Biagi to hear about her career journey and why diversity and inclusion in the workplace is vital.

Oct 21, 2024, updated Oct 21, 2024
BDO Partner Daniella Biagi. Photo: Supplied.

BDO Partner Daniella Biagi. Photo: Supplied.

Tell me about your career so far and what areas you specialise in at BDO.

I started my accounting and tax career with a focus on the healthcare industry and later joined BDO in 2016. At BDO, I found a lot of energy and enthusiasm in providing advice to entrepreneurs, emerging businesses, fast-growing corporate groups, high-income and high-net-worth individuals and family groups. During this time, I was fortunate to be mentored with a lot of trust and opportunities which helped my career progression and brought me through to Partner.

Throughout my career, I have been involved in several high-profile, Australian-based and international projects of varying sizes, industries and degrees of complexity, including advising on start-ups, equity and debt raises, business sales, acquisitions and IPOs. I pride myself on being able to jump into a project at the grassroots level and guide it through different stages of significant growth, liquidity events and beyond. Many of my clients are very ambitious and/or serial entrepreneurs and I thrive in that environment.

What main services do you offer your clients in Adelaide?

BDO broadly provides audit, tax and advisory services. More specifically, I provide advisory, tax and accounting services to a range of different industries including technology, healthcare, property, professional services, private equity and not-for-profit.

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) account for a larger share of the economy in South Australia compared to Australia proportionately. I find this suits my niche here in SA, whereby I can take a personalised, more tailored approach to working with clients. Whilst I can and do provide ‘traditional’ accounting and taxation services, I tend to take more of a holistic and innovative approach to helping businesses and entrepreneurs, providing a range of services to support growth and M&A activity including growth advisory, strategic planning & mentoring, due-diligence and transaction-related advice, financial modelling, pricing and working capital considerations, applications for business finance, tax planning and structuring.

You’re a strong proponent of workplace inclusivity – why is that and what does that mean to you in practice?

I love this quote, which is attributed to Einstein: “If I were to remain silent, I’d be guilty of complicity.” It rings true for me, especially in practice. If I hadn’t started the diversity, equity and inclusion advocacy journey in my career – I would’ve felt as though I had turned my back on the younger version of myself – a young woman who had graduated from university but struggled to get a job due to her physical attributes. Furthermore, I would have turned my back on others who also experience discrimination in the workplace.

In my opinion, workplace inclusivity means celebrating authenticity and diversity; it means challenging your own and others’ biases, both conscious and subconscious, and engaging in an open, respectful manner to genuinely learn about others and all forms of diversity.

Inclusive education and advocacy have been a major focus for me in practice. Over the course of my career, I have always tried to integrate my social mission with my professional career. I am the former Chair of the Chartered Accountants Australia & New Zealand Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Panel; Board member of Julia Farr (Purple Orange); Treasurer on the board of InHousing; Member of the JFA Audit & Investment Committee & Co-Chair of the Road to Employment project – an initiative to help those living with disabilities/ points of difference gain meaningful employment in the accounting & finance industry, and greater community. I have been interviewed for national podcasts, news articles and speaking engagements on inclusivity in the workplace, most recently the Carlton Football Club and Purple Orange podcasts. In my view, this work is crucial in raising the profile and awareness of diversity, equity and inclusion in society.

What reform would you like to see in workplaces nationally to make them more accepting of all stripes?

Personally, I don’t have a hard or fast desire to see a specific reform or legislative change in the workplace around workplace inclusion. However, I do acknowledge there are excellent organisations advocating for this and that it is very important for enacting change in certain areas and circumstances.

InDaily in your inbox. The best local news every workday at lunch time.
By signing up, you agree to our User Agreement andPrivacy Policy & Cookie Statement. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

I would like to see something as simple as us, our entire workforce, show up to work each day and ask ourselves in our metaphorical mirror: “Am I truly embracing my authentic self and that of others – not only during the working day, but in all other aspects of life? What can I do to help someone else feel comfortable and confident in bringing their best self to the table?”. I think we’d all see a benefit from this, including a remarkable acceleration in reported rates of workplace inclusivity, recruitment, retention and economic output.

What’s your number one piece of advice for new entrepreneurs starting their first venture?

At an attitudinal level, curiosity is key. It’s ok to not know things and, more importantly, to ask questions. More often than not, you’ll find there are others wondering the same things as you. Things we tend to assume are obvious often aren’t, so take every opportunity to learn when you can and from others who have already navigated some of the ups and downs of the business world. One of the advantages of South Australia is that we are a well-networked state; somebody always knows somebody who can be of help. The earlier you build on your networks, the sooner you’ll have access to a toolkit of resources, including professional advice and better opportunities with clients, suppliers and other stakeholders.

At a business level, cash is key. Understanding your cash requirements at both a business and personal level can be integral to the success of your business. This includes understanding your pricing model and your business’ working capital profile (i.e. managing debtors, creditors, stock and payroll). This continues to be important as the business is scaling, and some very basic modelling around this in the early days can save a lot of pain and stress in the long run.

What are you most proud of from your time at BDO?

Undoubtedly, helping my clients transform their ambitions and goals into a reality is a great source of pride. There are times when a client may be going through a capital raise or exit and the heat during these times can be very confronting for an entrepreneur in their early days, at both a personal and professional level.

There are questions directed left, right and centre from lawyers, accountants, corporate advisors and other parties, which can feel extremely intrusive and there is a lot of pressure in getting these representations right. I love being able to support my clients through navigating these phases (both emotionally and professionally) to get the outcome they want. I guess it’s almost like being a PT and helping someone get through their last rep of a gruelling workout!

I also love the opportunity to mentor the next generation of leaders and advisers at BDO, helping embed inclusivity and authenticity in the tapestry of our future.

Daniella Biagi is also an InDaily 40 Under 40 alumnus.

Local News Matters
Advertisement
Copyright © 2025 InDaily.
All rights reserved.