Welcome
Acknowledgement of Country
We pay our respect to the people of the Kulin Nation and acknowledge their connection to the land on which we live and work. We recognise their continuing connection to lands, waters and communities, and the sustainable methods they have engrained into their practices for thousands of years.
A message from the Managing Partner
At Pitcher Partners Melbourne, care shapes every decision we make. For our clients, our people, our community, and our planet.
A defining moment for 2025 was creating our Climate Transition Action Plan (CTAP) and forming a dedicated Sustainability Working Group to drive our initiatives forward. Our CTAP provides a clear framework for reducing our environmental footprint and adapting to a changing climate. While we're reporting limited Scope 3 emissions, we have deepened our understanding of high impact suppliers so we can continue to progress this. We acknowledge more work remains to fully meet our objectives and strengthening this will be a key focus for 2026.
Our commitment extends beyond our own operations. This year we produced a Practical Guide to Sustainability Reporting to help clients navigate their obligations as Australia’s regulatory landscape evolves. As trusted advisors, we must lead by example and support transparent, reliable sustainability disclosure across the business community.
We’ve also grown our diversity, equity and inclusion efforts beyond events and activations to embedding the principles into our systems, policies and decision-making. Our gender pay gap improved, decreasing by 2.5% for median total remuneration and 5.9% for median base remuneration. The launch of our Parents and Carers Network and continued success of our Women’s Network demonstrate our commitment to fostering spaces where everyone can thrive. We also launched our Client Experience Enrichment platform, supporting personalised, proactive service that makes business truly personal.
Our community impact reached $1.26 million through donations, pro-bono advice, and volunteer time –reflecting our commitment to causes that matter to our people and community.
Our 2026 priorities include improving our emissions tracking to include more of our supply chain, identifying further reduction opportunities, and continuing to foster a culture and put in place programs for our people and our clients to grow and develop.
The journey toward sustainability is complex and evolving, but we remain committed to transparency, continuous improvement, and working alongside our clients as we navigate this transition together.
Brendan Britten
Brendan Britten Managing Partner, Melbourne
About Pitcher Partners
Since 1991, we’ve been helping businesses, families and individuals intelligently frame their goals and make the most of their potential.
Local knowledge, national footprint
Today, we’re one of the largest accounting, audit and business advisory associations in Australia, with offices in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Newcastle and Hunter, Perth and Sydney. Each firm has a unique character with a strong connection to the local community.
Pitcher Partners Melbourne has 1:
718 People 50 Partners
72 Directors 168 Managers
With 145 partners and 1,390 staff nationally, our association delivers the most personalised and responsive assurance and advisory services services in Australia.
Our global reach
Each Pitcher Partners firm is an independent member of Baker Tilly International, one of the world’s leading networks of independently owned and managed accountancy and business advisory firms. Through the Baker Tilly International network, we support our clients’ global operations and ambitions.
Baker Tilly International 2
50,400+ 3,905+ $6.8bn 147 People Partners Revenue
Baker Tilly International
Experts across a wide range of industry and business sectors, each Baker Tilly International member firm combines high-quality services and in-depth local knowledge.
Sharing knowledge and resources, our business approach brings together the power of the global network to deliver exceptional results to clients globally.
Head office in Docklands, Melbourne. Satellite offices in Melbourne’s southeast and Geelong.
About this review
We’re pleased to share our third annual Sustainability Review, covering the 2025 calendar year. We’re not required to report under the Australian Accounting Standards Board’s AASB S2 climate-related Disclosures, and this review isn’t aligned with the standard, however we have chosen to share our progress as we’re committed to our sustainability journey and supporting our clients in theirs. We also know it’s important to our people, and that as advisors to Australian businesses, we have a responsibility to lead by example.
Any questions?
Reach out if you have any questions about our 2025 Sustainability Review. info@pitcher.com.au
Why sustainability matters to us
What guides us
Our values – energy, care, courage, honesty and one firm – guide how we work every day. They shape our engagement with clients, our people, corporate partners and suppliers. And they’re central to our commitment to making a positive contribution to the environment, the community and the broader economic landscape.
Our values
Energy Care Courage Honesty
Find a way to make it happen Put people at the heart of everything we do
How we bring our values to life
With our clients
Clients are at the heart of Pitcher Partners. Our commitment to sustainable business practices aligns with our focus on long-term, transparent relationships. When we integrate sustainable practices into our operations, we learn what works and what doesn’t – insights we can share as our clients navigate their own sustainability journeys.
Make brave choices and challenge the status quo
Build trust and do what is right
One firm
Work and lead as one team
With our people
We know sustainability matters to our team. That’s why we foster a culture that embraces diversity that drives innovation and continuous improvement, encouraging everyone to contribute ideas and challenge us to do better.
Across our association
We work closely with our association firms to share best practices, resources and knowledge. Collaboration drives our sustainability initiatives across all member firms, and we learn from each other’s successes and challenges.
Our ESG focus areas
We measure our performance across three core areas using sustainability as a guiding principle for responsible business practices. We do this because we believe it’s fundamental to the long-term prosperity of our people, clients and community.
Ownership
Leadership,
Values, ethics, integrity and accountability
Data and cybersecurity
Our 2025 sustainability achievements
Contributed over $1.26m to charities and good causes through donations, pro-bono and low-bono professional advice, and volunteer time.
Implemented our Psychosocial Risk Prevention Plan translating regulatory requirements into practical, preventative controls across the firm.
Undertook training and implemented breach reporting under the Tax Agent Services (Code of Professional Conduct) Determination 2024
Launched our Client Experience Engagement platform, which will enable us to deliver a personalised experience and insights for clients, guides us to provide proactive client service and helps us make business personal and deliver a truly one firm experience.
Produced our Practical Guide to Sustainability Reporting , designed to provide our clients and the business community with practical information to navigate their sustainability reporting journey and transition to the next phase.
Launched our Parents and Carers Network to strengthen connection and peer support for our people with caring responsibilities, focusing on creating safe spaces for shared experiences, improving access to information and laying the foundations for practical supports.
Established our Climate Transition Action Plan and a Sustainability Working Group to drive the plan and firmwide sustainability initiatives forward.
Launched our ‘Eat, drink, rethink’ campaign to reduce the use of coffee cups and single use containers in our internal café, and plastic wrapping on snacks, saving approximately 4,000 coffee cups and lids and 200 plastic containers going to landfill since November 2025. The reduction in single use cups used has prevented 83.6kg of carbon dioxide being produced.
Social: our people, clients and community
Making business personal
Pitcher Partners believes business is more than just business. Everything we do is grounded in communication, collaboration, and genuine relationships. We’re here for frank, refreshing, informed discussions that lead to new ideas and better decisions.
This isn’t just our brand promise – it’s how we operate. And it starts with putting people first and building a culture that empowers growth and ambition, together.
Our culture pillars
A TEAM WITH HEART HERE FOR OUR CLIENTS
Here for our clients
We support clients through strong, long-term, personal relationships. Sharing in their successes and challenges. Building better relationships, better businesses and a better place to work together.
To achieve this, it’s important to work with clients whose values and ambitions align with ours. Growth-oriented entrepreneurs and family wealth creators who care about the future for the next generation. Accomplished middle market business owners and leaders driving value in our economy. These are the people who make a difference and create value for themselves, their customers, and their communities.
EMBRACING POSSIBILITY
Client story
JG King Homes is one of Victoria’s largest privately owned home builders, known for its steel frame innovation and long standing commitment to building safer, more energy efficient homes for Victorian families.
A family business at its core, the strong relationship between JG King and Pitcher Partners Melbourne is built on aligned values and a commitment to delivering quality products and services to clients and customers. This shared belief has seen the relationship grow into a decade long partnership fostered by accessibility, trust and care.
The relationship began with core financial reporting and compliance support but quickly evolved as JG King sought advisers who understood the pressures of a growing family business and could provide practical, timely guidance. Over time, Pitcher Partners has become a trusted sounding board for the business, supporting governance, tax, succession planning and personal financial matters for the King family.
What differentiates the relationship is responsiveness and connection. By working closely with JG King Homes and caring deeply about both the business and the family behind it, Pitcher Partners supports sustainable growth grounded in shared values, trust and respect — a partnership built to last.
How
we
create lasting client relationships
Our client acceptance process evaluates whether we can work well with a prospective client, meet their needs, and build an enduring relationship.
We actively consider our values and firm standards when selecting the clients and suppliers we choose to work with – those that maintain high operational standards, strong professional ethics, and value their people and customers.
We implement rigorous client acceptance and continuance processes to evaluate each engagement for fit and values alignment.
We hold ourselves accountable to delivering the highest level of client service. Our Framework for Client Service Excellence establishes clear standards and expectations for delivering exceptional client experiences. Key principles of the framework are to:
Our framework for client service excellence
Energy Care Courage Honesty One firm
I will be proactive, can-do, show a sense of urgency, and won’t put things off.
I will show I care by tailoring my style to each client’s uniqueness. I won’t avoid what’s uncomfortable. I will be proactively transparent, manage expectations, and be aware of my impact on others.
Supporting our clients in sustainability
I will leverage the power of our skills across all teams to create even greater value for clients.
As Australia continues its sustainability journey, so do our clients. As advisors, accountants and auditors, we have a responsibility to support this transition and drive best practice in financial disclosure.
How we’re supporting clients
• We’re closely monitoring the current mandatory climaterelated financial disclosures and emerging standards to ensure we’re across any future changes in legislation.
• We’re upskilling and educating our teams to understand the new requirements and the implications and impact on our clients.
• We provide timely, relevant insights and advice on changing ESG legislation and its business impacts through insights articles, client newsletters and events. Whether it’s investment advice, technical compliance support, or being a sounding board for good business decisions, we’re there to support our clients and their customers on their sustainability journey.
Our commitment to Responsible Investment
We offer a range of sustainable investment opportunities to clients through Pitcher Partners Investment Services Pty Ltd (AFSL 229887).
The Pitcher Partners Responsible Investment (PPRI) Charter clearly states our responsible investment commitment, which considers ESG factors in investment decisions and active stewardship.
Our RI commitment is backed by our membership of the Responsible Investment Association of Australasia (RIAA), with a further two of our Melbourne investment advisors having achieved individual RIAA certification in 2025, bringing the total to 11 certified financial advisors.
11 of our Melbourne investment advisors have achieved individual RIAA certification, which requires training, knowledge, and experience in advising clients about responsible investment.
A team with heart – caring for our people
Our people are the heart of our business. For long-term sustainable growth, our people need to continue thriving, growing and achieving with our clients. As a firm, we must provide the space, opportunity and support for them to achieve this.
Lead Your Way
Lead Your Way is the promise we make to our people to have a rewarding, fulfilling career, supported by a culture of care and collaboration.
It’s about matching our people’s passion with meaningful work, supporting flexibility, and investing in their development to help them achieve their goals.
Fostering a diverse, equal and inclusive environment
A sustained focus on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion helps us deliver on our employee value proposition and is essential in attracting and retaining talent that reflects the diversity of the communities in which we operate.
We’ve extended our DEI focus beyond events (though we still do those) to embedding DEI considerations into our systems, policies, and decision-making processes. In 2025 we updated our Diversity and Inclusion Policy and continued to progress our Diversity and Inclusion 2025 Workplan.
Our DEI Action Plan focus areas
Meeting mandatory obligations
Ensuring adherence to new and existing requirements including Workplace Gender Equality Agency reporting, Respect at Work legislation, and psychosocial safety obligations.
Continuing existing programs
Maintaining momentum on initiatives that are working, including our Mental Health First Aid program, flexible working arrangements, and parental leave support.
Strengthening our position
Taking deliberate steps to improve our performance on gender equity, create pathways for underrepresented groups, and build a genuinely inclusive culture where everyone can thrive.
Our commitment to gender equality
We’re dedicated to promoting gender equality across all levels of our organisation. Our DEI Action Plan outlines our commitment to:
• Equal opportunities: Ensuring all employees have equal access to opportunities for advancement and development.
• Inclusive recruitment: Implementing recruitment practices that encourage applications from underrepresented groups.
• Supportive environment: Creating a workplace culture that supports work-life balance and provides resources for career development.
• Regular monitoring: Annual monitoring and reporting on our progress towards gender equality goals.
Our gender pay gap
For the 2024–25 reporting period, our gender pay gap shifted positively. Compared to 2023–24 we achieved a decrease in the gender pay gap of 2.5% for median total remuneration, bringing it to 7.4%, and a 5.9% decrease in the gap for median base remuneration, reducing to 5%.
Our gender pay gap is primarily influenced by the distribution of roles within our workforce, with a greater number of men in senior roles and more women in administrative and analyst level roles.
It is not the result of unjustifiable pay inequities. We can confidently state this because we undertake regular, structured reviews to identify and address any potential gender–based pay disparities. These reviews occur at key points throughout the year.
We recognise the challenges in overcoming pay equity barriers and remain committed to remunerating our people fairly and equitably. At Pitcher Partners, equity is not just a principle we acknowledge – it is a commitment we act on, every day, through inclusive practices, fair opportunities and a culture built on care.
Our full WGEA employer statement is available on our website.
2025 achievements in DEI
We’ve achieved meaningful progress during 2025:
• Launched the Parents and Carers Network to strengthen connection and peer support for our people with caring responsibilities, including those preparing for, or returning from parental leave. In 2025, the network focused on creating safe spaces for shared experiences, improving access to information and laying the foundations for practical supports.
• Continued support for the Pitcher Partners Women’s Network, providing opportunities for women and gender diverse people to connect, collaborate and learn together. In 2025, the Network ran two rounds of their mentoring program and a schedule of events on financial confidence, career development and inclusive leadership. This included practical education on investing, conversations on career journeys and culture, and panel discussions highlighting leadership pathways and the importance of inclusion in the workplace.
• Delivered awareness-based cultural and inclusion activities across the year, including education aligned to key cultural and religious observances and opportunities for people to share lived experiences, supporting understanding and respect for diverse backgrounds.
• Continued our partnership with Pixii to provide free access to menstrual hygiene products in female and accessible bathrooms, supporting dignity, wellbeing and inclusion for people who menstruate. Through this partnership, we supported access to essential products while also contributing to broader social and environmental outcomes through sustainably sourced products and charitable impact.
Flexibility and balance that works for real life
Whether it’s studying, focusing on family or career development, our policies are designed to support our people’s professional and personal goals.
We’ve built our policies around a simple idea: our people have lives outside work, families to care for, beliefs to honour, ambitions to pursue. And we do our best work when we're working close to our clients, including at their sites, that's making business personal. That’s why we’ve designed flexibility into everything from where our people work, to when they choose to take their public holidays, to how they develop their career.
Our policies include: Work where you need to be, flexible working, public holiday swap, paid parental leave, domestic and family violence leave and study support.
By promoting and normalising a flexible working environment for all, we reduce barriers for those that need it, cultivating better, more inclusive, high-performing teams.
In 2025, we:
Reviewed the availability and uptake of flexible working arrangements
Reviewed and streamlined our leave policies
Reviewed and streamlined our study support policies
Strengthened our ongoing accreditation with Work180
Work180 endorsed employer
When a company is endorsed by Work180, it means they meet or exceed minimum criteria for paid parental leave and flexible working arrangements, and they’re genuinely committed to ongoing improvements in diversity, equity and inclusion.
Team member story
Minty McLennan joined Pitcher Partners in 2021 as a Content Specialist, progressing to a Senior Advisor in 2025.
As a person with a disability, the firm and her team were always quick to offer adjustments and provide flexibility to support Minty in finding work-life balance. This also included supporting her major passion outside of work, representing Australia in Paraclimbing. In 2025, Minty found herself managing major changes to the way her disability impacted her daily life. After discussions with her Manager and team Director, she felt confident to disclose her circumstances and take a career break, to chase some bucketlist goals while she could do so independently.
I spent 6 months solo travelling Europe and Asia, competing in climbing competitions and exploring different mountain crags all over the world. Living with a disability comes with a lot of unknowns but knowing I was supported by the firm to make the most of my capacity in the face of major changes, was an exceptional thing. Work-life balance goes beyond the week-to-week juggle of priorities – sometimes it means making big changes and asking for help to do that. Seeking the support to make those changes can feel challenging, but the extraordinary understanding from the firm and my team enabled both a memorable trip, and a secure future.
Minty McLennan Senior Advisor – Content and Communications
Investing in our people’s success
We believe success is better shared. And that means investing in the people who make it possible.
We’re deliberate about development, matching learning opportunities to where our people want to go in their careers, not just where we need them today.
Whether that’s technical training to stay ahead of legislative changes, leadership programs to bring out the best in people, or study support to earn a qualification, we’re backing our people’s ambitions. Because when they grow, our clients benefit from sharper thinking, deeper expertise, and fresh perspectives.
Professional development
29 sessions
451 total attendees
377 unique individuals
Providing our people with the skills and capabilities needed to perform roles well and keep skills up to date with rapidly moving industry trends.
Launched LinkedIn Learning across the entire firm in October 2025 empowering our people to access on demand learning as needed.
Technical training
30 sessions
437 attendees
Keeping our people up to date with the latest legislation and technical skills, often delivered by experts from leading technical bodies such as CAANZ and the ATO.
Study support
85 individuals (CA and CPA only)
Supporting our teams to build technical skills and accreditations useful in building a solid foundation of knowledge for a career at Pitcher Partners and beyond.
Leadership programs
4 cohorts
3 programs
69 total attendees
Building skills and capabilities to lead with impact through a series of learning labs, peer coaching and immersive experiences.
Student career programs
22 Spark interns
58 Ignite graduates
Enabling aspiring professionals to experience the diverse range of career pathways that can only be found in a leading full service accounting and business advisory firm.
Fostering a feedback culture
We run regular employee engagement surveys to gather feedback on our organisational culture, strategies and systems. This feedback helps us decide the next actions to take in building the best workplace for the firm and our people.
The survey demonstrated strong outcomes across factors relating to management, learning and development, work-life blend and workload, teamwork, leadership and wellbeing.
But there’s always room for improvement, so we implemented a range of initiatives focused on enhancing leadership and strategic clarity, embedding more consistent and meaningful performance feedback and recognition, improving workload management and resource planning, and fostering stronger team connection and collaboration.
88%
I would recommend Pitcher Partners as a great place to work
76%
We are genuinely supported if we choose to make use of flexible working arrangements
GRADUATE EMPLOYER RECOGNITION 2025
*91% participation.
82%
The firm values diversity and inclusion 78%
I feel like I belong at Pitcher Partners
AAGE Top Graduate and Top Intern Employer 2025 – Medium Sized Programs As determined by graduates and interns themselves.
GradConnection Top Graduate Employer 2025
Ranked by user behaviour on the GradConnection website.
Health and wellbeing: care in action
Ensuring our people feel safe at work is critical to helping them thrive.
We’ve moved beyond health and safety compliance to proactively creating a culture where people can bring their whole selves to work. That means addressing not just physical safety, but psychological safety too – managing workload pressures, supporting people through difficult times, and building a workplace where asking for help is normal, not exceptional.
From wellbeing to thriving
Our Wellbeing Program Action Plan for 2025 continued the good work of previous years and means we’re well placed to respond to evolving expectations and obligations to create a safe, respectful and equitable workplace.
In 2025, we delivered a significant program of work for wellbeing across our Melbourne firm through three wellbeing pillars –care, connect and thrive.
We continue to maintain a comprehensive focus on occupational health and safety to provide a safe work environment that minimises the risk of injury, illness and health and safety incidents.
Mental health remains a core priority through our Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) Program, which saw an additional 35 people complete MHFA training, bringing our total accredited MHFAiders to 138 across the firm. This was complemented by our Employee Assistance Program and a coordinated program of mental health and wellbeing activities aligned to key awareness periods and focused on building practical skills, encouraging open conversation and fostering connection.
We also continued to offer a broad range of wellbeing benefits beyond remuneration, supporting our people at different stages of life including on site health services, transport support and a range of employee discounts and partnerships.
Our key 2025 achievements
Governance and integration
Strengthened OH&S governance by integrating mental health, wellbeing and psychosocial considerations within broader people and safety frameworks, supporting a more coordinated and sustainable approach.
Psychosocial Risk Prevention Plan
We implemented our Psychosocial Risk Prevention Plan that translated regulatory requirements into practical, preventative controls across the firm. Key achievements included firmwide workplace behaviour training, strengthening manager capability through effective feedback and performance processes, and remote working checklist to support healthy home workspaces and deeper insights through the engagement survey and psychosocial focus groups.
Making a positive impact in our community
We’re committed to supporting organisations and initiatives that care for the people, places and communities close to our hearts.
Pitcher Partners Melbourne provides charitable contributions to the equivalent of $1 for every hour worked by our people. We focus on providing access to education, shelter, food and other support for disadvantaged members of our community.
$889,000
Sharing our expertise at no or low cost with organisations doing great work
Providing financial support and essential supplies for those in need, raised through office events or direct contributions from our people, partners and clients
Lending a helping hand to worthy organisations and causes, during paid work hours Educational support
$50,000
Providing scholarships for the next generation, for those facing hardship
Meals with Impact
Support provided: pro bono professional services
Meals with Impact is a social enterprise that exists to empower women from migrant and refugee backgrounds by creating opportunities for employment and connection, while providing food relief to local communities.
Pitcher Partners has played a pivotal role in the growth and success of Meals with Impact Foundation. Their team is consistently accessible, whether at Partner level or through service providers with no enquiry ever too small. Their strategic guidance has been instrumental, and it’s fair to say we may not exist today without their support. Beyond professional services, they actively engage with our mission through catering and volunteer programs, demonstrating a genuine commitment to social impact.
Harris Ryan Managing Director – Meals with Impact
Community partner
Giant Steps
Support provided: employment and skills building program
Giant Steps was established to bring world best practice in the education and support of children with autism to Australia. Their schools provide a transdisciplinary approach to education combining music, occupational and speech therapy, while their Adult Autism Services provide adults with a relevant and engaging learning and recreational postschool environment.
Pitcher Partners partnership with Giant Steps Melbourne has empowered young autistic adults through meaningful employment and skill-building opportunities. Their inclusive approach, openness to learning, and commitment to collaboration have created a supportive environment where our participants thrive, working in the Pitcher Partners Hub Café, gaining confidence, and becoming valued team members. This rich collaboration will be showcased globally at the Asia Pacific Autism Conference in Perth, celebrating our joint success in creating enduring workplaces for individuals on the autism spectrum with complex needs. Raising the bar on inclusion, purpose, and impact, setting a powerful example for corporate Australia and beyond.
Davina Bate Principal – Giant Steps Melbourne Community partner
Property Industry Foundation
Support provided: volunteer time
Pitcher Partners supported the Property Industry Foundation’s Steps for Homeless Youth with volunteers helping out with planning and logistics on the day, and people raising funds and taking part in the event.
Steps brought together over 680 participants to walk or run laps around Albert Park Lake. As a member of PIF’s Future Leaders Committee, I helped with organising the event, as well as volunteering on the day assisting with registrations and raffle ticket sales. In the weeks before the event, we had a number of staff sign up to the Pitcher Partners team and fundraise. It was fantastic to see our people on the day, and especially exciting when one of our team members placed third in the 10km run! It was a great opportunity to connect with like-minded people and contribute to a cause that makes a real difference.
I am grateful to be supported by Pitcher Partners and that my volunteering efforts go towards initiatives which make a real impact. Supporting PIF means helping young people find stability and safety, and I am proud to be part of that.
Brigette Jones Practice Manager – Tax Advisory
Community partner
Environment: managing our impact
Understanding our impact
As a professional services firm, we recognise the impact we have on the environment and are proactive in finding ways to reduce it.
Since 2023, we’ve been measuring our emissions with increasing accuracy. Working with environmental consultants, we’ve expanded our emissions reporting from straightforward data (such as office electricity) to more complex sources (including business travel and employee commuting). Over time, as both our, and Australia’s approach to reporting matures, we plan to capture and report on emissions within our supply chain as part of our Scope 3 emissions. As our understanding grows, so too does our ability to influence and reduce our emissions.
In 2024, to drive this work forward, we committed to publishing a Climate Transition Action Plan (CTAP) and establishing a Sustainability Working Group to pursue new initiatives, both of which we achieved in 2025.
Sustainability Working Group
Jack Mackintosh Chair
Toni Wilson Member
Edward McKindlay Member
Reporting period and boundary
Kristian Lawson Member
Denny Joeng Member
Patsy Mullen Member
Rahel Lumbantobing Member
Our GHG emissions inventory is based on an ‘operational control’ approach. This means it includes all offices and activities within the operational control of Pitcher Partners Melbourne during the 2025 calendar year.
We’ve included Scope 1, 2 and limited Scope 3 emissions in our report. This aligns with our commitment to expanding our Scope 3 data collection and introducing these emissions into our reporting where they’re applicable to us and represent a material source of emissions.
Scope 1
Direct emissions that are generated by sources owned or controlled by us.
Scope 2
Indirect emissions resulting from the generation of purchased electricity, steam, heating or cooling.
Scope 3
All other indirect emissions that occur in our value chain, e.g. employee commuting and purchased goods and services.
Scope 3
Purchased goods and services
and
activities (not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2)
Upstream
Downstream
Processing of sold products
Use of sold products
End-of-life treatment of sold products Downstream leased assets
Notes on our emissions inventory
The GHG emissions inventory was based on the GHG Protocol Corporate Standard (Revised Edition) requirements and the Australian National Greenhouse Accounts (NGA) Factors (2025).
Scope 1 emissions: There are three potential sources of Scope 1 emissions – stationary combustion emissions, fugitive emissions and mobile combustion emissions. The work we do doesn’t involve activities that generate stationary combustion or mobile combustion emissions, so these categories aren’t applicable in our inventory. Fugitive emissions, which can include emissions from refrigerant use in office fridges and air-conditioning, were determined to be immaterial for our inventory, so we’ve omitted them.
Scope 2 emissions: These emissions can be reported using either a location-based methodology or a marketbased methodology. We selected the location-based method because we didn’t have any active renewable energy purchasing agreements within that reporting period. Electricity invoices for Pitcher Partners Melbourne offices were collected for the 2025 period, and NGA Factors for the Victorian electricity grid were applied. Direct electricity data covering almost all our Melbourne operations was available, however where actual data wasn’t available, estimations were calculated based on square metres occupied following GHG Protocol best practice.
Scope 3 emissions: A materiality assessment of GHG Protocol Scope 3 categories was undertaken, and we identified Purchased Goods and Services, Fuel and Energy-Related Activities (not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2), Business Travel and Employee Commuting as material to our operations.
We have considered waste generated from operations during the period. We were not able to source sufficient data to appropriately quantify, or assess its materiality.
Data for Fuel and energy-related activities (not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2) was drawn from electricity invoice data, and NGA Factors for Scope 3 emissions associated with the Victorian electricity grid were applied.
For Business Travel, data was collected from our corporate travel agent and employee reimbursements, and relevant emissions factors were applied. Flight emissions were calculated by our corporate travel agent using a calculation method based on the GHG Protocol. Any additional flights where detailed emissions calculations weren’t available had relevant emissions factors applied to their cost. For Employee Commuting, a survey of employee commuting distances and transport modes was completed in February 2026. Data from respondents was extrapolated based on typical office occupancy, and emissions factors based on kgCO2-e/km travelled were applied to estimate total employee commuting emissions.
Purchased goods and services has been excluded from 2025 estimates. We have assessed purchased goods and services as material and are working on expanding our data collection practices so we can include accurate emissions data for this category in future. Rather than placing a broad-brush stroke emissions factor on this category, we are using this as an opportunity to design better processes for data collection to better capture and reflect our environmental impacts.
Our 2025 emissions were comparable to 2024 levels. These emissions are primarily attributable to business travel and employee commuting, which are essential to fulfilling our commitment to making business personal.
Reducing our footprint
Resource use
Less is more. We’re committed to reducing the use of paper, water and electricity and the generation of waste.
Efficient and well-located offices
Our office activities and staff commuting are two of the key contributors to our overall emissions and GHG footprint. Our offices were selected based on location, amenities and environmental factors, with all offices occupied in 2025 rated for their energy use, with at least a five-star rating (out of a possible six stars) on the National Australian Built Environment Rating System (NABERS). NABERS rates the environmental performance (energy, water, waste, indoor environment) of Australian buildings and tenancies, using a star rating from 1 to 6 to show efficiency.
Our satellite offices in Scoresby and Geelong help our people and clients reduce their commutes and carbon footprints.
664 Collins Street, Docklands 42 Lakeview Drive, Scoresby 60 Moorabool Street, Geelong
NABERS Energy NABERS Water
Key environmental factors:
• One of the largest solar panel banks in the Melbourne CBD
• Directly adjacent to Southern Cross Station for easy commuting
NABERS Energy
Key environmental factors:
• Award winning garden scape with shaded lounge areas
• Conveniently located near our clients and people in SE Melbourne to shorten commute times
NABERS Energy NABERS Waste NABERS Water
Key environmental factors:
• Excellent connectivity to Melbourne via public transport, with Geelong station an easy 10-minute walk from the office
Office waste reduction
We’re committed to driving down the waste generated in our offices and finding new ways to recycle.
We help manage our waste through an in-office recycling program. We do not use single-use plastics in our offices, and we partner with local charities to minimise food waste through donations. Coffee grounds from our in-house café are provided to Reground who redistribute to the community for home gardeners, community gardens and Melbourne Zoo, contributing to soil health and ecological resilience while supporting local gardeners to grow healthy food.
Our Reground Stats for 2025:
3,040kg coffee diverted from waste
5,776kg of emissions avoided
We also launched our ‘eat, drink, rethink’ campaign to reduce use of single use coffee cups, plastic containers and plastic food wrapping. Since November, through this program we’ve saved approx. 4,000 coffee cups and lids, 200 plastic containers and 5,000 plastic food wrappers going to landfill. The reduction in single use cups alone has prevented 83.6kg of carbon dioxide being produced. Our catering team has stretched this further and has eliminated the use of single use plastic condiment containers and replaced them with glass bottles.
Our paperless office approach and preference for sharing documents digitally via our shared digital workspace ‘MyPitcher’ has seen us sustain a 70%+ reduction in printing.
664 Collins Printers 3,945,609 prints
* Comparison period includes March 2019 to February 2020.
** 2024 period includes January to December 2024.
*** 2025 period includes January to December 2025.
Our Climate Transition Action Plan
Our sustainability reports highlight where we’re doing well and help us identify where we have more work to do.
Based on our current and previous sustainability reporting, we have charted a high-level process to measure, report and reduce our carbon footprint. This forms the foundation of a CTAP for our firm, which will evolve into a roadmap towards reducing GHG emissions and adapting to a changing climate. Our CTAP helps us focus our efforts on what matters and showcases to our clients and people how Pitcher Partners Melbourne is supporting Australia’s climate-related financial reporting goals.
A CTAP has multiple components that help a firm create a credible transition plan to contribute to a low carbon, climate resilient economy.
The Climate Transition Action Plan structure
Our current focus:
We are currently focused on:
• Assessment and baseline setting: extending our assessment of emissions to Scope 3 and setting a baseline for our emissions
• Tracking progress: ensuring more complete data coverage
We are addressing key components of our CTAP to meet current and future responsibilities and support our clients as they too go on this journey. Our approach to sustainability is aligned to our strategic objectives, focusing our efforts where they will deliver the greatest impact.
Our CTAP priorities
While Pitcher Partners isn’t currently required to report under the climate related financial disclosures we’re taking a proactive approach. It aligns with our values as an organisation, fosters transparency, and allows us to share our journey around climate-related governance, strategy, risk management, metrics and targets with our people, clients and community.
We acknowledge we’ll identify potential challenges along the way and are committed to developing solutions to improve, but we’re dedicated to the journey and sharing our experiences as we look toward the future.
Commitment
Sustainability governance
Build sustainability into the scope of all committees across the Melbourne firm.
CTAP
Finalise a CTAP with timelines and responsibilities.
Sustainability Working Group
Establish a working group to identify new sustainability initiatives and drive our CTAP.
Scope 3 emissions measurement
Improve our GHG emissions data collection to enable more accurate Scope 3 emissions data. Work toward establishing an appropriate baseline to measure improvement against.
Supply chain emissions
Identify and engage top suppliers to understand material emissions in Scope 3 purchased goods and services category.
Renewable energy procurement
Explore energy procurement arrangements for opportunities to transition to green power, or explore Renewable Energy Certifications (RECs).
FY25 progress
We had planned to expand and formalise Scope 3 emissions reporting (particularly Purchased Goods and Services) and to explore renewable energy options at our offices. While we’ve improved our data collection, deepened our understanding of the suppliers most likely to impact our emissions and investigated renewable energy options, we haven’t fully met our objectives. Strengthening this work will be a focus for 2026.
Governance: compliance, integrity and trust
Good governance is at our core
Good governance for sustainability is anchored in good governance overall. Our approach to governance encompasses transparent decision-making, accountability and continuous improvement.
We are committed to embedding sustainability into every aspect of our operations, starting with ensuring our sustainability initiatives align with our strategic goals and reflect our dedication to ethical and responsible business conduct.
How we’re structured
Pitcher Partners Melbourne is an independent accounting firm operating as a partnership. A wide range of services are provided through the partnership and related entities, including trusts and trustee companies.
General tax consulting, compliance and advisory services are offered through Pitcher Partners Advisors Proprietary Limited, while audit and insolvency work is managed under the partnership. Most practice areas, such as Investment Services and Corporate Finance, deliver services through trustee company entities.
National Association
Pitcher Partners Melbourne is a member of the national Association of Pitcher Partners firms.
Pitcher Partners association firms, while separate legal entities, share aligned values and culture, and coordinate through national committees that set standards, manage risk, and ensure quality across all firms.
Membership to the national Association doesn’t make any firm responsible for activities conducted by another member firm.
Pitcher Partners Melbourne
Established in 1991, Pitcher Partners is an established and respected professional accounting practice based in Melbourne.
Today, we provide a range of accounting and business advisory services including, but not limited to, compliance accounting, general business advice, tax advisory, superannuation, insolvency, corporate finance, digital and data solutions, credit and lending services.
Services may be provided to clients from across Australia or overseas, however are predominantly provided to privately owned businesses, high net worth families and individuals, and not-for-profit organisations from across Victoria.
Key governance bodies
National Risk and Quality Committee
The National Risk and Quality Committee develop and maintain our National Risk Management Framework and National Quality Management Manual, as well as the design and implementation of the System of Quality Management across the network.
Melbourne Risk Committee
The Risk Committee in Pitcher Partners Melbourne is responsible for implementing our Risk Management Framework in alignment with APES 325 Risk Management for Firms. This framework enables us to meet our public interest obligations and business objectives and is a vital component of our strategic and operational policies and practices, aimed at minimising practice risk.
Members as at 31 December 2025
Kylee Byrne Chair Partner
Andrew Clugston Member Partner
Geoff Gray Member Chief Risk and Compliance Officer
Denise Honey Member Partner
Our risk management system
Brendan Britten Member Managing Partner
Paul Toner Member Partner
Christine Fleer Independent Member Partner – Arnold Bloch Leibler
By managing risk through our System of Quality Management, guided by the National Quality Management Manual, we’re maximising opportunities for growth, stability and success and minimising potential damage to the firm.
Quality and ethics: the foundations of trust
As industry professionals, ethical operations are fundamental to maintaining integrity and objectivity.
Our people adhere to the required professional ethical standards as prescribed by membership to professional bodies, as well as those set out by industry regulatory bodies. This includes, but isn’t limited to, the Accounting Professional & Ethical Standards Board (APESB), Tax Practitioners Board (TPB), Australian Tax Office (ATO) and the Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC).
Memberships
Most of our partners and client facing employees have memberships with recognised professional bodies, including:
• Responsible Investment Association Australasia (RIAA)
• Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CAANZ)
• CPA Australia
• Financial Advice Association Australia (FAAA)
Achieving quality outcomes for clients
• Australian Restructuring Insolvency and Turnaround Association (ARITA)
• Chartered Financial Analyst Institute (CFA)
• Law Institute of Victoria (LIV)
The internal National Audit Review Panel (NARP) oversees quality management for audit and assurance services across all Pitcher Partners firms nationally, ensuring we maintain high standards in assurance engagement performance, and meet evolving standards including sustainability and mandatory climate reporting assurance.
NARP assesses, develops and monitors the firm’s policies and procedures relating to the System of Quality Management for assurance engagements. These policies and procedures are documented in the Pitcher Partners National Quality Management Manual which covers leadership responsibilities for quality, ethical requirements including independence, acceptance and continuance of clients and engagements, resources, information and communication and engagement performance.
Our Melbourne Director of Independence and Quality oversees controls, monitors compliance, coordinates inspections, and reports outcomes.
External oversight keeps us accountable
Our audit practices may be reviewed by ASIC, CAANZ, CPA Australia, PCAOB, and Baker Tilly International.
Ethical decisions and actions
Speaking up – NOCLAR
An important part of our System of Quality Management, and our National Quality Management Manual is our approach to Non-Compliance with Laws and Regulations (NOCLAR). This comprehensive framework provides clear and actionable guidance to our people requiring them to act in the public interest when encountering or suspecting non-compliance. All employees are encouraged to speak up if client or internal ethical issues, misconduct, criminal offences, fraud or concealment of any of these, is observed. Our OKtoSAY Whistleblower program includes an external independent hotline to enable employees, their family and suppliers to report matters confidentially.
Ethical procurement
Our values and ethical considerations are taken into account in our procurement decisions.
We take our Modern Slavery Act 2018 responsibilities seriously, assessing and documenting supply chain risks and producing a Modern Slavery Statement each year. Our finance team monitors suppliers’ adherence to modern slavery standards, with remedial action taken when necessary.
Partnership diversity
Pitcher Partners Melbourne is committed to gender equality as a cornerstone of our success and sustainability.
We believe that diverse and inclusive leadership drives better decision-making, reflects the communities we serve, and creates more resilient organisations.
We acknowledge the present gender distribution within our Partnership isn’t balanced. So, we’re taking deliberate steps and implementing specific development strategies to strive for improved gender parity.
This is a journey, and one we’re proud to be on.
Data and cybersecurity
Pitcher Partners is dedicated to safeguarding our organisation and data against cybersecurity threats. With the cybersecurity landscape evolving rapidly, we make significant and ongoing investments to protect our organisation and our clients.
We’re working towards ISO27001 certification, the international standard for Information Security Management Systems. And have comprehensive controls including mandatory multifactor authentication, 24/7 network monitoring, regular penetration testing, and encryption protocols.
Plans and procedures have been established to manage the response to potential cybersecurity incidents. And policies governing the use and protection of IT systems and data are documented and communicated to our people.
Our Risk Committee receives regular reporting on cybersecurity risks and incidents.
Continuing good governance
In 2025 we continued our focus on governance structure, risk management, ethical values, and security protocols. We continued to offer a whistle-blower hotline, monitor for modern slavery in our procurement processes and publish an annual Modern Slavery Statement.
We also undertook training and implemented breach reporting under the Tax Agent Services (Code of Professional Conduct) Determination 2024. We continued to maintain our Systems of Quality Management (ASQM 1 and APES 320 Quality Management for Firms that provide Non-Assurance Services) across all practice areas including undertaking engagement inspections of all partner practitioners over a two-year cycle. Client-acceptance and continuance processes were strengthened and refined and are actively monitored and reported to the Risk Committee. The Risk Committee plays an important and active role in identifying evolving areas of risk and the criteria (including safeguards) under which we may engage.
In late 2025 we began to develop an anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing (AML/CTF) program after the release of Tranche 2 of the legislation. The revised legislation extends to certain designated services provided by accounting firms. Completing this work will be a strong focus of 2026, ahead of the implementation deadline of 30 June 2026.
Additional areas of focus included the security of our premises, cybersecurity and the usage and governance of Artificial Intelligence across our firm. Data retention and destruction remain an important focus as we manage and protect our client data and in 2026 we expect further refinements to our data retention and destruction policies and processes.
What’s next
Sustainability is personal
We are proud of the progress we’ve made in 2025 and are pleased to share our achievements with you.
The incoming Australian climate compliance requirements are ushering in a new landscape of climate reporting across our economy. While we recognise the uncertainty of regulatory requirements, we remain committed to our, and our clients’, journey to a more sustainable future.
Looking to the future, we’ll be taking our sustainability efforts to the next level with initiatives including:
• Continue to analyse and improve our data collection for Scope 3 emissions, including understanding emissions arising from our purchased goods and services.
• Work toward establishing an appropriate baseline to measure improvement against.
• Identifying further initiatives to reduce our Scope 2 and 3 emissions.
• Where carbon emissions are currently difficult to avoid, we will consider using high-quality carbon offsets, renewable energy certificates or similar instruments to manage our impact.
• Implementing new processes to comply with our obligations under Tranche 2 of the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act.
We believe that by making business personal we can work together with our clients to solve both their business problems and help them work toward their sustainability goals. That by supporting our diverse and inclusive team we can provide the best possible client service. And that by taking our own environmental impact seriously, we can support those around us to achieve the same.
An invitation
This is our third Sustainability Update, and we hope it gives you a clear picture of our progress, our challenges, and our commitments going forward.
If you’re one of our clients navigating your own sustainability transition, we’d love to hear about your experience. What’s working? What’s harder than you expected? How can we better support you?
If you’re one of our people, your ideas and feedback drive our progress. If you see opportunities for us to do better – whether it’s on emissions, equity, or community impact – please share them.
If you’re considering joining Pitcher Partners Melbourne, we hope this review gives you insight into our culture and values in action. Sustainability isn’t a side project for us – it’s woven into how we work and who we are.
And if you’re reading this because you’re interested in sustainability in professional services more broadly, we’re happy to share what we’re learning. We’re not experts, we’re fellow travellers on this journey.
Let’s keep the conversation going.
Brendan Britten
Managing Partner
p +61 3 8610 5279
e brendan.britten@pitcher.com.au
Nick Bull
Deputy Managing Partner
p +61 3 8610 5287
e nick.bull@pitcher.com.au
Kylee Byrne
Partner in Charge, Business Advisory and Assurance
p +61 3 8610 5292
e kylee.byrne@pitcher.com.au
Jack Mackintosh
Client Director, Business Advisory and Assurance
p +61 3 8610 5596
e jack.mackintosh@pitcher.com.au