Meet the Team

Meet Advantage One’s team of accountants, business advisors and financial coaches.

Grant Hodgins

CFP Dip FP, Dip SM, Director

Grant was born into the financial service industry and eats and breathes all things related to financial planning, so coaching in this industry comes very naturally to him. He cut his teeth at NAB developing strong verbal and written communication skills while at the same time learning the value of money and building wealth strategies.

Connect with Grant on LinkedIn.

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 Areas of Practice:

  • Financial Planning
  • Superannuation & Retirement Strategies
  • Personal & Business Life Insurance
  • Centrelink Qualification
  • Private Wealth Creation Strategies
  • Debt Management
  • Estate Planning

He has proven skills in the areas of:

  • Financial Planning Strategies
  • Aged Care accredited advisor
  • Pre Retirement & Retirement Planning
  • Centrelink Qualification
  • Private Wealth Creation
  • Life Insurance
  • Self Managed Superannuation Funds

Grant prides himself on having the gift of the gab and developing strong client bonds. His coaching style lends to leaving no stone unturned and has a remarkable way of reading the lie of the land and formulating innovative and tailored game plan solutions and gets his message across to all clients in an easy to understand sort of way.

Along with an ever-increasing list of credentials, he has recently become one of Adelaide’s few accredited Aged Care advisors.

If we are talking all things sport, then Grant could be your detailed coach if it comes to football as he is an avid Crows fan and in the local league (SANFL) an Eagles fan. He lives and breaths sport and family and is a mad ‘Man U ‘ follower.

Don Blackwell

BEc (Acc), CPA, Director

Don loves getting amongst the detail and delving behind the numbers. His coaching style is one that is supportive and extremely detailed and offers great advice in the areas of taxation, commercial planning and business services; and he enjoys the challenge of blending compliance obligations with assisting businesses to achieve their commercial goals.

Connect with Don on LinkedIn.

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Areas of Practice:

  •  Accounting and Taxation
  •  Superannuation and Retirement Strategies
  •  Business Performance Improvement Strategies

Industry Expertise:

  •  International Tax
  •  Wholesale/Light Industrial
  •  Health Service Industry
  •  Property/Real Estate
  •  Primary Production

Don is very personable and thrives in the medical practitioners, retailing, light industrial, primary production, real estate, hospitality and labour-hire spaces.

Don gives back to the Community in a couple of unique ways. He provides his brand of advice in an honorary capacity sitting on the Board of a community water supply co-operative. He also puts out other fires quite literally. Don is an active member of the CFS and is called on from time to time to fight fires in the Adelaide Hills.

Don’s other outside hobby obsessions relate to cycling and lycra and recently travelled to France to experience and test his skills on parts of the Tour de France course. And like all of the other A1 coaches loves a great red wine!

Tony Martin

FCPA, Senior Consultant

Tony’s coaching is more of a pragmatic style with a practical innovative bent. He has a disdain for unnecessary regulation and red tape and is often able to articulate the big picture concept and creative pathway for success. He delves behind the stats and numbers and analyses how game plans can be improved.

Connect with Tony on LinkedIn.

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Areas of Practice:

  • Corporate Governance and Strategic Planning
  • Taxation
  • Business Management Advice
  • Estate Planning
  • Superannuation Strategies
  • Succession and Exit Planning (including Business Valuations)

Tony looks at how they can be developed further and improved. Often this can mean looking at financial structures for a lot of clients and has a way in terms of the gift of the gab with tradies, doctors, lawyers, young millennials and farmers. Very down to earth and able to pass on his pearls of wisdom. He loves also to sit on Boards whether they are client advisory or more formal Boards so he can apply his corporate governance and strategic advisory skills along with his many years in the accounting and business advisory game.

Nowadays he also has a particular interest in intergenerational transitions in the family business or SME sphere and coaching and advising parents and kids in succession matters.

Being a bona fide ‘foodie’ and wine lover he takes a personal interest in cafes, restaurants and wineries or in fact anything he thinks might be hip and cool. Being an avid sports fan including a passionate golfer (former Captain of Glenelg), a regular supporter of his beloved Crows and a once half decent tennis player with a touch of tradition wielding one of Adelaide’s last known wooden tennis racquets (Bjorn and Rog like much to the amusement of others).

He has given a fair bit back to the Community as well over the years too. Honorary Board positions on BEC (SA), CPA Aust Nationally and actively supports Youth Opportunities an Adelaide based positive empowerment and leadership program integrated into Year 10 levels at Schools across SA to help young people overcome challenges and reach their full potential, achieve and thrive.

Glenn Slarks

Senior Manager Tax and Accounting

Glenn is a chartered account with over 10 years’ experience in public practice providing tax, business advisory and self-managed super fund services. Over this time Glenn has developed and maintained strong client relationships with a client first, hands on personable approach. Glenn has the ability to break down complex matters and explain them in a straightforward simple practical way that is easy to understand.

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Glenn grew up in the South East on a family farming operation and has strong knowledge and skills in agribusiness and specialises in this area helping farmers better understand and grow their operations. Other areas of practice include small to medium enterprises, property development and professional services.

Mei Li

Accounting and Tax

Mei is an Associate member of CPA Australia, with 5 years accounting and tax experience in both compliance and professional firms. She is currently studying to be a qualified CPA, and has a legal and financial services degree.

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Areas of Practice:

  • Taxation – preparation of BAS Statements and tax returns for all structures
  • Accounting – preparation of financial statements and related reports
  • IT – high level skills in Xero and MYOB accounting software applications
Kellie Perry

Kellie Perry

Financial Advisor ADFS(FP)

Financial Planning has been a big part of Kellies’ life for over 20 years. Kellie ‘caught the bug’ for providing Financial Advice early on and knew that was her true calling. Having worked for a large Financial Planning practice for many years and then successfully managing her own practice, she has gained a wealth of knowledge and experience.

Connect with Kellie on LinkedIn.

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We are excited that Kellie is now ready to transition to a new phase by integrating into the Advantage One family. This will provide Kellie, and most importantly her clients, the many benefits of embracing a team environment.

Kellie naturally engages with her clients and makes them feel at ease in what can sometimes be a daunting process. Her curious and thoughtful nature, alongside an excellent ability to help clients articulate and achieve their goals, is what underpins Kellie’s success. Kellie is quick to engage her clients with an empathetic ear and a great amount of compassion. This, along with her focus, drive, and problem-solving skills ensure she will deliver quality advice in a manner that is easy to understand.

Areas of Practice:

  • Financial Planning

  • Wealth protection

  • Superannuation and retirement strategies

  • Private wealth creation

  • Personal and business life insurance

  • Debt management

  • Estate planning

Kellie has proven skills in the areas of:

  • Wealth Protection Strategies
  • Financial planning strategies
  • Pre-retirement and Retirement Planning

When not working hard to help her clients achieve their goals, Kellie is busy enjoying life with her partner, their 3 boys, and 2 dogs – whether that be mountain biking, playing tennis, cricket or kicking the soccer ball.  They love planning family holidays and have enjoyed a few memorable trips to Kangaroo Island which is certainly a family favourite. Kellie also enjoys catching up with family and friends – usually with a glass of bubbles in hand. During her downtime, Kellie enjoys gardening, photography, going to the gym, and yoga classes to help maintain that healthy work, life balance.

Rose Mertin

Rose Mertin

Manager, Client Service

Rose’s primary role is to assist the Financial Advisor team with the processing and maintenance of client files, setting client appointments, preparing for client reviews, processing sale and investment share transactions, updating client valuation portfolios, lodging new investment/insurance applications; and generally ensuring that clients receive the very best Advantage One service experience.

Pam Wallace

Administration Manager, Bookkeeper

Pam’s primary responsibility is to maintain and manage the debtor/creditor and payroll areas, assist with the website and other organisational and general administration functions that ensures team and other stakeholder interactions are seamless.

Bridget Parton

Client Services – Financial Planning

Bridget has been working in the personal financial planning industry for over 26 years.

She enjoys engaging with clients and like all our team believes that the client always comes first.

Bridget has joined Advantage One in the role of Client Service Officer where her primary responsibility is to assist the financial planning team with the processing and maintenance of client files, preparing client reviews, processing sale and investment share transactions, updating client valuation portfolios, lodging new investment/insurance applications and generally providing any client servicing support to our Financial Advisers.

In her spare time she enjoys spending time her with family at the beach, stand up paddle boarding, hiking and trail running in the Adelaide Hills and sipping on a glass of wine when the sun goes down.

Josh Bushell

Josh Bushell

Accounting and Tax

Josh is a Commerce and Law Graduate, and Accounting Master’s Student with 10 years work experience across wealth management, banking, and financial service roles. Josh loves a challenge and his current role includes working within the Xero software accounting package and completing financial accounts, tax returns, and activity statements in relation to Individuals, Trusts, Companies, and SMSFs; managing assessment checking; providing correspondence to clients and the administration of SMSFs.

In his spare time Josh captains his local soccer (football) side. He is also the Chief Fire Warden.

The Advantage One Coaching Style

People and relationships. It goes without saying there’d be no business without people and in our case…coaches. In our team we have a brilliant and intelligent array of talent and personalities to draw upon to cover all bases.

There are always moving targets and goals, and invariably, always more ways to win and achieve your lifetime goals. We are collaborative, innovative, practical and solution-based.

To borrow from great coaching models, our starting point is always to fully understand the current business/person and reality. Each of our coaching involvements are different. Each person/business needs, aspirations and goals are different. Which is why, through our ‘ONE Team’ approach, we complete integrated and specific strategies, designed exactly for the individual/business requirements.

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