McGrathNicol appoints five new Partners, including four internal promotions and one lateral hire

McGrathNicol is proud to announce the admission of Jeshna Sagun, Shane Hurst, Carlo Cappuccio and Daniel Power to its partnership. Jacinta Nielsen also re-joins as a Melbourne-based Restructuring Partner having previously worked at the firm as a Director. The new appointments bring the total number of partners to 64.

The following internal promotions recognise the outstanding contributions each senior leader has made to McGrathNicol:

• Jeshna Sagun is a Sydney-based payroll expert with over 15 years of experience across operational and strategic payroll roles. She works with employers to optimise and transform their payroll function across the employee lifecycle, helping to minimise compliance risks and improve productivity. Jeshna has led complex end-to-end payroll operations and large-scale wage remediation programs for large ASX listed and private companies as well as substantial not-for-profit enterprises. Jeshna provides corporates and private equity firms buy- and sell-side payroll due diligence and integration advice in mergers and acquisitions.

• Shane Hurst brings more than 15 years of experience in restructuring, turnaround, and business improvement strategies. He works with directors, boards, and lenders to support businesses navigating financial or operational challenges. Based in the Perth office, Shane has led numerous complex trading and restructuring projects, conducted independent business reviews, assessed strategic options, managed business improvement programs, and overseen trading sale processes.

• Carlo Cappuccio is a Canberra-based advisor with more than 20 years' experience helping government and private sector organisations navigate complex governance, risk and assurance challenges. Working extensively with Federal Government agencies, regulators and critical infrastructure operators, he advises clients on enterprise risk, resilience, regulatory frameworks and organisational performance, providing assurance and confidence in decision-making and delivery.

• Daniel Power is a restructuring and turnaround specialist who advises lenders, boards and management teams to help businesses through periods of underperformance, strategic change or financial distress. Based in Melbourne, he has extensive experience leading complex engagements, including in-depth independent business reviews, strategic options assessments, insolvency appointments, and distressed M&A processes. He specialises in complex, multi-stakeholder restructurings and is known for aligning stakeholders, stabilising performance, preserving value and delivering practical, commercially focused solutions in time-critical situations across a range of industries.

Jacinta Nielsen re-joins the firm as a Restructuring Partner based in the Melbourne office. With experience across both Australia and the UK, Jacinta leads a range of turnaround and restructuring projects advising financiers, large corporates and government organisations on complex financial challenges. As a registered liquidator, she assists clients facing disruption and performance issues in a range of industries, incorporating tailored business reviews, financial capacity assessments, options analysis and pre-lend reviews. Jacinta was previously a Director at McGrathNicol.

“Jeshna, Shane, Carlo and Daniel have demonstrated strong leadership skills and a commitment to exceptional client service over the years. We are proud to recognise their contributions to the firm and to welcome Jacinta back as a Partner,” commented Executive Chair, Jason Preston.

“Quality people will always be our key differentiator. These new appointments mean we are well-placed to respond to current market conditions and help businesses navigate both financial and operational pressures. With breadth and depth of experience, we are making the most of being a specialist, independent firm by assembling multidisciplinary teams best suited to solving our clients’ challenges.”

Following the appointment of Heather Matheson to Partner in August 2025, Daniel and Jacinta will further bolster the Melbourne Restructuring team, providing additional support to Victorian-based clients operating in a challenging business environment.

Since 1 January 2026, McGrathNicol has also promoted Courtney Roe to the partnership and welcomed new lateral Partners, Victoria Brilliant and Trevor Dorahy, to the national Deals team.

McGrathNicol has announced the internal promotion of four Directors from 1 July 2026.