Paul Foley

Director

Paul followed in his father and many of his siblings’ footsteps to build a long, rewarding career at Cooke and Foley. He joined the firm on finishing university with his Bachelor of Business degree in hand. Over 30 years, Paul has progressed from becoming a Certified Practising Accountant to earning his Public Practice Certificate and a Registered Tax Agent. He became director in 2006.

Hospitality and farming are areas of special interest. Paul has solidified a client base across regional Victoria around these industries, with particular attention to budgeting and cashflow preparation. He finds most satisfaction in monitoring and interpreting KPIs to help businesses grow. As the role of accountants evolves, Paul said he aimed to assume a more advisory role with specific, strategic advice to achieve defined goals for clients. This ranges from tax minimisation, to succession planning and retirement.

Honesty, diligence and looking after people are at the core of his work ethic. Paul believes a loyal, long term client base speaks to the calibre of the firm and its work. His approach is to understand everything about a client’s business and circumstances to become their most trusted advisor.

Community involvement is another core belief. Paul played a key role in the redevelopment of the Ballarat Golf Club, helping it earn the 2011 Clubs Victoria Award for Best Club Redevelopment. He’s on the club board and perhaps unsurprisingly, is its Finance Director. His love of sport extends to basketball and a long involvement with the Ballarat Miners Basketball Club, including being a past Treasurer.

Personally, Paul enjoys spending time with his wife and three children and supporting their sporting interests. A keen golfer, he’ll happily spend a Saturday on the green, except when his other sporting love, Richmond, is playing.

Kym Cassells

Director

Basketball and accountancy are two words that typically wouldn’t be paired in a word association test. For Cooke & Foley director Kym Cassells, the interplay between the sport and her working life has been a career constant.

Kym joined Cooke & Foley in 2000 while playing basketball in Ballarat and studying for a Bachelor of Commence. A former Cooke & Foley director also was part of the basketball community. Kym was working towards a professional career in sport when an injury pushed pause on that plan.

With her focus now on study, Kym completed her Certified Public Accountant qualification and learned the many facets of public practice accounting. She continued to gain experience, particularly in taxation accounting and business services. Ballarat born and bred, Kym honed her financial skills to become a director at Cooke & Foley in 2012. She has more than 15 years experience in superannuation, specialising in self managed super funds.

The hospitality and gaming industries are areas of special interest. With an intricate knowledge of Xero and other accounting packages, other professional strengths are cash flow and budgeting preparation and interpretation.

Kym holds a Public Practising Certificate and prides herself on liaising promptly with her clients. She gets particular satisfaction helping them set up processes so they can better manage their day- to-day operations. While most of her clients are small business owners in hospitality, farming and retail, Kym says an ideal client is one who sees the firm as a legitimate business partner.

A long-term, loyal client base is testament to Cooke and Foley’s core values of having client’s best interests at the forefront of all decisions. Client relationships are key and Kym believes their client’s loyalty confirms the company has gone beyond providing basic financial services.

Personally, Kym’s love and involvement in basketball hasn’t wavered. She’s being involved in the Ballarat Lady Miners (now the Ballarat Rush) for 16 years and continues to have an active involvement in the sport as treasurer of the Ballarat Basketball Association. Her dedication was honoured in 2014 when Kym was inducted into the Ballarat Basketball Hall of Fame.

Nicole Crocker

Director

Nicole has been a director at Cooke and Foley since 2017. She’s spent most of her working life at the firm, moving to the firm at age 20 while still at university. Business and finance were always on her horizon. One grandfather was a bank manager; another and an uncle were both CPAs.

Typical clients are businesses owners in property development, civil construction, trades and retail. Her special interest skills include advanced knowledge in Xero and other accounting packages, as well as cashflow and budgeting preparation and interpretation. Nicole has particular strengths in the property development industry, including various GST and income tax issues.

Communication is at the centre of her customer service philosophy. That means being available to clients and investing time into building those relationships. Nicole said she gets particular satisfaction in being involved in the client’s business journey from start up to eventual sale, or retirement. And she takes great satisfaction mentoring younger team members.

Accountancy is about more than numbers. Nicole said she likes to look beyond the numbers, at the more analytical aspects of the work. With more than two decades experience at the firm, Nicole said she most enjoys the advisory side of the role, including annual planning to minimise income tax liabilities and the more complex advice regarding business structuring and effective exiting of a business. That passion was put to good use when a long-standing client decided it was time to sell. It was a two-year process where various strategies were devised to exit the business and minimise the tax impact. The service and analysis over that time ensured Nicole retained her existing client and earned a new one in the process.

Personally, Nicole enjoys spending time with family and the horse racing industry. She’s a part owner of a number of horses and has friends who are breeders. She’s now channelling that passion into developing a niche market for the racing industry.

Peter Davis

Senior Accountant

Dedicated to his role, and fastidious about his work, Peter undertakes diverse responsibilities as a Senior Accountant at Cooke & Foley, often one on one with a large range of clients.

Peter has the ability to convey complicated messages to his clients, ensuring they are comfortable in discussions, and guiding them through the complex matters of tax law. He describes Cooke & Foley as innovative, proactive, and interactive, encouraging clients to be receptive to new ideas and software advances.

Peter has been a member of the Cooke and Foley team since 2000, with many years prior experience across various industries as a finance professional. He holds an Advanced Diploma of Business (Accounting) from the University of Ballarat, and a Graduate Certificate in Professional Accounting from the University of New England.

Growing up in Camperdown and working throughout the Western district of Victoria, Peter has a genuine appreciation of rural and regional interests.

Outside of work, Peter is an enthusiastic cyclist. When not riding his bike, or tinkering with car restoration, you’ll likely find him enjoying motor car or bicycle racing.

Chris Squire

Senior Accountant

As a Senior Accountant, Chris primarily handles Tax Planning and Compliance for the Larger Clients and Self-Managed Super Funds within Cooke and Foley.

Chris has a strong belief in ethics, and values respectful, trusting and responsive client relationships. He thoroughly enjoys the problem-solving aspect of his career, and finds great satisfaction providing clients with advice that will improve their business.

Awarded Dux in Accounting and Economics as a secondary student, Chris proved destined for this industry. He went on to gain a degree in Applied Economics & Finance from the University of Ballarat, and is now a confident CPA with Xero certification. Chris has been a full-time member of the Cooke and Foley team since 2008.

A life-long resident of Ballarat, Chris enjoys all sports. Outside of his financial career he has held a number of roles within the Ballarat Basketball Association. Chris is also a bit of a history buff. He enjoys watching documentaries, and spending time with family and friends.

Jason Lowson

Senior Accountant

Supporting Individuals and Businesses with general accounting advice and providing specialist Self-Managed Super Funds advice are Jason’s principal responsibilities as a Senior Accountant with Cooke and Foley.

Conscientious and approachable, Jason’s working philosophy is based on mutual respect, and building trusting relationships. He values communication, the importance of gathering appropriate information, and working with clients to achieve positive outcomes. Jason truly appreciates Cooke and Foley’s long-standing reputation as a caring, community-focused business.

Prior to joining the team at Cooke and Foley in 2015, Jason had gained 8 years valuable experience working with both a national and local Ballarat accounting firm. Previous to that Jason spent some 15 years working within the banking and finance industry. An accredited SMSF Specialist Advisor™ and fully Xero certified, Jason completed his Bachelor of Commerce degree at the University of Ballarat in 2007.

Jason was born in England, but spent most of his growing-up years in the north-west of Western Australia. He has called Ballarat home since moving here in 2003.

When he’s not spending time with family and friends, watching sport, or contemplating his next travel adventure, Jason simply enjoys time at home cooking.

Matthew Richardson

Director

Matthew joined Cooke and Foley in 2019 as a Senior Accountant, with over ten years’ experience in the industry. Matthew became a Director of the firm in 2024.

Knowing the importance of being a trusted advisor, being approachable, and building quality professional relationships with his clients, is very much in keeping with Cooke & Foley’s direct focus on the quality of work being undertaken for each of its clients.

As a Chartered Accountant, holding a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting & Law), Matthews’ knowledge and interpersonal skills enable him to assist a broad range of clients to achieve their desired results.

Matthew has the ability to talk and correspond with people, in a style that is effective and efficient. He firmly believes the client comes first and that his priority is to act for them in whatever capacity required. He is motivated to assist businesses in their quest to thrive and become more profitable. A more wholistic approach to caring for clients, he believes, is essential with the emergence of new technologies and automation in the financial industry.

A Ballarat local, Matthew is an accomplished musician, having played professionally as a band guitarist and lead vocalist, performing at numerous events and venues.

Faye Sun

Accountant

As a qualified CPA, Faye supports Individuals and Businesses with general taxation and bookkeeping services. Having worked herself for a number of years in the Hospitality industry, she has an intimate understanding of the inherent nature of small business. Faye is also fluent in Mandarin and Cantonese.

Faye has been with Cooke and Foley since 2015. She was awarded her Master of Professional Accounting at the University of Ballarat in 2014, after completing a Master of Finance at the University of Melbourne, and graduating from the Bachelor of Commerce at Curtin University.

Faye believes in helping her clients to properly understand their financial situation. Confident and hardworking, her guiding philosophy is, no business too small, no problem too big.

Approaching her work with persistence and patience, Faye prides herself on her ability to ‘think outside the box’ when approaching a problem.

Faye moved from China in 2008, and now calls Ballarat home. When not working you’ll likely find her engaged in her favourite mindfulness activities, drawing and practising Chinese calligraphy.

Zac White

Accountant

An enthusiastic and confident member of the team, Zac is primarily focused on Taxation and Business Advisory Services, thriving on the job’s variety and challenges.

Zac joined Cooke and Foley in 2017 the same year he completed a Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting, at Federation University. He thoroughly enjoys his work environment, and values the diversity and experience of his colleagues.

Zac appreciates Cooke and Foley’s engagement with the latest technology and accounting software, and their commitment to training, which ensures the staff are ready to meet the constant challenges of the profession.

Before settling on a career in finance, Zac tried his hand at building, and has also worked as a sign writer for six years.

Friendly and energetic, Zac enjoys socialising with family and friends. He has a love of basketball, and has played in various representative teams. He has also captained the Gordon Football Club reserves, where he continues to play.

Matthew Dwyer

Accountant

Working across a broad range of industries, Matthew is focused primarily on Taxation and Compliance. Well respected and hardworking, he enjoys meeting the challenges of his role, acknowledging the importance of emerging technology, and data analysis in the industry.

Matthew joined the Cooke & Foley team in 2014 while studying a Bachelor of Business in Professional Accountancy at RMIT University, graduating in 2018.

Doing more for clients than simply compliance & tax work is something Matthew admires about Cooke and Foley, taking the time to truly explain to clients the processes and outcomes involved.

A Ballarat local, Matthew has a keen interest in watching most sports, mainly football and cricket. Though no longer playing, he is involved as treasurer, at the Newlyn Football Netball Club. He also has shares in a couple of racehorses.

Teagan Weightman

Graduate Accountant

Teagan, a recent addition to our accounting team, has been with Cooke and Foley since 2011, having previously worked as a Client Services Administrator. During this time, she was working toward her second degree, a Bachelor of Accounting.

Teagan works primarily with well-established clients across a number of industries. She enjoys the inherent challenges of her role, helping clients improve the running of their businesses, to achieve best possible outcomes. She genuinely feels that her success stems from her client’s success.

Hard working, reliable, and a keen observer, Teagan is proud to be part of Cooke and Foley’s long-established history, enjoying the strong and supportive team environment. She acknowledges that the trust and rapport fostered through relationships, is of great value to clients.

A life-long resident of Ballarat, Teagan loves to read a good mystery, taking walks, and spending time with her family.

Susan Zakynthinos

Production Manager

With over 30 years of experience working at Cooke and Foley, Susan has not only helped to shape the culture, but in many ways has been the welcoming face of the business. Susan’s wealth of experience serves her well in her role as Production Manager.

Friendly, helpful, reliable, and caring, are apt descriptions of Susan, qualities that complement the hardworking and competent approach she brings to her role. Susan’s primary responsibility is managing the flow of work through the office, and providing payroll services to clients.

Susan has contact with many of Cooke and Foley’s clients. She is proud of the excellent service, family-focused nature of the business, and its progressive attitude within the industry.

In recent times, having raised her family in Ballarat, where she has lived her life, Susan has taken to experiencing new countries and cultures through her travel adventures.

Jessica Dabraio

Client Services Administrator

Since joining us in 2006, Jessica has been responsible for ensuring our wonderful team gets the support they need, with numerous administration tasks, maintaining client software, and handling customer enquiries.

She approaches her role with a strong sense of loyalty, care, and personal investment, genuinely concerned with the successful and smooth running of Cooke and Foley and the high level of service provided to clients.

Trustworthiness, reliability, and accountability are among the qualities she values as a member of the team.

Away from work, Jessica loves all things outdoors, particularly when it involves her family. Given the opportunity, she’d love to enjoy a minimalist lifestyle in a ‘Tiny House’.

Julie Steele

Julie is the first friendly face that you will see when entering the Cooke & Foley Office. She provides assistance and support in the office, and extends that friendly service over the phone. Interacting with and connecting clients to the rest of the team, is what she most enjoys.

It is the strong team environment and friendly, professional interaction, that motivates Julie to contribute prompt and efficient service, in a conscientious and customer-oriented manner.

After joining Cooke and Foley in 2023, Julie brings with her several years’ administration and medical secretarial experience.

Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her family and after technically being a resident of the United Kingdom for most of her life, Julie was excited to officially became an Australian resident in 2024.

Casey Hill

Accountant

Casey initially began working with Cooke & Foley back in 2008 until she moved to Perth for family reasons. Casey since resumed her employment in 2023 and currently works with a range of clients in various industries. Casey is a highly respected team member who has obtained a Bachelor of Commerce and is also a Certified Practising Accountant (CPA). Having a wide range of experience in both public practice and commercial accounting, Casey enjoys drawing on this experience to obtain the best possible outcome for clients regardless of the industry. As a self confessed numbers nerd, Casey thoroughly enjoys analysing the numbers to assist in finding the best possible tax and accounting outcome in every situation. In her spare time, Casey is enjoys camping, pilates and looking after her two young boys.

Kerrie Sutton

Accountant

After commencing her career with Cooke & Foley in 2020, Kerrie has quickly forged a reputation for accuracy and efficiency in everything she does. Kerrie operates in multiple areas of the firm including bookkeeping, payroll and taxation compliance. Kerrie completed her studies at Federation Univeristy and now holds a Bachelor of Commerce in addition to a Certificate 3 in Education Support. Kerrie is often tasked with analysing the internal systems of our clients to look for potential efficiencies and effective software solutions. Outside the office, Kerrie enjoys spending time with family, walking and travelling.

Matthew Zakynthinos

Accountant

Matt started his accountancy journey with Cooke & Foley in 2022 and has quickly become a popular team member. After spending a decade working as a qualified horticulturist, Matt opted for a career change that he has been excelling in since its inception. It was a natural progression for Matt to fall into accountancy with a history in sports statistics. Since 2007 Matt has also worked as a sports statistician, having obtained a level 3 qualification and has even been the statistician for basketball games at NBL and Commonwealth Games level! Having already worked in multiple areas of the firm, Matt assists in numerous fields including payroll, GST compliance and superannuation compliance. In his spare time Matt is a talented sportsman having a long history with local Basketball & Cricket where he still currently plays.

Paulene Barton

Accountant

Paulene joined Cooke & Foley in 2023 as an Accountant with a long list of impressive qualifications. Paulene has a Bachelor of Accounting (Advanced Accounting), a Diploma in Business, and is a Graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Paulene is also a Certified Practising Accountant (CPA).

Paulene is responsible for processing a number of client compliance groups with complex structures, and thoroughly enjoys interpreting complex tax law to ensure client files are processed with the utmost accuracy. Paulene has been working as an accountant since 2020 and has quickly earned a reputation of being efficient and conscientious.

Paulene joined Cooke & Foley with a musical history and in a past life was a professional musician and music teacher. Paulene lives locally with her husband and two daughters and likes to spend weekends sipping coffee and enjoying time with her family.