Meet our team of accountants, advisers and financial planners

	Debbie Whiting - Director I completed a Bachelor of Commerce in 1980 at UWA and became a chartered accountant back in 1983 and have been involved with financial planning since 1987. What’s more, I initially specialised in superannuation – in the early 1980s I ran the Super division of Ernst and Young. This breadth of experience gave me the perfect foundation on which to establish Utopia in 2003, creating a unique business model around my dual accounting and financial planning skills. I founded the firm in 1983 and the name Utopia was inspired by my wonderful days as a University Undergrad at St Thomas More College. Thomas More, the “Man for all seasons," has been my inspiration – he showed ultimate courage, intellect and integrity under the most pressured of situations and ultimately died for his convictions. Today, we face different challenges, but strength, intellect and courage are still key attributes required for success and I try to make them my mantra. The Utopia model seeks to set a target and, using a lot of skill, help a client achieve their financial goal based on astute investments achieving sustainable returns through the cycles of the market. When I am not passionately striving to help clients reach their financial Utopia, I am a mother of three uni students. I am a keen hockey player and our team’s motto is, “the older we get, the better we are”
	Nancy Liu - Associate I’ve been with Utopia since day one, joining as a Certified Practising Accountant with a Masters in Professional Accounting, not to mention a degree in Agricultural Science. I manage a portfolio of clients, providing taxation and business advisory services to small and medium-sized businesses in a diverse range of industries – I have clients in the legal, medical, veterinary, wine, construction, retail and property sectors. I’m married to Heping and I have two children. When I’m not at work, I enjoy an active lifestyle – I’m a member of Fitness First and have a regular exercise program. I also enjoy reading, cooking, playing tennis, badminton and table tennis.
	Clive Ross - Senior Tax Consultant After closing a Taxpayer Advocacy company where I was a Director, I joined Utopia in August 2007. Prior to that I was employed by the Australian Taxation Office at executive level for about 11 years – I’ve raised issues, made submissions and given evidence at Federal Government Senate enquiries into taxation, as well as to the Inspector General of Taxation, which have resulted in improvements for taxpayers such as reducing the time it takes for the ATO to amend tax returns and reduced penalty rates. Since joining Utopia, I’ve applied my tax knowledge to both accounting and financial planning issues and structures. I love being able to help clients by finding financial solutions. Away from work, I enjoy travelling, property development or renovation and motor cars.
	Sharlin Tan - Manager I became part of the Utopia family in 2005. I have a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting and Finance) from Curtin University of Technology, as well as both First and Second level Bookkeeping qualifications from the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry. In March 2008, I successfully completed my final Chartered Accountant paper, so I’m now a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants Australia too.
	Joanne Sim - Assistant Manager I’ve been with Utopia since July 2007. I have a degree in Commerce from the University of Western Australia, with majors in Financial Accounting, Managerial Accounting and Corporate Finance. Currently, I’m enrolled in the CPA Program. My hobbies include travelling, playing piano, yoga and swimming.
	Daniel Carnaby - Assistant Manager I have been with Utopia since July 2007. I studied at Curtin University, completing a Bachelor's degree in Commerce with majors in Accounting and Finance. I have since completed my Charted Accountant studies. At home I can often be found doing some form of renovations to my house, working on cars or taking care of my 8 month old boy. My other interests include cycling, catching up with friends and cooking.
	Enien Teo - Group Consultant After graduating from Curtin with an Accounting degree, I dabbled in Marketing by doing a postgraduate diploma. The Marketing diploma hasn’t improved my selling skills, but the accounting degree has come in handy. I started out working as a bookkeeper for a local cruise company, all the while never going on any of their available cruises. I then went on to work in government at the Department of Sport and Recreation. Then when the pace got too slow for me, I decided to join Utopia and it hasn’t been slow since. Early in 2008, I went on maternity leave to have my daughter Ava, and she has been keeping me rather busy on top of working part time with Utopia at the moment. Outside of my work life, I enjoy spending time with my family and catching up with friends. I also enjoy exercising, cooking and baking. Oh… and sleeping, but that is a dream for another day.
	Kerry Pilcher - Administration Over the last 40 years I’ve been a book keeper and assistant accountant in London, Melbourne and more recently Perth. When I moved to WA, I helped my husband in his business for 22 years, but then I decided to take the challenge of leaving our family business environment. That’s when I joined Utopia. The transition was difficult at first, but I was soon enjoying my work here. In my spare time I assist and enjoy fellowship with the Rotary Club of Scarborough. I also make morning tea for the local church every Sunday and love playing hockey twice a week.
	Nicholas Horstman - Client Services Officer I joined Utopia shortly after graduating from Curtin University with a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Financial Planning. The financial planning industry is something that has always appealed to me. I enjoy being involved in the process of helping clients reach their financial goals. My Certified Financial Planner or CFP qualification is one of my long term goals and one I hope to achieve with Utopia in the near future. Outside of work I enjoy attending a gym on a regular basis, playing tennis or kicking the footy with friends and watching the occasional film.
	Travis Buck - Accountant I joined Utopia after graduating from UWA in 2010 with a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in financial and management accounting. I am eager to commence my CA studies in order to gain admission as a Chartered Accountant. My hobbies include playing badminton and buying boxes of TV shows and not having enough time to watch them.
	Tim Edwards - Accountant I joined Utopia after graduating from Curtin University in 2010 with a bachelor of Commerce majoring in Accounting & Finance. My goal over the next few years is to gain admission as a Chartered Accountant. Outside of work I enjoy going to the gym, playing sports, socialisng with mates and watching sport, especially the footy.
	Nicole Soh - Accountant I joined Utopia as an intern immediately after I completed my Bachelor' Degree in Commerce from the University of Western Australia in January 2011. I was soon accepted as a fully fledged Accountant. I have always been fascinated by numbers and I enjoy my current vocation in Utopia whereby my seniors are ever so helpful and i am truly grateful for their guidance as I am still very much a novice in this field. I believe in tenacity, integrity and honesty which i will apply in my professional attributes in my chosen career. I am confident my passion for this industry will lead me to my sucess and contribute to Utopia's clientele. I love swimming, cooking and indulge in catching up with friends back in Malaysia and Perth.
	Tara Ross - Tax Consultant I completed a Bachelor of Commerce at UWA in 1997. I then worked in the tax division of Arthur Andersen and Ernst & Young specialising in employment taxes and expatriate services. I am a chartered accountant and completed my MBA in 2002. I recently started a psychology degree because it's an area I find interesting. Outside of work, I love to read, watch movies and catch up with friends and family over a coffee.