Principal
Areas of expertise
- Business Recovery and Turnaround
- Business Insolvency
- Personal Insolvency
- Forensic Accounting
Qualifications and Membership
- Diploma in Commerce- University of Technology Sydney
- Registered Trustee in Bankruptcy
- Registered Liquidator
- Fellow, Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CAANZ)
- Member, Australian Restructuring Insolvency and Turnaround Association (ARITA)
- Fellow, Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD)
- CPA
- Member, Insolvency Institute
Brian is the founding principal of FerrierSilvia and has over 50 years of local and international insolvency experience.
Brian is highly regarded in the industry thanks to his holistic approach, and is considered a valued thought leader. He provides innovative solutions through strategic problem solving and attention to detail, and works to reach the best possible outcomes for all stakeholders.
Brian is one of the few practitioners in Australia who can oversee complex insolvencies. He has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars to secured creditors in some of the most complex insolvencies since the 1980s. A registered liquidator and registered trustee in bankruptcy, Brian is also regularly called up as an expert witness.
Outside of the office, Brian has an interest in warmblood horse breeding and dressage. His horses have won nine Australian Dressage championships. One of his former horses competed for Great Britain on the Sydney Olympics.
"For almost 50 years I have experienced a vast range of challenges in personal and corporate insolvency work, mainly spanning property and construction. These unique experiences have developed skills well beyond those of an advisor and I am proud to be relied upon to offer these to my clients on every engagement".
Career Highlights
- Appointed by NSW Attorney General as an ‘A’ list liquidator in 1983, leading to regular court appoints on highly challenging and complex matters.
- Discovered the methodology behind widespread Australian insurance industry fraud in the 1980s.
- Key architect of the ‘Open Cover’ Insurance agreement, which provides 30 day automatic cover for appointments between insurance brokers and insolvency firms.
- Voluntary administrator of Austcorp Property Group, returning 90% of monies owed to the primary secured creditor.
- Administrator of Diamond Press, third largest commercial printers in Australia; realised a high price for the business sale, which lead to the secured creditors being paid well in excess of expectations.
- A key team member assisted in the reconstruction of Concrete Constructions, which recovered the bank’s secured $300 million exposure.
- Receiver of Best & Less retail group. Initially losing $2 million a month, Brian sold the business and recovered all monies owed to the secured creditor.
- Liquidator for Hartogen Oil and Gas Group (partially owned by current Origin Energy).
- Administration of numerous unlisted/unrated Debenture Issuers including Bridgecorp, Fincorp, part of Australian Capital Reserve and LKM Capital Ltd.
- Administration over the past 10 years of significant Managed Investment schemes including FEA Forestry Group in Tasmania.