The recent ructions in the Sydney office of national mid-tier Cor Cordis have resulted in star recruit Neil Cussen leaving the firm.
“We’re currently working through the details to facilitate Neil’s amicable departure.”
In a statement issued late last night Cor Cordis national marketing manager Lidia Bufalino said: “Further to our statement issued on Tuesday 11 April 2023, we can confirm that Neil Cussen has chosen to explore opportunities outside of the firm”.
“We thank Neil for his contributions to the Sydney practice and wish him well in his future
endeavours.
“We’re currently working through the details to facilitate Neil’s amicable departure.”
Speaking by phone from Canberra this morning, Cussen told iNO that he had been presented with “opportunities external to the firm” that were too good ignore but he wouldn’t be drawn on a timeline for his departure other than to say “I’d like to see some finality by the end of the financial year”.
He made an effort to portray his departure as being the result of these unspecified external opportunities, in direct contrast to speculation in some corners of the marketplace which suggested that Cussen’s ambitions to lead the Sydney practice and ultimately the firm nationally were thwarted by resistance to that pathway from senior Sydney partner Ozem Kassem.
Cussen today appears to have contradicted that speculation.
Cussen came to Cor Cordis in 2021 after a successful career at Deloitte and the rumours of his departure – now confirmed – raised questions about why such a well regarded practitioner would leave after such a relatively short time.
What his departure might mean for the various Deloitte colleagues he brought with him – Michael Billingsley, Jonathan Parker and Tony Wright – also remains unclear.
Apart from Ms Bufalino and Cussen, nobody from Cor Cordis is prepared to go on record to set it straight.
Not acting national partner Daniel Juratowitch who’s standing in for Bruno Secatore while he recovers from surgery. Not Secatore himself. And not Kassem or any of the other Sydney partners.
Amicable the parting might be. But transparent it’s not. What details for example will need to be worked through to ensure Cussen’s departure fits the nothing-to-see-here script? He’s an equity partner after all. And what risks might threaten the successful negotiation of these undisclosed details?
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