EXPAND: The Offshoring Advantage: Proven strategies from industry leaders

Danielle Cornelissen is the CEO and Founder of 5 ELK, an offshoring business that has helped bolster the back-office of over 200 Financial Services businesses across Australia and the United Kingdom. Based in the Philippines, Danielle is passionate about helping financial advisers unlock growth in their business and build an offshore team in a smart and secure way. Danielle is a thought leader, keynote presenter and media commentator on all things outsourcing for Financial Services.
5 ELK was recently awarded for its strong culture of innovation through the international ‘Stevie Awards’ and is consistently recognised for their high levels of team satisfaction through the global ‘Great Place to Work’ certification.

At VA Platinum, we believe financial planners deserve more than support – they deserve a partner dedicated to helping them reclaim time, grow profitably, and deliver exceptional client outcomes. Brian Jones, founder and CEO, built VA Platinum to help financial professionals scale without losing control or compromising quality. Through dedicated offshore teams, our clients reduce costs, increase capacity, and focus on what matters most – serving their clients. Our mission is simple: help clients move from overwhelmed to organised, from stretched to scalable. With our support, they achieve stronger margins, more freedom, and the confidence that their business can grow sustainably. Brian’s goal is to empower financial planners to build efficient, profitable, and balanced businesses with the backing of high-performing offshore teams.

Jo Hall is the Founder & Managing Director of Qwrk Outsourcing.
Qwrk Outsourcing’s why is “We love to help”. This is demonstrated through the fanatical support they provide not only to their Clients, but to their Qwrkmates, and communities as well.
Jo is passionate about partnering with Financial Planning Practices to help them navigate scaling their businesses effectively using an Offshore team.
Jo is known for her dedication to excellence, integrity, teamwork, and spirited leadership, which are the core values that guide Qwrk Outsourcing.
Jo was awarded Women in Finance Regional Professional of the Year in 2024 and was a finalist in CEO of the Year 2024.

Leah leads ASIC’s Financial Advice and Investment Management team within the Regulation and Supervision group. The team oversees the regulatory work associated with financial advisers, advice licensees, managed investment schemes, wholesale funds, platforms and managed discretionary accounts. Prior to this role, Leah was ASIC’s Senior Executive Leader, Financial Advisers.
Leah has more than 13 years of regulatory experience and has worked on significant policy and enforcement initiatives. Leah is focused on improving access to good quality affordable advice and working to address conduct in the advice and investment management sectors that leads to poor consumer outcomes. Prior to joining ASIC, Leah was a practising financial adviser for over 10 years, representing several Australian financial services licensees and providing personal advice to retail clients. Leah holds a degree in Business from the Queensland University of Technology as well as a Graduate Diploma of Applied Corporate Governance.