About

Michael is a highly qualified and experienced practitioner.

Having in excess of 30 years’ personal and corporate insolvency and restructuring experience across a diverse range of sectors, Michael has particular expertise in the following areas:

• corporate insolvency including voluntary administrations, liquidations and receivership;
• bankruptcy and alternatives to bankruptcy for individuals;
• members’ voluntary liquidations
• small business restructuring;
• safe harbour advice;
• shareholder and partnership dispute resolution; and
• litigation support including acting as an expert witness, court appointed referee and Federal Circuit and Family Court appointments in family law matters.

Michael’s more recent experience includes:

• appointment as voluntary administrator of a non for profit organisation with 30,000 members and 80 staff providing bulk billed medical services from 8 clinics across the ACT;
• assisting in the successful restructuring of a corporate group with 30 retail locations across Australia which was severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic;
• acting as the board appointed safe harbour advisor for a group of companies with operations across Australia and New Zealand with annual turnover in excess of  $100m;
• appointment by the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia in family law proceedings to sell a prominent Canberra business as a going concern;
• appointment to undertake detailed forensic financial review in relation to a joint venture dispute in the property development sector;
• expert witness in farming partnership family dispute; and
• acting in the implementation of successful small business restructures.

Michael is of the firm belief that confronting insolvency sooner rather than later leads to better outcomes. Seeking professional advice not only reduces the stress associated with the situation but also maximises the chances of a successful resolution.

Aaron is a founding partner of Slaven Torline with more that 15 years of insolvency and restructuring experience including over 5 years as a director in a big four firm. 

Aaron has significant experience in corporate insolvency and restructuring across a diverse range of industries. He has successfully worked on complex restructures and recoveries for listed companies on behalf of financial institutions, boards of directors and State and Commonwealth Government departments.

Numerous SME clients have also benefited from Aaron’s expertise in providing restructuring, asset management and cash flow solutions that have allowed them to successfully work through their financial challenges. 

In addition to his corporate experience, Aaron has extensive experience in personal insolvency matters. Aaron has led many individuals through formal bankruptcy appointments and informal debt negotiations. He is highly skilled at finding solutions to personal financial problems.

Aaron is also regularly engaged as an expert in many informal advisory roles including, Safe Harbor engagements, internal business reviews, investigative accounting reports, solvency reports and expert witness reports. 

Melissa has 7 years of insolvency and restructuring experience. She specialises in both corporate and bankruptcy administrations. Prior to Slaven Torline, Melissa was a manager in EY’s national restructuring practice.

Melissa has worked on more than 300 corporate and bankruptcy administrations. She has experience with a diverse range of clients including transport, construction, retail, hospitality and professional services.

Melissa’s strong technical knowledge gave her the opportunity to travel to India to train EY’s Indian restructuring practice. She has developed expert communication skills that enable her to clearly inform all stakeholders so that everyone understands the process.

Aaron joined Slaven Torline in December 2023 with more than 15 years of insolvency and restructuring experience. Prior to Slaven Torline, Aaron was a senior investigator with the Commonwealth Government for the Fair Entitlements Guarantee (FEG) Recovery Program, and has been with Big 4 and top 10 mid-tier accounting firms.

Aaron has significant experience in corporate insolvency, business restructuring, turnaround and business reviews. He has worked on a wide range of appointments throughout his career, from SMEs to large international organisations, across various industries. In all of his engagements, Aaron strives to be efficient, timely, and commercial and aims to help and support stakeholders during times of financial hardship.

Aaron is knowledgeable in assessing early warning signs of insolvency. Where businesses may be insolvent and they want to genuinely restructure their affairs, Aaron understands that the earlier that advice is sought, the more options that may be available. This could be the difference between a successful restructure with jobs saved and continued supplier relationships, and loss of the business. At Slaven Torline, our initial conversations are free, confidential and no-obligation. Aaron is available to discuss with you or your client specific circumstances of the situation, and provide clear, understandable and practical options.

Jessica has 13 years’ experience working in the insolvency industry, both in Australia and the United Kingdom. During this time Jessica has gained experience working on a variety of both corporate and personal insolvency matters. The insolvency work undertaken by Jessica has covered a variety of industries including retail, manufacturing, property, agriculture and hospitality and has included straight forward Creditors Voluntary Liquidation appointments through to large scale trade on Administrations of several retail chain stores. Along with the corporate appointments Jessica has also worked on a large amount of personal insolvencies.

Along with the insolvency industry Jessica also has experience assisting a large financial institution to undertake bi-annual reviews of inventory under finance and has spent several years in the financial planning sector.

Hugh began his insolvency and restructuring journey in September 2018 as an intern in EY’s national restructuring practice. As a founding employee of Slaven Torline Hugh is a highly valued member of the Slaven Torline team. Hugh is currently in the process of completing a professional accounting qualification through Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand.

Hugh has worked on numerous corporate and personal insolvency administrations gaining valuable experience in securing successful outcomes for all stakeholders affected by the insolvency of an organisation or individual.

Billy joined Slaven Torline in August 2019 as an undergraduate. He subsequently obtained his commerce degree majoring in accounting from University of Canberra in 2020 and is a Chartered Accountant.

Billy has worked on numerous corporate insolvency and personal bankruptcy matters. Billy’s attention to detail and commitment to effective communication means that he is able to achieve productive and positive outcomes for all stakeholders.

Reshvin joined Slaven Torline as a graduate in 2023. Reshvin completed her masters of accounting at the University of Wollongong.

Selma joined Slaven Torline as a graduate in 2023. Selma completed her masters in professional accounting majoring in financial management at the University of Wollongong.