Craig West, a Non-Executive Director at Madison Marcus since late June 2024, brings with him over 20 years of experience advising business owners. As a strategic accountant and CPA, his extensive insights into the key issues concerning business owners instill confidence in his expertise.
After earning two master’s degrees, Craig focused on Capital Gains Tax (CGT) for business sales, advising on strategic taxation management. He realised that many business owners were unprepared for an exit. Now, as a strategic business and financial mentor for mid-market business owners, Craig has authored four acclaimed books on employee incentives, succession planning, asset protection, and exit strategies. He has delivered numerous seminars and presentations across Australia and internationally, including education programs for CAANZ, Family Business Australia, IOOF, Macquarie Bank, and CPA Australia.
In March 2014, Craig became Executive Chairman of the SME Association of Australia, representing over 300,000 business owners. He was awarded Exit Planner of the Year at the Exit Planning Institute Annual Conference in Texas, USA, in October 2014. His proprietary structure, Peak Performance Trust, has twice won the Australia-wide Employee Share Ownership Plan of the Year award.
Craig launched SME Experts in 2018 and grew its podcast audience to over 26,500 downloads. In 2019, he released “Mid-Market Matters,” a podcast for medium-sized businesses. He joined the NSW Committee for STEP in 2021, focusing on advising families across generations. Craig also launched Capitaliz, a SaaS platform for delivering advisory services at scale.
In November 2021, he was appointed Executive Chairman of NSW Leaders. In July 2022, Craig received a Doctor of Business Administration for his research on business exit options in Australian SMEs. He is dedicated to helping business owners think strategically, maximise their value, and achieve successful exits.
